In 1996, 28 years after Shelby American ceased production of the Cobra, Carroll Shelby made the decision to re-introduce the big block, 427 Cobra to the market. In keeping with his philosophy of testing on the track, he relocated operations from California to Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).
Along with moving Shelby American operations to LVMS, he moved the “tire store” Carroll’s Goodyear racing tire distributorship, to the Speedway as well. Shelby American opened new facilities at LVMS and began production of CSX4000 “Continuation Series” Shelby Cobras in 1996, with the first deliveries in 1997.
It was an exciting time, much like the early days in California when Carroll was there coaching, encouraging, managing and leading a talented staff of craftsmen who built Cobras at Shelby American.
With Carroll at the helm, attention to detail was evident in every Cobra built. Not only was each Cobra assigned an authentic CSX4000 serial number, each body was individually numbered and matched to the chassis. CSX4133 was assigned Body #115.
These numbered chassis’ are a thing of the past. Today, Shelby Cobras are built offshore in South Africa by a subcontractor using state-of-the-art production techniques to efficiently produce high-quality rolling chassis’. While these are excellent products, those actually built by Shelby American in Las Vegas carry a special significance, as they were built under Carroll’s aegis and direct supervision.
As the oldest, authorized, Shelby Cobra dealer in the world, we’ve been selling Shelby Cobras for more than 25 years. Occasionally, we come across one that is really well done, with all the right parts, nicely optioned, with lots of attention to detail, and a numbered body. CSX4133 is one of those Cobras.
For the record, this is a real, Continuation Series Shelby Cobra, manufactured in Las Vegas by Shelby American in 1999. It’s not a replica.
Features include:
Until our purchase of the car, CSX4133 had been serviced by Olthoff Racing in North Carolina, one of the top performance shops in the US specializing in Cobras and GT40’s. After we purchased it, we put it through a comprehensive “nut & bolt” service where everything was retorqued and it was tuned, tested and dialed in. With just over 9,800 total miles on the clock, it is fully sorted and everything works as you would expect in a new Cobra.
The last time this Cobra was on the market was seven years ago in 2017 when it sold for $120,000 US ($156.500 in today’s money). Since then, the cost of production has increased significantly beyond the rate of inflation.
With continued appreciation and significant demand for real ones, this Cobra is easily worth $175,000 US, especially considering the options on the car. To build one comparably equipped today, expect to pay well in excess of $230,000 US. Contact us for today’s cost detail.
What makes this Cobra special is that it was constructed in 1999 by Shelby craftsman, in-house, at the Shelby American “Cobra Shop” at the old Las Vegas Motor Speedway location. It was delivered to Nostalgia Motors in South Carolina where the aluminum block, Shelby 427 FE power train was installed in 2001. It has been expertly maintained since them.
Early 427 S/C and Competition Cobras were delivered to many customers unpainted, as paint color and liveries were changed to meet sponsor support requirements. This one is a street car and never competitively raced, originally painted red and later stripped and painted show-quality black. The paint is excellent, and the car is a local show, 1st place winner.
Attention to detail is evident throughout the build of CSX4133. The correct mix of electronic Smiths and Lucas gauges are proper and cosmetically identical to the mechanical gauges in the dash of Cobras built in the mid-1960’s, but with much improved reliability and accuracy.
Lucas headlamps add to the originality and complement the look of this authentic Shelby Cobra.
The power train starts with a Shelby aluminum alloy 427 side-oiler FE block with 600 HP and 600 lb ft of torque, mated with a TR-3550 five speed transmission.
The original 427 Cobras were equipped with a Ford four speed Toploader, a 60 year old design. Although it is a solid transmission, the Toploader has some design flaws corrected by the Tremec TR-3550. One of the big advantages is that the shifter linkage is inside the tailshaft of the 3550 instead of being exposed in the driveshaft tunnel as it is on the Toploader. No more linkage problems or bushing wear due to water, dirt and debris from exposure to the road. Most importantly, the TR-3550 has a 5th gear for comfortable highway cruising.
This one has been properly sorted and needs nothing to drive and enjoy. It’s located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and available for inspection by appointment. If you take time to see it, you will like the car. It’s priced at $178,555. Shown by appointment.
