1966 Shelby 427 Cobra
- Engine
- 7.0L V8 big-block, single four-barrel carburetor
- Colour
- Monza Red
Chassis CSX 3359 is documented by the Shelby American Automobile Club World Registry as the penultimate 427 Cobra produced, billed to Shelby American on 14 December 1966 and dispatched to a Pennsylvania dealership in October 1967. Ordered as a road car and finished in Monza Red over black, it has remained a street machine throughout its life, accumulating only 512 miles by 1978. A comprehensive restoration was completed in 2004 by noted Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey, after which the car passed through two further private owners. Original wheels, tires, and much of the interior survive intact.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$1,792,500
- 1967-10-16 →Factory deliveryPletcher Ford, Jenkintown, Pennsylvaniafull documentation
Received the car from Shelby American at a discount from dealer cost; minor transit damage was repaired upon arrival at a documented cost.
- → 1971-11-01Private saleFrank W. Hultslander, Norristown, Pennsylvaniapartial documentation
First retail owner; drove the car very infrequently before consigning it to a London dealer.
- 1971-11-01 →Private saleHexagon Motors, Londonpartial documentation
London dealership purchased the car outright and imported it to England, where it remained in storage for several years.
- 1976 → 1978Private saleRichard Buxbaum, Hinsdale, Illinoispartial documentation
Acquired the car after its English storage period; listed it for sale at $85,000 with only 512 original miles on the odometer.
- 1978 →Private saleJerome A. Shinkay, Janesville, Wisconsinpartial documentation
Advertised the car for sale in the early 1980s.
- → 1998Private saleJohn Mozartpartial documentation
Noted collector of high-performance vehicles; held the car until selling to the next enthusiast owner.
- 1998 →Private saleLawrence Bowmanpartial documentation
Ford performance specialist-collector; car was featured in a published reference work during his tenure, and he commissioned a thorough restoration in 2004.
- 2014 →Acquisition unknownCurrent consignorpartial documentation
Has maintained the car as a carefully preserved road vehicle, driven only minimally since acquiring it.
- Date unknownPrivate saleFerrari dealer, Los Gatos, Californiapartial documentation
Intermediary dealership in the chain of custody between Ward and the next private owner.
- Date unknownPrivate saleTimothy Lewypartial documentation
- Date unknownPrivate saleJames S. Ward, Atherton, Californiapartial documentation
Subsequently resold the car to a Ferrari dealership in Los Gatos, California.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownPrivate collector in the Northwestpartial documentation
Identity not disclosed; served as a penultimate owner before the current consignor.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1967RepairPletcher Ford
Transit and storage damage repaired upon delivery, covering the left-hand rocker panel, the trunk-lid emblem, and replacement of the spare wheel and tire; total cost $211.95.
Documented under repair order no. 2020.
- 2004RestorationMike McCluskey
Comprehensive restoration encompassing a full rebuild of the entire drivetrain — engine, gearbox, differential, drive shafts, half-shafts, and suspension — to factory specifications, with components replaced only where reliability or function demanded it. The body was stripped to bare metal while remaining on the chassis, then metal-finished, primed, and refinished in the original Monza Red; the interior was largely retained in its original condition.
McCluskey was identified as a well-regarded Cobra specialist; the decision to keep the body on the chassis was driven by its high degree of originality.
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