The Apex Collection · Lot F151
1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster
One of the Finest 427 Street Cobras to Ever Be Offered for Sale, Fresh Concours Restoration Performed by Legendary Motorcar Company
Highlights
- Full and fresh no-expense-spared concours restoration completed by Legendary Motorcar Company
- Only two private owners from 1966-2023
- Original dual quad 427 CI V-8 engine
- Original Toploader 4-speed manual transmission
- Original rear end
- One of very few 427 Cobras to have never been modified during its life
- Original, never modified or damaged aluminum body
- Original, never modified or damaged chassis
- One of only approximately 155 true 427-powered Street Cobras
- One of only 100 427 Street Cobras delivered new with desirable factory dual quad carburetors
- Original, never restored leather seats
- Restored in its original factory-delivered color combination
- Only 14,671 miles from new
- History listed in the Shelby Registry
- Comes with tool roll, manuals, jack, grease gun and soft top
- One of very few real 427 Cobras in existence to have survived retaining its complete, original and never modified aluminum body, original drivetrain and original, never modified chassis, let alone having been concours restored
- Certainly one of the finest real 427 Street Cobras to ever come to market
Specification
- Year
- 1966
- Make
- Shelby
- Model
- 427 Cobra
- Exterior
- Red
- Interior
- Black
- Transmission
- 4-Speed Manual
- Odometer
- 14,672 miles
- Lot
- F151
The Story
This 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster is one of the few to have made it through the decades with its original aluminum body, drivetrain and chassis intact. All of the coil-sprung, big-block-powered Cobras that Shelby American produced in the mid-1960s—full competition, semi-competition (S/C) and street models—are considered “427” Cobras. However, not all of them are powered by Ford’s 427 CI engines. Shelby put Ford’s 428 CI Police Interceptor engine in about 100 of the street Cobras. This Cobra, CSX3171, was built before that happened, so it is one of approximately 155 street Cobras with a true 427 engine. Of those, it’s one of 100 equipped with the desirable factory dual-quad carburetors, as while complaints by Cobra customers pushed Shelby into switching from the 428 back to the 427, the later 427s had a single carb.
Unlike many 427 Cobras, CSX3171 lived a pampered life. It had just two owners between 1966 and 2023, and the 14,671 miles showing on the Smiths speedometer are said to be original. Neither owner chose to modify the aluminum body, chassis or drivetrain in any way. The Cobra retains its original dual-quad 427 CI V-8 engine, Toploader 4-speed manual transmission and rear end.
Legendary Motorcar Company recently performed a comprehensive, no-expense-spared, concours-level restoration on the Cobra, restoring it in its original, factory-delivered color combination of red paint over a black interior. The Cobra’s original, never restored seats were in such good shape that they remain upholstered in the original black leather. Photos of the Cobra on a lift show its undercarriage is as immaculate and well-detailed as the rest of the car. Traveling with the Cobra are a soft top, a tool roll, a grease gun, a jack and manuals, and the history of CSX3171 is listed in the SAAC Shelby Registry.
