The Most Insane 427 Cobra Ever Built is About To Strike at Scottsdale (Hagerty)
Even if you’re not a dedicated racing enthusiast, you know of the rivalry between Carroll Shelby and Enzo Ferrari, thanks to the 2019 film starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. You’re probably less familiar with the less-formal Shelby versus Ferrari competition that played out on the U.S. highways surrounding Lake Tahoe — starring not a GT40 and a P3, but a 427 Cobra and a 275 GTB. The Ferrari was driven by Shelby’s (former) attorney, Stan Mullin; the Cobra by Shelby himself.
The Ferrari dusted the Cobra, provoking Shelby to build the two wildest Cobras in history. Today, only one exists; the other shot-gunned itself and its driver off a cliff when its throttle stuck open. The last remaining “Super Snake” — CSX 3015, powered by a side-oiler 427, to which Shelby strapped not one but two Paxton superchargers — has now returned to the auction block and will appear at Barrett-Jackson’s March Scottsdale sale. Buckle in for its crazy history.
CSX 3015 was a rare beast even before its modification and subsequent orphaning. As one of 23 original 427 Competition Cobras, it was a barely street-legal race car that Shelby built to qualify Cobras for FIA competition. Shelby didn’t fulfill the 100-car homologation quota, but it didn’t stop him from promoting his cars off-track. CSX 3015 was shipped to Ford Advanced Vehicles in England as a P.R. car, a role that adds even more cachet to its resume. Upon its return to the U.S., the Cobra sat quietly in the corner of Shelby American until Carroll stormed in, demanding a car that would humiliate Mullin’s Ferrari.
(photo credit: Barrett-Jackson Auctions)
