Car Spot: 67 Shelby Cobra

Yes, this is the real deal!

Blogging partner Mark Savage and I just love going to Road America and were there just recently for the Midwest Automotive Media Association’s Spring Rally. It was the final day, and a new group had come in to take its turn on the four-mile course. Since our group was wrapping up, I decided to hang out in the paddock where the new group had taken up residence. So I’m wandering around and stumbled on the most expensive spot to date, a real Shelby Cobra, this week’s spot.

Carrol Shelby is an automotive legend, starting life as a chicken farmer in Texas and from an early age fascinated with speed both on land and air. By 15, he was taking care of his dad’s car. Later on, he enrolled at The Georgia Institute of Technology in the Aeronautical Engineering program. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on April 11, 1941, eight months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and began pilot training. After becoming a flight instructor, he went on to fly the Douglas B-18 Bolo, the North American B-25 Mitchell, the Douglas A-26 Invader, and finally the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. I’m an airplane geek and did not know this.

After the war, he went racing and winning at Le Mans and other circuits, a heart condition ended his career, and he did the next best thing: start building cars. In 1960, Shelby American was born utilizing the AC Ace chassis and Ford V8s. Production began in March 1962, with 75 cars sold by the end of the year. He turned out 25 more by April 1963, the first 75 with the 260-cubic-inch engine, followed by a 289-cubic-inch engine. The 427 Cobra prototype was built in October 1964, and a legend was born. But in the meantime, with driver Ken Miles, he developed the Ford GT40, the car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969. As of 2024, it remains the only American-built car to win at Le Mans. Want more on this? Watch the 2019 movie Ford v Ferrari. I must have watched it at least a dozen times.

RELATED Spot: See another Shelby-inspired car, the Dodge Viper.

The exterior of the car changed little since Carrol Shelby introduced it in 1962, but I can tell that this is at least a 67 because that is the year the 427 was added, taking the little rocket to a new level. The 7-liter Ford V8 offered around 360 horsepower and 419 lb-ft of torque, allowing the Cobra to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 160 mph, which I’m sure it did at Road America.

Okay, now, how much are these worth? First off, this is a real one. You can buy a replica that looks pretty close but costs less than one-tenth of an original. This is a real one because the side pipes are flat black, and on a replica, polished. On the doors, with a replica, they will be either too short of extending into the fender. I checked the serial number, and it did have a CSX 3000 serial number. This is a very sought-after vehicle because 343 original Shelby Cobra 427s were made between 1961 and 1968. So if you’ve got a pile of money lying around, and it better be big, expect to pay around $858,000 for a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 in good condition. However, prices can range from as low as $43,870 for basket cases to as high as $3,030,000 for highly desirable, rare, or well-maintained examples. This week’s spot is definitely on the higher end of the spectrum.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about this week’s spot that I found. I have lots of others on our site, and heck, it’s a Sunday, you’ve got time, right? Come back next Sunday for another one of my finds, along with some of its history. Have a great rest of your weekend and a great week ahead.