On February 2, 1962, the very first Shelby Cobra prototype, CSX2000, arrived in the United States, marking the birth of Shelby American and a new era in American performance.
The story of the Cobra began with Carroll Shelby, an American racing driver whose dream was to combine a lightweight European chassis with a powerful American V8 engine. After searching for a partner, Shelby reached out to AC Cars in England and convinced them to ship him an AC Ace chassis that could be modified to hold a large engine.
At the same time, Shelby partnered with Ford to provide their new 260-cubic-inch Hi-Po V8 engine, and the CSX2000 was the result of this collaboration. When the unpainted aluminum car arrived in California, Shelby and his team worked in Dean Moon’s shop in Santa Fe Springs to install the engine and transmission.
A Marketing Masterpiece
As Shelby only had one prototype, he needed to make it look like he had a whole fleet of cars in production, and here he started using his marketing and design talents to convince customers and the automotive press that he was already mass-producing even though the same single prototype was doing all the work.
CSX2000’s first public appearance was at the 1962 New York Auto Show in April. The Cobra was painted a pearlescent yellow because Shelby was told that the color looked best under fluorescent lights, and every time a magazine would want to test the car, Shelby would have it painted a new color. By the time the next journalist arrived, the car was a different shade.
Despite the constant changes, the car remained in good condition, capable of reaching 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds, which was nearly unbelievable for 1962.
CSX2000 is often called the most important modern American car. And it remained in Carroll Shelby’s personal possession for his entire life. He even refused to have it restored and it’s still equipped with its original 260ci engine, four-speed transmission, and wire wheels.
The car features a small hand-made Shelby badge on the hood. It stands as a record of the moment Shelby American turned from a dream into a reality.
The success of CSX2000 was the starting point to create the 289 and 427 Cobras, as well as the Shelby Mustangs that would dominate tracks around the world.
Today, the CSX2000 is one of the most valuable cars. It represents a mix of American muscle and European agility.
Related:
Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.us.
