Carroll Shelby’s AC Ace-derived Cobra remains one of the most important sports cars of all time. As the model that launched Ford Motor Company’s “Total Performance” corporate racing program onto the international stage during the early 1960s, the Cobra was a crucial first step that culminated in an impressive 1st Place in the 1965 FIA GT championship with the Cobra-derived Daytona Coupe designed by Peter Brock. The experience gained during the Cobra’s SCCA dominance and Shelby’s organizational prowess led directly to Ford Motor Company’s eventual landmark win over Ferrari at Le Mans with the 1-2-3 finish scored by the Ford GT40s in 1966.

According to data published by the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC), 655 small-block Cobras, derivatives, and prototypes were built by Shelby American from 1962 through 1965. The first 75 were equipped with the 260 cid Ford V-8 engine but the vast majority were 289-powered cars with 453 built.

Numbered CSX2540, this late-production 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra has a particularly fascinating history. Originally finished in White over Red upholstery – the color combination that it still sports today – the Cobra was billed to Shelby American Inc. on August 17, 1964, and shipped to Los Angeles via the SS Dinteldyk. Instead of being offered for sale as a new car, the Cobra was repurposed as a public relations vehicle, assigned for use in the 1965–1966 ABC-TV detective series Honey West, produced by Aaron Spelling. The cunning and stylish title character was portrayed by Anne Francis, who was often filmed behind the wheel of this glamorous and fast Cobra, accompanied by her pet ocelot. Despite the series’ one-season run, Ms. Francis won a Golden Globe Award and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her work on the show in 1966.

Once the Cobra was no longer needed by the studio, it was invoiced with heavy discounts to $3,900 by Shelby American on June 21, 1966, to El Segundo, California’s Hi-Performance Motors, the auto dealership owned by Carroll Shelby. According to a copy of the SAAC registry entry for CSX2540 on file, the first recorded private owner was a 16-year-old girl, whose father purchased the car for her, but later sold it after she accumulated numerous speeding tickets. It was consigned to a used car dealer and purchased circa 1969 by Bruce D. Norman of National City, California. Mr. Norman advertised it for sale with 18,000 miles in September 1972 and sold it soon thereafter to Tom Low, a San Francisco attorney. Mr. Low engaged Mike McCluskey to perform a ground-up restoration during the late 1970s, which included a repaint to Dark Blue.

During early 1995, Mr. Low sold CSX2540 to Steve Yates, a SAAC Board of Directors member and Concours Chairman of Nashville, Indiana, who unfortunately passed away soon after. His wife assumed ownership of the Cobra and, in 2001, commissioned a restoration, including a return to its factory-original White over Red livery. In the 2011 update of the SAAC Cobra Registry, an image of CSX2540 graced the book’s dust jacket. In 2012, Tom Larsen acquired CSX2540 from Mrs. Yates and added the Cobra to his growing and focused collection of sporting greats known as “The Stable.”

Mr. Larsen’s purchase of CSX2540 was particularly fitting, since he fondly recalled another Cobra that he owned during the late 1960s and regretted selling. During his ownership of CSX2540, Mr. Larsen commissioned work performed by the renowned Cobra specialists at Rare Drive Inc. of East Kingston, New Hampshire, documented by numerous receipts on file. He also participated in the Mountain Mille in 2019, SAAC meets, and other shows and events in the New England region.

In addition to its exemplary condition and presentation, CSX2540 is accompanied by extensive documentation. This includes correspondence, dozens of service and restoration invoices dating to the mid-1970s, articles during Tom Larsen’s ownership, and Honey West memorabilia. The Cobra features a black soft top and is further accompanied by a tonneau cover, side curtains, spare tire, and jack. With its distinguished provenance, extensive paperwork, and attractive original colors, this is an exciting opportunity to acquire a fantastic, late-production example of one of the world’s greatest sports cars.

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Please note that this vehicle is titled as a Ford.