One Of The Most Valuable 1965 Shelby Cobras Now Up For Grabs

The Shelby Cobra is an iconic car, and these original cars are highly sought-after and extremely pricey. The Shelby family plans to keep the last built Cobra (CSX2589) in the family so this car, the second-to-last built, may just be the last famous Cobra car to be sold to the public. Now Mecum Auctions has their hands on it – CSX2588.



Under the hood is the original factory 289-cubic-inch “HiPo” V8 engine topped with the aluminum intake and Holley 715 CFM Le Mans-design carburetor, and it still retains the original four-speed gearbox, factory chassis, and roadster body. From the factory, it was optioned with “Class A” accessories. Painted in rare Rouge Iris, it was one of 56 cars to feature this color. This particular car was repainted professionally back in 2006. At over 50 years old, this 289 Cobra Roadster was the last ever built with the four-speed manual, as the final car (CSX2589) was made personally for Carroll Shelby with an automatic transmission.



This special car was brought to life in Los Angeles, and it was the second-to-last car to be built. When it was new, the car was delivered to Vel’s Ford Sales in Torrance, California by Don McCain of the Shelby marketing office and then sold to A.L. Gassaway of Long Beach. In 1975, it was then sold to the next owner, Barry Hauge, of Burbank, and then to Peter Sidlow of North Hollywood in 1981. The next owner kept it after 13 years after he acquired it from a 17-car liquidation sale on behalf of the FDIC at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. Then in 2006, it was purchased by Shelby expert and historian Colin Comer, who repainted the car professionally its original color and also made sure the car was mechanically sound. A collector in New York had it prior to it joining the Mecum collection. The Cobra participated in Tom Cotter’s Cobra 1000 Rally in 2010 without a hitch, and its full documentation is on the SAAC Cobra World Registry.

This is one of the most valuable Shelby Cobras, and it goes on sale January 3-13, 2019 at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida. The car is estimated at $1,200,000 – $1,400,000.