Undoubtedly the most copied automobile in the world is the Shelby Cobra. So few were built, so simple was the original concept, and so appealing was the completed product, that almost as soon as Carroll Shelby got out of the business of building Cobras others jumped in.

Carroll Shelby finally realized that he had a marketable identity even a generation after the original Cobras became uncompetitive on race tracks and in the marketplace. He experimented with 'continuation' cars, completed some 'leftover' chassis, dealt with the successors to AC and finally created a complete Cobra product offering sold by Shelby American, Inc. as the CSX 4000 series.

The Shelby American CSX 4000 takes advantage of an exemption in the safety and emissions regulations for a component vehicle that allows a 1965-spec vehicle to be built and sold in the 21st century. It is carefully stated that each CSX 4000 is a Component Vehicle that is sold by Shelby American, Inc. without engine or transmission. Those components are added by the purchaser (or by a contractor chosen by the purchaser) to complete the CSX 4000 series Cobra.
It’s neat, tidy, legal and it works.

The CSX 4000 offered here was issued its Statement of Origin by Shelby American, Inc. and signed by Carroll Shelby on April 30, 1998 with the chassis number CSX 4097. It was delivered to Texas Cobra Limited which completed the car for the current owner.

It is powered by a 1965 date-coded Ford 427 side oiler cast iron block equipped with Edelbrock aluminum heads, 785 cfm Holley 4-barrel carburetor on an aluminum intake manifold, electronic ignition, aluminum radiator, 4-speed top loader transmission, Hurst shifter, 15” Trigo pin-drive alloy wheels, 18 gallon fuel cell and a full set of Smiths instruments. Black side exhausts complete its equipment package. The fiberglass body is painted Guardsman Blue and it has Black leather upholstery.

It was road tested by Texas Cobra for 130 miles after completion and has been driven less than 500 miles since with the odometer showing under 650 miles at the time of cataloging.

The Shelby CSX 4000 delivers breathtaking performance and an historic driving experience at a value price, exactly as the original Cobra did forty years ago. The frame is stronger than the original AC-built unit. Cooling is improved, as is the heat shielding. 0-60mph times are in the low fours, quarter mile times in the twelves. The sound is as spectacular as the brutal, gut-wrenching performance.

427SC Cobras are bringing high-six and even low-seven figures, far too expensive to be taken out and enjoyed responsibly. Shelby American CSX 4097 offers a practical alternative to experience the unmatched performance and aggressive style of these American sports car legends.