On January 21, 2007, the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake made history when it fetched a whopping $5.5 million at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, making it the most expensive American car ever sold. Racing icon Carroll Shelby actually produced only two units of the 800-hp sports car for his personal transportation. Auction organizers said the 427 Cobra fell into the hands of car collector Ron Pratt of Chandler Arizona. Shelby himself was present at the annual auction that was staged in Scottsdale.
Quoting Shelby on the Barrett-Jackson website, he said “When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car on the road. Forty years later, it will still kick the tail of just about anything in the world. It’s the fastest street legal Cobra I’ve ever owned.”
The Super Snake stood out amid the other Cobras Shelby produced from 1962 to 1968. Cobras are renowned for combining Ford V-8 engines and the lightweight British AC Ace bodies; the result is some of the most sought-after American cars ever built.
The rarity of the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake -- this is the only original in existence -- helped drive its auction price up to $5.5 million.
Carroll Shelby added two Paxton superchargers to the 427-cubic-inch V-8, giving the Super Snake nearly twice the horsepower of a typical 427 Cobra. Ron Pratt’s $5.5 million ride started as one of 23 Cobra competition roadsters. It was made fit to hit the roads with the installation of bumpers, mufflers, among other necessities.
There are actually two Super Snakes that Shelby built. The other one was purchased by Bill Cosby. Harley Cluxton, the owner of the other Super Snake that was sold in the auction, said that Cosby returned the car after just one harrowing ride. He even used the experience as material for his album “200 M.P.H” Cluxton added that Cosby’s Super Snake was smashed in an accident in which the driver was killed.
According to Cluxton, the only surviving Super Snake retained most of its original parts, including the engine block, oil coolers, and the exhaust system brake calipers. Cluxton wrote, “The car speaks volumes about the genius in Carroll Shelby. His Cobra is the benchmark that defines the American muscle car. His baby does it all, and without the help of ASR, ESP, ABS, engine management ECUs, carbon fiber, titanium, or the United Nations. How cool is that.”
The history of the Cobra dates back to 1961 as Shelby’s ingeniously brokered tandem of Ford’s new 260-cid V-8 and the light British A.C. Ace roadster. A beefed up 289 immediately followed, endowing race-tuned Cobras with up to 380 horsepower and the overall 1963 crowns in SCCA A-production as well as the U.S. Road Racing Championship.
By 1965, Carroll has produces 655 small-block Cobras. It was then when he unveiled what he called a new “sports car.” However, a few tweaks were made since the A.C.’s transverse-leaf spring suspension wasn’t good enough for the Cobra’s power. Consequently, the steel multi-tube frame was widened and fortified for a new all-coil configuration. And for the Ford V8, it was either the edgy racing 427 or the cheaper 428-cid passenger car unit. In addition, the roadster’s aluminum body was modified, getting flared fenders over gumball tires.
A total of 356 cars were built until 1968, however, replica 427s were soon offered. A.C. cars got a boost and rolled out its own version in the late 1980s. But Carroll Shelby took a shot at his mimics by introducing 43 brand new “1965” Cobras crafted from the surplus in the mid-1990s. In all, the Cobras were the stuff of a living legend who gave the cars the legacy of an immortal performance. The 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake, with its price tag of $5.5 million auction price is the penultimate proof of that.
