https://www.autoblog.com/2021/02/17/shelby-cobra-427-super-snake-auction/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000618
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The late Carroll Shelby's personal 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in the March Scottsdale auction this year. When it was sold back in 2007 at Barrett-Jackson, it fetched $5.5 million. That was the highest price of any American car to be sold at auction ever at the time. It's since been passed, and the current top dog is a different Shelby Cobra that sold for $13.75 million.
Seeing as the bar is set rather high, we don't expect Carroll's car to retake the top spot. Regardless, this Cobra is going to bring in one seriously high figure at the hammer drop. The car itself is even more special than usual Cobras. It's a 427 V8 that is fitted with two Paxton superchargers, so yes, Super Snake is a fitting name. Interestingly, though, it shifts via a three-speed automatic transmission, not a manual.
This car (CSX 3015) started life as a 427 Cobra Competition to be used in a European promotional tour in 1966. Sometime thereafter in 1967, it was transformed into the Super Snake that it is today and was renamed the Cobra Semi-Competition. It didn't have mufflers, a windshield or bumpers at the time, so it wasn't road legal.
There was only one other Super Snake built, and it was a street car variant. The person who ended up buying that car drove it off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean, and unfortunately died in the crash.
That makes this Shelby Cobra Super Snake the only original one of its kind from 1966. A huge amount of the car is still original, too. It was never fully restored, as a "renew" process was applied to it instead to keep it in its most pure and factory state.
We'll be watching to see how much this one goes for at the Scottsdale auction next month. It should be an expensive ride.
In the "six degrees of separation" department, the "other Super Snake" (CSX3303 ??) was briefly owned by comedian Bill Cosby (who based his album "200 MPH" on the car) Cosby was later charged and convicted of various sex crimes (he's still in prison)The original District Attorney, Bruce Castor Jr, who oversaw the case, declined to prosecute and made a deal to assist the victim with a civil settlement. A later DA went forward with charges. Castor most recently was part of President Trump's defense team in his second impeachment trial. I read Brian Angliss, owner of AC Cars at the time, bought the wrecked car and restored it??
Quote from: 5566 on February 18, 2021, 11:46:09 AM
In the "six degrees of separation" department, the "other Super Snake" (CSX3303 ??) was briefly owned by comedian Bill Cosby (who based his album "200 MPH" on the car) Cosby was later charged and convicted of various sex crimes (he's still in prison)The original District Attorney, Bruce Castor Jr, who oversaw the case, declined to prosecute and made a deal to assist the victim with a civil settlement. A later DA went forward with charges. Castor most recently was part of President Trump's defense team in his second impeachment trial. I read Brian Angliss, owner of AC Cars at the time, bought the wrecked car and restored it??
From Wikipedia: In 1967, Bill Cosby bought a Shelby Cobra Super Snake CSX 3303 from his friend, company founder Carroll Shelby. The car was a 1965 Cobra Competition roadster, retained by Shelby American as a PR car and then modified with the addition of two superchargers and a Ford C-6 automatic gearbox.[2] Only two such cars were built; one was retained by Shelby and the other was sold to Cosby. Side two of this album (side one on the cassette release) is a single routine that focuses on Cosby's love of sportscars and his brief ownership of the Super Snake. The title, "200 M.P.H.", refers to Shelby's boast about the car's top speed; however, Cosby became so unnerved during a test drive that he returned it immediately afterward. Shelby American sold the car to S and C Motors in San Francisco, who in turn sold it to a customer named Tony Maxey. Maxey destroyed the CSX 3303 by driving over a cliff and into the Pacific Ocean; he died from his injuries a few days later. Brian Angliss purchased the vehicle and subsequently restored it. He plans to auction the car off.[2]
In a late-night talk show appearance, Cosby briefly re-told this story and said that he had heard that Jimmy Webb (of "MacArthur Park" fame) eventually ended up with his Cobra.[citation needed]
While the majority of Cosby's Warner Bros. standup albums were regularly re-released on LP, and eventually issued on CD in April 1998, 200 M.P.H. was not reissued on vinyl (although it was available on cassette in the '80s). It did not see a CD release until 2005, mainly due to controversy[citation needed] over the main sketch's punchline: Afraid that the car was so powerful and hard to control that it would be lethal to the driver, Cosby decided to return it, saying, "Take the keys and this car, it's all paid for, and you give it to George Wallace." Wallace was a well-known pro-segregationist, and was campaigning for the presidency of the United States at the time this album was recorded.
Yup. I think Jimmy Webb actually owned CSX3015.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2015/01/21/ron-prattes-shelby-cobra-427-super-snake-tops-barrett-jackson-sale
The auction companies have really stepped up with the photography.
Some great looking stuff
Photo from Webb's book.
- Phillip
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Quote from: 5566 on February 18, 2021, 12:41:01 PM
Yup. I think Jimmy Webb actually owned CSX3015.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2015/01/21/ron-prattes-shelby-cobra-427-super-snake-tops-barrett-jackson-sale
Did it go directly back to Shelby before going to Pratte?
Is there any Photo's of the two Cobra's together?
Did it go directly back to Shelby before going to Pratte?
I read that Webb had CSX3015 from 1970 until 1995 when the IRS seized it for back taxes and auctioned it. Barrett-Jackson site says "a select few enthusiasts" had the car between 1995 and when Pratt bought it.
Was it ever track tested?
I believe this is CSX3303 at the '68 Oakland Roadster show, photo matched the info in the 4th. edition of the registry.
Mike
So has 3303 been rebuilt?
Chris Cox of PROVA International (Raleigh, NC) purchased the car from the IRS auction. He later sold it to David Scaife of PA. He eventually bought it back from David Scaife and sold it at Barrett-Jackson. Luckily, I worked for Chris Cox at the time and got to drive it on several occasions.
Quote from: 6T6SHELBY on February 18, 2021, 03:11:20 PM
Chris Cox of PROVA International (Raleigh, NC) purchased the car from the IRS auction. He later sold it to David Scaife of PA. He eventually bought it back from David Scaife and sold it at Barrett-Jackson. Luckily, I worked for Chris Cox at the time and got to drive it on several occasions.
Didn't Harley Cluxton consign it to BJ?
I am almost positive that Chris still owned the car and Harley represented it for him at BJ.
Don, there was a test of CSX3303 in Road & Track, February '68, I'm not sure if it was track tested, here's an image I found on the
net, I have that issue, but can't get to it at the moment, perhaps some else has it ?
Mike
Quote from: honker on February 18, 2021, 03:38:18 PM
Don, there was a test of CSX3303 in Road & Track, February '68, I'm not sure if it was track tested, here's an image I found on the
net, I have that issue, but can't get to it at the moment, perhaps some else has it?
Mike
The image is not real clear but that car appears to have rectangular taillights indicating that it is CSX3015 instead of CSX3303
A-Snake, you may be right, hard to tell from that image ? I will try and dig up that issue of Road & Track, there could be more info
there, perhaps a clearer picture. To me from the angle in the R&T article the scoop on the hood looked more like "a hickey on the
hood" to quote Cosby if I may, rather than the more square hood on CSX3015, but then the tail lights as you called out. There are
a lot of differing stories as to CSX 3303, as can be seen in the article in the link, and also some info concerning CSX3015.
There are many here with more knowledge than me, I'm sure some one will clear it up.
Mike
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/n4ovl2o/
Ok so what does it sell for this time? I say 7,000,000. Place your guess?
If it were a Mecum auction like the last one, I would say $7.5M. At B-J for a non-charity bid, probably around $5M. 8)
So the Super Snake that appeared in the episode of The Bill Cosby Show must have been owned by Carroll Shelby at the time it was filmed? Would that be correct? I'm assuming the other one had been wrecked by the time this was filmed?
https://youtu.be/TxjngHRI1ow
Thank you for sharing that video.
Quote from: 6T6SHELBY on February 18, 2021, 03:18:00 PM
I am almost positive that Chris still owned the car and Harley represented it for him at BJ.
You are correct, it was black when it arrived at Harleys and we painted it blue and did a cosmetic restoration for the auction, Harley handled it for Cox.
There are photos of it being painted on our Facebook page, The Finishing Touch Body Shop, Inc.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=178782972803&set=a.181112302803