1966 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra For Sale - Undoubtedly One Of The Purest, Most Original Of Any S/C Cobra
LMC is very proud to offer for sale this 1966 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra When the legendary driver Ken Miles first introduced the 427ci engine to a Shelby Cobra in the “Flip Top” prototype 427 Cobra it took the Cobras performance to a whole new level. The Shelby Cobra now had the powerplant necessary to outrun the competition including Grand Sport Corvettes, 250 GTOs, and GT40s, and that's exactly what it did on its debut race at the Nassau Bahamas race in 1964. With this discovery of the incredible performance potential of the 427ci, Shelby’s original plan was to build 100 427 competition Roadsters which would be homologated for FIA racing. Shelby was planning on running a factory effort with these cars in the 1965 season. Unfortunately when the FIA arrived at Shelby American in April 1965 only 51 cars were built and Shelby was forced to run the 289s again in the 1965 season. AC Cars built just over 50 Competition Cobras with the newly redesigned bodies and chassis. The cars’ bodies became wider and featured larger front and rear flares and nose opening, in fact only the doors, hood and trunk lid were taken directly from the 289 Cobras design. The Chassis was also redesigned with 4 inch main rails for more rigidity to handle the 427 power plant. The 427 chassis was also given independent suspension with coil overs which gave the car better handling performance. By the time the 1965 race season came to a close Shelby had only sold 16 competition cars that were actively being raced. Due to not getting the 427 homologated for the FIA and the GT40 program in full swing, the 427 Competition cars became difficult to sell. It was at this point that Charles Biedler, Shelby’s East Coast Sales Representative, stepped in with a bright idea; why not offer a mildly de-tuned version to produce perhaps the most potent road car ever. Thus the 427 S/C or Semi/Competition or Street/Competition Cobras were born. The S/C cars were nearly identical to a standard 427 Competition model with a 427 side oiler of which was highly underrated at 425 horsepower. Some features that carried over from the Comp car include side exhausts, oil cooler, roll bar, hood scoop, external filler cap, 42-gallon fuel tank and even quick-lift jacking points were all carried over from its Competition counterpart. The only real difference being the S/C cars had mufflers in the side pipes and most came with holley 2x4 carburetors. It was only the 427 S/C cars that were originally delivered with the ultra desirable 2x4 carbs and a side oiler, no street cars had this combination. Performance of the new S/C Cobra was earth shattering for its time, with 60 mph achieved in barely four seconds while still spinning the tires. As if further confirmation of the 427’s staggering capability were needed, Ken Miles reportedly achieved a zero-to-100 mph-to-zero time of just 13.2 seconds! At the time the S/C car was the fastest production car in the world. The S/C Cobra today is revered by most collectors as one of the most desirable specifications and the poster car for Shelby American. Today the S/C car is the most copied car in the world and for good reason. This incredible original S/C Cobra offered here for sale was supplied to Hi-Performance Motors of El Segundo, California on 24 August 1966 painted in the stunning color of Sapphire Blue. It was subsequently sold to Dr. Robert Degnan of Hacienda Heights, California. By 1973 it was in the care of a second known owner, Steven Harlock. Later that same year, Harlock expressed a desire to sell, and it was recorded in a SAAC Cobra Registry entry that the Cobra had covered a mere 8,900 miles.
By 1979, it had relocated to England, entering the ownership of Michael Haywood of Birmingham. Evidently Mr. Haywood continued the car’s theme of sympathetic and modest use, for he added only an additional 3,100 miles during his tenure before selling it to highly respected Australian businessman and car collector Peter Briggs. Briggs purchased this S/C 427 Cobra with only 12,000 miles. Mr. Briggs had established the York Motor Museum near Perth, Western Australia in 1979; his rich and varied collection included the likes of a Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII, the 1933 Mille Miglia-winning MG K3, a Ferrari 166MM, and a Williams FW07 Formula One car. Appropriately, the arrival of his very special 427 Cobra at the museum, it happened to coincide with his acquisition of another titan of the 1960s GT and Competition scene, a Jaguar Lightweight E-Type. After more than 20 years of ownership, Mr. Briggs sold his S/C Cobra in 2001 to esteemed Hong Kong-based collector Chip Connor, whose remarkable collection included both the 1960 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa and a Ferrari 250 GTO. Shortly after, Mr. Connor would commission a total nut and bolt restoration on his beloved S/C Cobra. The restoration was photo documented showing the bare bones of exactly how pure and original the car is. Since this example had been well cared for and still had very low mileage, it still retained its original engine, transmission, body, chassis and many of its interior components. Upon completion, the car was enjoyed by Mr. Connor for nearly two decades. Upon acquisition by the team here at Legendary Motorcar, we decided to return this incredibly special S/C 427 Cobra back to its original color configuration, just as it left Shelby American. The Cobras original body was refinished in its factory-delivered color of Sapphire Blue. Extreme detail was taken to correct its components and finishes as it had left the factory. This resulted in an incredibly correct, concours quality example. Today, it is presented in fantastic condition and ready to be shown at any prestigious concours around the world. Accompanied with a copy of the original Shelby American sales invoice, its SAAC Cobra Registry entry, and a documented world-class restoration. When you break down the total production of the S/C cars, of the 29 produced, many were raced hard and suffered from accidents, trauma and replaced engines, replaced bodies and replaced chassis. This car somehow made it through life unharmed and undoubtedly remains one of the most original and exquisitely presented 427 S/Cs extant. As one of just 29 S/C Cobras produced, it is notable for its incredible rarity and consequently, remains truly the holy grail of all street-legal Cobras.
Additional Details: 1966 SHELBY 427 COBRA -
