1966 shelby cobra super snake

One of a kind. This often overused phrase is the only accurate description of the classic Shelby Cobra Super Snake.

The only surviving Shelby Cobra Super Snake, custom-made for legendary race car driver Carroll Shelby , was the most powerful sports car that he and his benefactor, Henry "The Deuce" Ford II, ever built together to battle Ferrari in the s. It hits the auction block again next month, livestreamed from Scottsdale, Arizona, with bids online and by phone expected from all over the world. The hot little number is one of 23 original competition roadsters built during the peak competition between the automakers, which was featured in the Hollywood blockbuster " Ford v. Shelby, an accomplished car designer and automaker himself, came home and modified his beloved race car to make it even more powerful. He installed an automatic transmission and added twin Paxton superchargers to the V-8 engine "and mated it to a 3-speed automatic transmission that could handle the massive power. The car was wicked fast and became a cultural icon," Jackson said. While Shelby had many cars, this one was a prized possession.

1966 shelby cobra super snake

After all, just shy of 1, examples were produced from into Serial No. Only two Super Snakes were ever made, the second originally belonging to comedian Bill Cosby. That distinction turned the former track-only car into a street-legal automobile, adding bumpers, a windshield and so-called mufflers. Truth be told, many SCs saw track duty, and those owners who pressed an SC into road service had quite a beast with which to contend. What made the Super Snake especially venomous was that it carried nearly double the power of a stock Cobra , due in part to two Paxton superchargers under the bulging Super Snake hood. After only one drive, Cosby returned his car, terrified by its power and aggressive manners irony noted. Unfortunately, that car, CSX , was accidently driven into the Pacific Ocean by its eventual owner. And that was in an era where a 6-second time was nearly unheard of. The car still wears its original body with a aluminum Super Snake hood, along with numerous original components.

The car was last sold in More: Carroll Shelby: Son of a mail carrier revolutionizes American racing. More: Mustang Cobra Jet destroys quarter mile at mph, all electric.

In , Shelby told Barrett-Jackson, "When I built this dual supercharged Cobra in , 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 is based off the Cobra competition roadsters, of which only 23 were made. According to Supercars. It gets its knuckle-whitening force from a twin-supercharged 7-liter V-8 engine capable of horsepower. Shelby also equipped the car with a taller hood to accommodate the superchargers, a larger nose opening to optimize air flow, wider fenders, bumpers, and a windshield, among other modifications.

The horsepower sports car was one of just two produced and was used as personal transportation by famed racer and performance-car builder Carroll Shelby himself. The buyer was car collector Ron Pratt of Chandler, Arizona. Shelby, 84, was present at the annual auction, which is held in Scottsdale, Arizona, and brings together hundreds of collectors who bid millions for rare muscle cars , sports cars, and other vintage vehicles. It's the fastest street legal Cobra I've ever owned. The Super Snake stood out even among the Cobras Shelby built from Cobras combined Ford V-8 engines and lightweight British AC Ace bodies to create some of the wildest and most sought-after American cars ever. To the Cobra's top-line cubic-inch V-8 Shelby added two Paxton superchargers, giving the Super Snake virtually double the horsepower of a production Cobra. Shelby actually created two Super Snakes. The other was originally sold to comedian Bill Cosby. Cosby returned the car after just one drive, using the fright-inducing experience as material on his comedy album, " M.

1966 shelby cobra super snake

The partnership between Carroll Shelby and Ford Motor Company was started by the Shelby Cobra and forever changed the automotive industry. Driven by Carroll Shelby himself, the Super Snake is the direct result of his competitive personality and ambition to beat Ferrari, both on and off the track. Bigger was always the better for Carroll Shelby. In , he wanted to put a big block FE engine under the hood of the Cobra for the upcoming racing season. A new chassis was developed to make the necessary changes to support the power of the new engine.

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One of a kind. Model: Cobra. There were no speed limits back in the day. The reason is obvious. Parts availability and overall vehicle condition is also important, but the most underrated factor when choosing the perfect project car is inspiration. The Shelby Cobra Super Snake will be auctioned with no starting price. It was then that this Cobra graduated from a race car to a street-legal car and was titled the Super Snake. By Robert Ross. About Hemmings. Check it out.

After all, just shy of 1, examples were produced from into Serial No. Only two Super Snakes were ever made, the second originally belonging to comedian Bill Cosby.

The Super Snake is based off the Cobra competition roadsters, of which only 23 were made. RR One. Ferrari Enzo Crashes on German Autobahn. More: Mustang Cobra Jet destroys quarter mile at mph, all electric. During the auction, Shelby told the crowd about the time he was pulled over by the Nevada Highway Patrol going mph. Search Close. This was considered his bad boy, an ultimate driving machine that he took from Los Angeles to Tahoe and sometimes from Reno to Tahoe for high-speed desert driving. Access Exclusive Content All Year. Email Newsletters. Hemmings Motor News. This often overused phrase is the only accurate description of the classic Shelby Cobra Super Snake. This Vanden Plas Princess, presented in a rare black and silver two-tone paint scheme, is a left-hand drive classic car equipped with a FB60 Rolls Royce four-liter engine. Cruise to the listing to find out what it will take to get this project car running. It also looks menacing.