Ever since Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc in Florida almost two months ago, standout vehicles that got flooded by the storm have been showing up on online auction platforms. And one machine that caught our eye is this Shelby Cobra 427, an example produced by Shelby American itself, albeit part of the CSX4000 continuation series.
The story of these Shelby Cobras kicked off with the original Mk3 Shelby Cobra 427 built between 1965 and 1967 (Big Block, baby!). Fast-forwarding to the 1980s, the ever-tenacious Carroll Shelby got fed up with the growing replica market. For one, third parties were profiting from his name, while the quality of some of those replicas and kit cars offered was simply disappointing.
As such, Shelby American introduced the CSX4000 series that aims to pick up where the OG left off (serial number CSX3360). And Shelby American built chassis numbers CSX4001 through CSX4999 until 2009 when the torch was passed to the CSX6000 series.
So while these aren’t originals, they come with improved bits and pieces, starting from the frame and suspension, to the engine.
The bodies for these 4000-series vehicles were either fiberglass or aluminum, with Shelby having established partnerships all over the world for these cars to be born—how about a MiG fighter jet factory in Poland making some of the aluminum bodies?
Nowadays, prices for original Shelby Cobras often cross into the seven-figure mark. And even most CSX4000 continuations are six-figure cars. The current record of $935,000 was set back in April at the 2022 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction, albeit involving car #4404, an exquisite tribute to the supercharged Super Snake that was made for Shelby himself.
This is Shelby Cobra CSX4174, with the CSX165 427 V8
Now that we know the Shelby Cobra we have here isn’t actually a 1965 unit as listed on Copart, we can move on to other aspects of the vehicle.
South of the firewall, you’ll find an aluminum block Shelby 427 and while we don’t have this unit’s exact specs, you can bet on over 500 horsepower.
The odometer shows 5,969 miles, but it’s the salt water on the inside that worries us. Speaking of which, there “WL” sticker on the door stands for Water Level and, as you can see from all the debris on the seats, things got pretty nasty.
Fortunately, though, unlike in the case of the 1970 Plymouth Superbird that got dragged out of its garage, where it sat over six feet high, this Shelby Cobra 427 doesn’t seem to have sustained any mechanical damage due to Hurricane Ian.
The vehicle comes with a salvage title, but we won’t rush to the (online) store for a bottle of champagne just yet. Even without the electronics of the also-Florida-flooded McLaren P1 (it’s already on Copart) and Koenigsegg Regera hybrid hypercars, rebuilding a flooded car can be a nightmare, with the salt water adding to the problems here.
Oh, and we were able to find a few CSX4000 continuation series Shelby Cobras for sale at the time of press, which obviously doesn’t help the flooded example’s case.
Still, listed as Lot # 61424922, the blue Cobra is currently at Copart’s Punta Gorda South location in Florida. The highest bid at the time of writing was $12,700, albeit with the auction only set to end on Monday, November 28, 2022.
