Without a doubt one of the most significant cars of the 20th century, the Shelby Cobra heralded a new era in sports car racing in America and around the world. Carroll Shelby’s bellowing Cobras quickly proved unbeatable on the road and in competition, becoming the first American marque to win the FIA GT World Manufacturers Championship and attaining ever-increasing status as automotive legends. Shelby No. CSX2242, this 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster is an archetypal example of Shelby’s beloved “sport car” that’s powered by a matching-numbers drivetrain combining the 289 CI “Windsor” small-block V-8 engine, a T10 4-speed manual transmission and 3.77:1 rear end. Billed to Shelby American on December 10, 1963, and shipped to Los Angeles on December 17, 1963, aboard the SS Loch Garth, it was invoiced on February 27, 1964, to Fergus Ford of Skokie, Illinois. Originally finished in Princess Blue with a red leather interior, it was optioned with the “Class A” accessory package that included chromed wire wheels with “AC” knockoffs, whitewall tires, no luggage rack, finned aluminum “Cobra” valve covers, dual 4-barrel carburetors on an aluminum intake manifold, a high-capacity oil pan and five quarts of antifreeze for an original MSRP of $5,728.55. According to its listing in the Cobra Registry, the car was “reportedly purchased by an individual who took the car with him when he moved to Texas in the late 1960s.” Its next owner, Clark Van Nostrum of Greenwich, Connecticut, kept it for nearly 30 years, during which time it was refurbished with red paint and a black interior, a roll bar and hood scoop, four Weber carburetors and a race cam. Van Nostrum listed CSX2242 for sale at $190,000 in 1997, at which time it was sold to Michael Scot-Smith. Scot-Smith commissioned a comprehensive restoration to its original Princess Blue over red livery and original specifications including the original aluminum body panels and upgraded rack-and-pinion steering, also removing the hood scoop and roll bar added by Van Nostrum. CSX2242 was acquired by its current owner in 2010 and has been under his fastidious care for the past 15 years. Today it incorporates such correct details as Stewart Warner gauges, Ray Brown-style seat belts and all trunk fittings, this superb 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster is documented with the known history of its four owners since new. One of just 453 289 Cobras built, CSX2242 rates as a concours-quality example that will make a proud addition to its next caretaker’s stable of fine automobiles.
