My late father was an Engineer by profession but he was the Sales Manager at the downtown Orlando Ford dealer for a couple years in the mid 60's. I heard him tell this story a number of times at cocktail parties when I was a kid....anyway the Ford dealer also sold Cobras (and Shelby Mustangs) and one day a Dentist stops in and asks about the Cobra and is directed to my Dad. The Dentist informs my Dad he wants to purchase a 427 Cobra. My Dad speaks to him for several minutes judging his temperament, driving background and financial wherewithal and suggests he would be better off with the 289 Cobra. The Dentist insists he wants to buy the 427, so my Dad says have a seat I'll pull one around and we'll go for a test drive. So my Dad takes him on a rather spirited test drive and upon the return to the dealer, the Dentist, who is nearly as white as a ghost states that yes perhaps my dad was right, that he should consider a 289....to which my Dad says; That was the 289.
@@ConservativeGangstR Search some of he old 60's sports car racing witih cool cars and Shelby's . Funny to watch 2 hour races where they change break pads like tires.
This is big big Money, a Bugatti Chiron doesn't even cost this much brand new depending on which one you buy. $5,000,000.00 for an American Classic that's awesome.
I had a friend who was a highway patrol in Nevada in the late 60’s early 70’s. One night he was patrolling a fairly deserted road when in the distance he saw headlights. Next thing he knew something blew by him going so fast he couldn’t see what it was. He turned around to pursue but he didn’t even see the other car anymore. He drove as fast as he felt safe going but never even saw what had passed him. He decided to go a few more miles to a truck stop and get some coffee. As he pulled in he saw a guy with a Cobra at the gas pumps. The guy had the hood up and waves of heat were pouring off the engine. My friend walked up to him and said “I can’t prove it was you that passed me but you are going way too fast for the middle of the night. If a coyote or rabbit crosses in front of you or if you blow a tire we’ll be picking you up with a spoon.” The guy just nodded. Then my friend asked him “ by the way, just how fast were you going?” The guy looked as him and said “ I don’t know, I broke the speedo the first week I got it.”
Love ya, Carroll, Sir! You are sorely missed. I wish I could have tried your awesome chili and gotten a personal ride from you in this very machine..... at FULL THROTTLE! God Bless You, Carroll Shelby! Much respect and love for a LEGEND!
that car was insane to drive the wired but cool thing is you really have to let it warm up before driving it VERY CRITICAL TO SURVIVE ! being an automatic it did not come equipped for a user friendly cold start as I learned upon the restoration of it and s test drive no matter what speed you were going if the engine was not warmed up it would falter, hesitate, then like the razor edge drop of a guiatine that can would come to life tires blistered in smoke so crazy at any speed!! and was it ever fun !
800 horsepower 0-60 (mph) in 3 seconds Duel Supercharges And this car weighs only a hundred kilograms over ton Oh and it was made in 1966 it has an automatic transmission because a manual can't handle the horsepower nore can any person on Earth, so they threw in an Auto. We love you Carol
Caterham Seven 620R with a supercharged 2.0 litre Ford Duratec engine with 310bhp at 7700 rpm on a car that weights only 572 kg. 0-100 km/h (0-60) acceleration is around 2.8 seconds.
@@9w2xyz Sorry, the SuperSnake had dual superchargers. And it had so much power it needed an automatic transmission because it was too difficult to drive with a manual.
@@pliantimpala7858 false the car could easily been driven with a manual transmission I did the full rotisserie restoration of this very car and drove it as well it would have been easier to drive had a manual transmission been installed a automatic transmission was NOT used because of the power output it was more of a test mule and response to a bunch of people wanting shelby to offer a over the counter automatic option to the cobra that shelby was AGAINST and under pressure this is what resulted if anyone knows this it is myself knowing the every detail about this car and having spoken with shelby himself on many occassions as I was restoring the car back in 1989 in Saugus California also haven spoken with perhaps the longest owner of the car at the time Jimmy webb . not to mention driving it myself of all of it yes it was a kik ass bitchin car to drive I actually had to detune it somewhat as it was putting out almost 30 yes 30 lbs of boost when I started the restoration of it bringing it down to less than half of that when done
As to all the comments regarding the automatic: in an article I read just recently before the auction, it said that it had an automatic because Shelby was getting older when it was built, and could no longer manage a clutch. I’m guessing that it would have had one helluva lot of clutch pressure in those days to handle 800 bhp.
Reading the comments concerning this amazing, iconic car, I realize how many myths and outright falsehoods are common beliefs regarding Cobras in general and the Super Snake in particular. Having been a car guy for almost 60 years (tore down my first engine in my mid teens, read Road and Track magazine [some of you may remember those, they were made of paper, long before the internet] cover to cover for over 50 years), and, I was there. Since the late 60s, when the 427 Cobra first came out, I have read every article and watched every RU-vid post that I could find on the subject. So let me give my two cents worth and correct some of the misunderstandings regarding one of my favorite cars. I’ll start by caveating myself and say that I am repeating all this from memory, and at 71, my memory is even more imperfect than when I was young. So anyone who knows the subject well, please feel free to correct me if I make a mistake. First, regarding the Super Snake, as most know, there are only two of these made. However it’s a common misconception that Cosby bought one of these which is incorrect, because he bought a regular 427, if there is such a thing. The other one was bought by a regular guy, not a celebrity, who was killed driving the car. If you listen carefully to the guys commenting on the auction, you can hear a vague reference to this fact. Cosby bought the car not knowing diddley about it, drove it only a few times and almost killed himself. He returned it almost immediately after he bought it. You can still hear his comedy routine on his Cobra on RU-vid, I believe. There are many other mythical stories about the 427 cobra, most of which I don’t know to be true or not. The one below about the salesman who took the guy for the ride in the 289 Cobra to convince him not to buy the 427 Cobra is one I’ve heard many times before for about 40 years. In fact, the salesman who sold these cars were trained specifically to try and talk buyers into something more mundane, as Ford was concerned about lawsuits, knowing how deadly this car could be In the hands of inexperienced drivers. Another little known fact is that most of the “427 Cobras” did not have the 427 engine. The 427 was developed by Ford strictly as a racing engine during their days of serious racing. They were very limited production and when the Cobra became so successful, far exceeding Shelby’s expectations, they ran out of engines. Shelby substituted the Ford 429 engine and sold them as 427‘s. The 429 was quite a bit heavier, and though reliable (the biggest engine upgrade available in their then popular Ford Galaxy sedan), Was certainly not a racing engine and not as powerful as the 427. Shelby believed, and turned out to be right, that most of his customers would not know the difference. Unfortunately for him, some did know the difference, and complained bitterly both to Shelby, and when they got no satisfaction from him, directly to Ford. Ford forced Shelby to replace the 429’s with 427’s only to the owners that complained, at no cost to them. (Shelby did other rather dishonest things throughout his career). The genuine 427 cobra’s are far more valuable today than the 429‘s, as any Cobra aficionado will tell you. Finally, it was pretty well known among afficianados that in reality, in most situations, the 289 cobra was a much superior car overall. It didn’t accelerate nearly as fast as the 427, but handled much better, with considerably less understeer, and was faster around most tracks. The exception to that would be those tracks with few turns and long straightaways. Oh yes, one final thing. It amazes me to this day that the 427 cobra was the fastest accelerating car in the world for 30 years, until the Mclaren F1 came out in the late 90s. Very impressive!😆
The Boss 429 didn't come out until 1969, it was never dropped into a A/C Cobra by Shelby. The 428 Cobra Jet replaced the FE 427. Most buyers never knew the difference.
When the fuel crises came in around 1972 - these cars lost respect .Now they are all treated like 1st class exotic vehicles . People realize what once was .When cars were made in the USA .
When I was 15 or so my families Doctor had a 289 Cobra. Slightly less bulbous than the 427 it was way more car than most drivers could handle. It may not have been as quick in the quarter, but in the twisties there was no comparison. The 289 reigned. The 289 was all the car and more most drivers could handle. Look at the number of folks killed in their Cobras for verification. It was a race car driven on the street. The "power" was in the engine, not windows, door locks or steering. No niceties. Brutally hot it was not fun to drive. But hand ANY red blooded male the keys to one and he'd be gone so quick it'd make your head spin. I was as gung ho on the Cobra as any boy. I thank my lucky stars I never had the chance to drive one. I KNOW my limits. Now. Didn't then.
When i was younger i had a 1964 mustang that someone before me had put a 289 CJ engine in it, yes it was fast, I can only imagine what a little cobra with that engine could do!
I was actually able to see this car in person (up close a personal). Couldn’t believe it. It was a real highlight for me. Friend of mine bought it for his private collection.
In 1964 they were testing a cobra on a motorway in the uk ready for la mons it clocked 184 mph before speed limits were introduced soon after speed limits were introduced
I was at Shelby American in Vegas recently where they had it on display. When I went on the tour I spoke with the tour guide about it personally. He said it ran low boost about 7PSI with a 12:1 compression. Also he said that if the superchargers were taken off and switched to a N/A intake plenum then 650HP was achievable.
The reason for the two twin supercharged 427 Cobras being equipped with automatic transmissions is the Shelby team drivers had difficulty handling a manual gearbox with 800 hp in a car weighing less than 2500 pounds on the track at speed. They knew that a private non-professional owner would likely kill themselves with that much power and shifting. So yes, the two were built with automatic transmissions. By the way, there were a few 289 street Cobras with automatic transmissions from the Venice shop.
I grew up in Malibu and Los angels one our techs worked for me and got offered a job at Shelby and left but I was allowed to hang around the factory at LAX
When Shelby was in the uk in 1964 doing shake downs on the cobra it clocked 186 mph on the m 1 motorway,after that the government brought in speed limits
There was a Ford Dealership in Rochester New York that had all the Cobras ,Shelby Mustangs and sunbeam tigers lined up . I think the 427 SC was $6500 at the time. But the intake on the SS was one I put on a 1969 Cyclone with 2 715 cfm Holley's for a friend and the hood wouldn't close even with the big Mercury scoop .
I remember spotting two new 1967 427 SC's in a showroom in my home-town Ford dealership in Los Gatos, California. I went in and studied those two beauties carefully, and remember the price tags both listed them at $6995.00. I remember seeing somewhere that that was their MSRP. Even then, I knew that they were bargains that would become very valuable as collector's cars. I urged my dad to buy one as an investment, which he thought was silly! To this day, they're my favorite car! Ever since that dramatic debut, my small town of 30,000 people has been a Bay Area Mecca for exotic, high-end car dealerships that have sold RR's, Mazeratis, GT 40's, Ferraris, Porsches, Lambos, Astin-Martins, Lotus', Cobra knockoffs, Veyrons and some obscure models few have ever seen. Lucky me... I'm a car guy!
I remember getting to go into the dealership of the Chrysler building in 1969. Wanting to buy the Hemi super bee with the wing on the back. They let me fire it up and go for a test ride. When my father showed up he was going to lend me the $700 that I needed to buy the car. I only had $1,800 to work with. But when he saw and heard the car he walked out shaking his head. No way in hell would I sell that car to my stupid crazy son. He ended up buying for me a beat up 1967 police car with a 440 ci big block not the same but I still had a blast racing it all over the place. That engine was so strong four speed trans Dana rear. I “ZD” the frame 5 1/2” an channeled the frame 5.0” then shaved the hood, trunk, doors had a blast with it until I got hold of a 1950 Chevy panel van. I had so much fun back in high school in 1970.
Rather help less fortunate kids around the world , rather than stroking rich ppls egos over a piece of metal. No matter how much history it has.Rather buy a replica for 30k and help less fortunate ppl aroUnd the world . However to each their own , if that makes them feel good happy.
i watched 15 seconds of this video (didn't even get to the Cobra part) before wondering - What's it like spending every moment of your day proving your manhood to a world that doesn't care a bit?
If say I won the lottery. At that price I would have to use it daily.But beautiful though it is.I'm from the U.K. And we prefer our manuals or stickshift cars.
It is said the other car lives in one form or another and was put back together by Brian Angliss, who had the know how to do it. It will be a mystery car much like its demise.
Dam!!!....i mean a beautiful car and rare but 5 million...OMFG!!!!....lucky for some to be able to spend that kind of money on a car....jeeez louise!!!!!...Stupid money!!!!
Automatic transmission?!!! In a driver's car like a Shelby Cobra? I suppose it doesn't matter. It's not as if anyone is going to take this car out on the road or track and drive it anywhere close to its capabilities. This Shelby Cobra is a museum piece, it isn't a sports/muscle car anymore; it's a Granny car.
When you have too much money and you just want something that only you will have. Its an investment anyway it can sell for more millions the more time passes.
This is a very old video. Carroll Died: May 10, 2012, @ Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TXThe 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake made history on January 21, 2007, fetching $5.5 million at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, a world record price for an American car, auction organizers said.The 800-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.
You're lucky that I watched this, if you're into the views. I saw it when it happened in the day. He can't even drive it, that would be sad. Oh well, what a car !
This video proves the difference between a real super snake and a recreation. BASICALLY A FAKE VS REAL.Same with my 07 super snake 427 edition VS a clone.This example is for all the guy's that say they can buy the parts from Ford and build a real super snake in there garage. NOPE NOT HAPPENING UNLESS YOU SEND IT TO SHELBY AMERICAN
You are an a$$! My mother was 32 when I was born and my father was 59....and I have a little brother! It is not age that makes a man worthless to a woman...or his abilities in bed. It is his sorry attitude.
The shame is that car will probably never be started or ran on the road ever again. It will be in that billionaires living room in a glass case. LOL!!!
Garage queen! 5 million! You bet your ass it'll be parked. I'd be terrified to have some asswipe in a Matt black civic or smart car pound into it. Guess that's the down side of ownership.