This 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Was Just Sold for Nearly $3 Million

Mecum Auctions’ 2024 Spring Classic recently concluded with more than $108 million USD in sales after nine days of action, with a total of 2,877 lots selling throughout the duration of the Indianapolis-based event. 

None fetched a higher sum than this 1966 Shelby Cobra 427, which found a new owner for a cool $2.145 million USD, or approximately $2.93 million CAD at the current exchange rate. It’s 3.5 times the amount that was paid for the second most expensive car at the auction, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Convertible.

The Cobra 427 you see here was the last of the initial order of 100 units before the 428 engines were installed. It’s also one of very few 427 Cobras to have never been modified throughout its life.

Photo: Mecum Auctions

The chassis, aluminum body, 427-cubic inch V8 engine, four-speed Toploader manual transmission and rear end, just to name a few, are all stock. The car has been restored in its original colour combination, mind you.

The 427 V8, by the way, was factory-rated with 425 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 480 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm, enabling a top speed of 264 km/h. The unit in this Cobra 427 has logged 18,066 miles or just over 29,000 kilometres.

Photo: Mecum Auctions

The car was originally shipped to Los Angeles in October of 1965, then completed by Shelby American and billed to a dealer in New Mexico. You should really take a look at the photo gallery at the top of the page for more pictures of this red-hot beauty.

For the record, it’s still far from the $5.9 million USD ($7.6 million CAD) that Carroll Shelby’s own 1965 Cobra 427 was sold for in January of 2021.

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