By Jeff Perez
People like to throw around the word “perfect” a lot. I’m throwing it around right now — this 1964 Shelby 289 Competition Cobra is soooo perfect. Even better, it’s hitting the auction block later this month.

Part of RM’s Sept. 8 auction in London, this perfect Cobra comes with a 400-horsepower V8, a manual gearbox, and a ground up restoration by Shelby authority Bill Murray. But don’t think it’s just another rare Cobra.

It was owned by gentleman racer Tom Payne, built under the guiding light of Ford’s Special Vehicle Division for racing. Payne told mechanics to “color it RED,” and the racer was finished in 1964. There, Payne toured tracks in the Midwest from Ohio to Illinois to Indiana, swallowing up nearly every course and every racer in his path.
From 1965 on, the Shelby switched hands to various other racers, and on to a few collectors through the mid-80s. The vehicle was purchased in 1985, fully restored, and then put on display at the Shelby American Collection for nearly 25 years.

Today, chassis CSX 2430 is headed to the auction block, expected to fetch somewhere between £1,100,000-£1,400,000 ($1,826,000-$2,325,00).


Photo Credit: Robin Adams/RM Auctions

 

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