The first, er, second Cobra

[strada5300]

Last Sunday I  saw CSX2001 in person. This is a significant sighting for me, a guy who has researched Cobras for 40 plus years. It is the subject of a 5-page article in Vintage Motorsport, an American magazine. The way I understand it, this car never saw the Shelby plant but went from the UK to Pittsburgh to be prepared for racing. It never had a set of side vents installed though it was updated to a 289. Originally it was a street car but was prepared for competition and ran in European events under the ownership of several different Frenchmen. I was thinking of writing a story about its history myself but was wondering about a couple things: the hardtop it used in Europe that had a side profile like a 250LM roof, was that aluminum? Was there only that one made? Did it have an inset rear window like a 250LM (the picture I have is front 3/4 view).
      Also the rear flares bulge out instead of having a fender lip to cover the tyre, has anyone else seen rear fender arches like that on a small block other than a FIA 289?
      The article in Vintage Motorsport playfully hints that this could be the first Cobra, though Shelby says the one he has, CSX2000, is the first one. Shelby's has inboard rear brakes, the only such car built.
      Here's the only picture I could find on the net
   http://www.edgar-motorsport.com/id1.html
   but if anyone has pictures they shot of it in its previous liveries during its race career, I can trade images I shot last week at one of those informal cars 'n coffee for those.
      By the way, I consider my tastes in Cobras maturing as I am weaned away from the raw untamed King-of-the-Known-World power of the 427 and coming to appreciate the 289s....

[rr64]

You might find the links in this thread interesting.
   
   http://saacforum.com/index.php?topic=1797.0

[strada5300]

Found new pictures. The rear window on the hardtop was inset like a 250LM. One unusual thing is though the rear arches are flared as wide as a FIA 289, it does not have cutback doors like the FIA 289 Cobras.

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by strada5300
   
Found new pictures. The rear window on the hardtop was inset like a 250LM. One unusual thing is though the rear arches are flared as wide as a FIA 289, it does not have cutback doors like the FIA 289 Cobras.

   Any chance you could post a pic of it with the hardtop? I`ve never seen it with one on.
   Also, I recall several years ago that it was a light green, had the sidelights sticking outside the centreline down from the headlights by a couple of inches and from the photo I saw (IIRC when it was in Switzerland)it looked like the doors followed out with the contour of the rear arches, rather than being cut back, FIA style(but it could just have been a trick of the light/camera).

[A-Snake]

The story in the current SAAC Shelby E-Merican
   
   http://saac.memberlodge.com/resources/0109/0109-csx2001.pdf

[nikbj68]

Thanks for that link, Jim...OK, so I had seen it with that (euughh)hardtop, just didn`t know that it was 2001 I`d seen!
   You can see in the early shots that the sidelights had been moved 'outboard' to accomodate the spotlights, but during it`s recent resto/respray from green to black, they have found their way back to the correct location, which possibly helped it along the way to taking 'Best In Show' at the 2008 Quail, as reported on Ultimate Carpage:
   

[A-Snake]

This car has had a few transformations during its life. Interestingly it does not have the original configuration of two nose and tail badges. It was 'born' with both a Shelby and AC badge on front and rear.

[Emmanueld]

Hi guys, I have seen CSX2000 at the Shelby warehouse here in Torrance a few years ago, it is indeed the first one built, it is metallic blue with a black interior. This is the car that Shelby used for development. It is in rough condition, with the leather all but gone.

[strada5300]

Is there an expert on genuine Cobras that have raced in France? I have a sort of potted chain of ownership and events for the car but no second source to confirm any of it. Appreciate any correspondence if any memories are jogged when I list the names of previous owners and of events where it raced:
   
   Dr. Richard Milo
   Lloyd "Lucky" Casner,
   Jean-Marie Vincent
   ----------------------------------
   Some of the events it ran :
    tour de France
    1000 km de Paris. I
    Rallye de I'A
   G.A.C.I. in Reims,
    Course de Cote in
   D'Hebecrevon, La Pommerate
   and Des Andelya. (not speaking French I don't know if these are cities or locations in that race ...)
     ------------------------------------------------------
   More owners:
   Pierre Landerau
   Herve Arnone-Demoy
   Bernard Afchain
   Dominic Ellenreider
   
   As you can see, the car had a lot of owners and a few livery & equipment changes. Any comments on any of these owners & their life with this car would be appreciated by someone who is 4000 miles w. of France
   
   PS. Lloyd "Lucky" Casner had a particularly unfortunate nickname as he was killed in a Maserati coupe that flipped in practice.

[A-Snake]

No need to re-invent the wheel, this and more information is in the new Cobra World Registry.