The Concours of Elegance is delighted to announce the latest star car that has joined its 2024 line-up: a Shelby Cobra in ultra-rare 427 Competition specification, which is the only car of its kind in existence today. This special machine with a fascinating backstory will join the lineup of 60 of the world’s rarest cars in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace, for Europe’s leading concours d’elegance event from 30th August to 1st September.
The now iconic Cobra was produced by the British company AC Cars from the early 1960s onwards, combining a diminutive, traditional British sports car body with a thunderous Ford V8 power. The cars were manufactured between AC Cars in Thames Ditton, Surrey and Shelby, in Los Angeles, with the shells were built and trimmed in England, before being shipped to the US for the fitting of the engines. Cobras were offered with either ‘small-block’ 289 cubic inch (4.7-litre) V8 or a larger, 427 (7.0-litre) cubic inch ‘big-block’ motors. They were legendary for their fearsome performance potential with immense V8 power and torque, and a kerb weight of just over 1000kg. The most potent ‘427’ variants could close in on 190mph flat out, remarkable for the mid 1960s. The Cobra was so fast that it was actually said to be responsible for the introduction of the 70mph speed limit in the UK. AC Cars employees were caught testing the Cobra at over 180mph on the M1, with the story ending up as front-page news; the limit was introduced thereafter.
The Cobra that will be on show at the Concours of Elegance is a particularly rare example, and one with a decidedly colourful history. Ordered new by Los Angeles attorney and amateur race driver Ed Freutel in 1965, chassis CSX3019 really is a particularly rare breed of Cobra. Out of a total production run of over 1000 cars, this is one of just 19 ‘427’ Competition Cobras built, one of only four produced with dry-sump lubrication, and the only remaining such car in existence. In fact, it might very well be the most venomous Cobra of all, as it was built with a 7.0-litre Holman-Moody NASCAR motor putting out well north of 500bhp. With only circa 2200lbs (1000kg) to shift, performance would have been nigh on terrifying.
For amateur racer Freutel, who had previously raced relatively weedy four-cylinder MGs, a 7.0-litre V8 NASCAR-engined Cobra would have represented something of a step up. While the Cobra did in fact borrow a steering rack from the MGB, the driving experience would have been unlike anything he’d experienced before. Freutel was commendably committed, shipping the car to Europe for the 1966 racing season. With his co-driver, the former Formula One ace Tony Settember, Freutel campaigned the car over an imposing calendar of European racing events throughout the summer of ’66 – presumably taking a fair amount of leave from his law firm.
Together they entered the fearsome Targa Florio road race in Sicily, the 1000 km of Spa and the Nurburgring 1000 km. They failed to finish at the Targa Florio, with the car wrecked after just one lap, before being hastily sent off to Modena for repairs. It also failed to finish at Spa, before chalking up a ‘not classified’ finish at the ‘ring, having only completed 32 out of the 44 laps. Painted in dark blue, with “Ecurie Cinquante Cinque” (Team 55) etched in white above the side vents, it would have been a striking machine, with a thunderous soundtrack thanks to that NASCAR motor. It was also likely the only competition car that you’d have found in the race paddocks of Europe that summer wearing black California licence plates.
It seems that after the 1966 season Freutel tired of the Cobra – or had scared himself sufficiently – and sold the car. Freutel sold it for just £500, the equivalent of around £7,500 in today’s money.
It subsequently passed into the hands of talented driver John Woolfe, who had more success with this special Cobra out on track, finishing first overall at Silverstone in 1967, and second at Snetterton that same year. It later ended up in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu where it was on show for some 35 years. The current owner spotted it there and having spent close to a decade trying to acquire it, finally snared his dream Cobra in 2022.
It has since been subjected to a painstaking restoration process, carried out by a team of leading specialists drawn from both sides of the pond. The results are stunning, with the group responsible, ‘Team 3019’, winning ‘Restorer of the Year’ at the Historic Motoring Awards. It’s certainly now in rude mechanical health: it recently clocked 523bhp and 550lb/ft on the dyno and is ready to delight crowds at Hampton Court Palace later this summer.
This special Cobra will star alongside 60 other concours cars, drawn from leading private collections the world over. Outside of the main Concours display there will be a number of special features, including the Levitt Concours – dedicated to the most passionate female owners – the 30UNDER30, which celebrates enthusiastic owners under 30 years of age and the Club Trophy, which gathers the very best examples of models from the nation’s best car clubs.
