For Sale at the St Louis Car Museum is the very first CSX8000 Series “slab-side” Shelby Cobra 289 S/R ever produced! This collector car is listed in World Registry of Cobras and GT40s and is fully documented from new. The all-aluminum #CSX8001 comes with a host of paperwork and signed MSO. This particular Shelby Cobra for sale even comes with a certificate of Authenticity from Carroll Shelby himself! This 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 is powered by a 1965 date-coded 289ci K-code V8, 5-speed Tremec, and 3.54 axle. It is also fitted with hidden air conditioning delivering convenience to the driver. This all-aluminum Shelby Cobra is a must have for any serious car collector!

To find a Cobra slab-side example in its original form has become more and more difficult. This concern was acknowledged by Shelby American in 2011 with the introduction and limited production of the 50th Anniversary CSX8000 Series 289ci street versions. These particular models sold quickly in fiberglass, as well as in the expensive aluminum form, to eager collectors worldwide!

Many will say “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”, which holds true for Shelby enthusiast, Robert K. of Phoenix, AZ. This collector of cars began his efforts in the mid-1990s with pestering Carroll Shelby, as well as the team at Shelby American, to build him a 289 cubic inch slab side roadster. Priorities with 427ci orders seemed to dictate the path of the shop, so Mr. Kennedy was repeatedly shut down. So after a trip to the facility in both 1996 and 1997, with a Shelby team ready to sway his attention to a 427 version instead, he finally decided to leave them an interesting proposition. Payment in full, by check, for a 289ci Street Roadster, along with the note: “You cash this check, you owe me the car!” To his surprise, the check cleared his account in September 1997, but the tooling for this desired slab side body of his dreams would continue to be placed on hold. Mr. Kennedy would put mounting pressure on Shelby nearly after 2 years of waiting by visiting the workshop. Shelby's team was then in full swing designing a fully reinforced tube chassis' for a new line of FIA race cars by utilizing the original track savvy tubular triangular chassis improvements of the original Daytona Coupe. With this news, he realized his small block car had yet to even start production.

Maintaining utmost composure, Mr. Kennedy was able to convince Carroll Shelby and staff that his paid in full contribution two years earlier should elevate his status to “get in line behind me!” With this agreed acknowledgment, Shelby confessed that they simply didn't have the time to retool the forms to produce the fiberglass slab side body he so badly wanted. Another solution then presented itself, and it would be in the form of an aluminum body at considerably more expense. With Kennedy's insistence, he asked for the body to be made from aluminum instead, promising to have the body fully polished to highlight the endeavor! This would be a great way to highlight the first CSX8000 and bring added buzz to the Shelby community! Carroll agreed and then turned to body craftsman, Michael Kenney, of Hi-Tech Motorsports of Tempe, AZ to reproduce the first hand-formed aluminum “slab-side” 289ci Cobra body for Shelby American. In return, and in order to speed up production, Carroll would offer Kenney one of the latest CSX7000 styles reinforced leaf spring FIA tube chassis' to mock up the body. The very first chassis, CSX8001, was finally underway as an all-aluminum Street Roadster! But its completion wasn't officially celebrated until July 2000. It would then return to Las Vegas, NV for Carroll Shelby's team to finish.

With his dream of building a personal 1965 Shelby Cobra finally coming together, Kennedy asked to have the car fitted with a real 1965 solid lifter K-code 289ci engine which he had found decades earlier that he saved for this very occasion. It was fitted with quad Weber 48IDA downdraft carburetors, Shelby 7-quart aluminum oil pan, remote oil filter & front oil cooler, competition high volume aluminum radiator, Lemans style quick-release gas cap, FIA hood scoop, Stewart Warner instrumentation, headrest seats, chrome bumperettes & roll bar, Talbot-style rearview mirror, 2-piece 17” knock-off FIA style wheels by PS Engineering, and more! The patience behind the build of this beautiful 60s Cobra shows in the comfort and modern necessities seen throughout. Kennedy elected to incorporate a 5-speed Tremec manual transmission and 3.54 rear axle ratio for optimum highway travel on today's roadways. As well as an electric fuel pump, electric cooling fan, and electronic ignition to enhance drivability. Additionally, as the hot summers in Arizona intensified, he asked them to discreetly add a modern HVAC system to blow cold air into the footwells helping them to stay cool on hot days. This feature was complimented with hidden speakers, which include audio inputs, for driver convenience and ease. Kennedy maintained possession of his prized Cobra Roadster, using it solely for fun and enjoyment, for the next 13 years.

This 1965 Shelby aluminum Cobra for sale comes with all the original build documentation and correspondence (properly organized in a binder), all service records from day one, and a Shelby Certification signed by Carroll Shelby himself which identifies this vehicle as the first CSX8000-Series roadster, and an extra set of keys. The vehicle is listed the Shelby World Registry of Cobras and GT40's (referenced on pages 794-797). It will also be delivered with a complete Haartz Stayfast top and frame, Stayfast cabin tonneau cover, Plexiglas side curtains, removable passenger headrest, spare tire with changing equipment, tool bag with extras, and storage car cover! This 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 For Sale sold in 2015 to an astute collector in England and traveled there with approximate 7,000 miles on the odometer. It now shows 10,046 miles on the odometer. All service work and registration documentation from England continue to remain with the car. This well kept Shelby Cobra 289 remains the only hand fabricated and polished aluminum 289 Street Roadster to ever leave the Shelby American facility, and represents one of very few produced since! Seen here is a wonderful, ready to drive Shelby Cobra with an exciting background that would make a terrific addition to any car collection!

Please feel free to call (800)957- 5707 with additional questions or to schedule a chance to see this Shelby Cobra 289 for sale in person! Financing, trade and transport options for your next classic or collector car purchase available.