Garage
Shelby CSX2000 Tribute – A TRIBUTE THAT IS LEGENDARY
Shelby CSX2000 Tribute
A TRIBUTE THAT IS LEGENDARY
Los Angeles, CA – Where were you in ’62? If you were in Venice, California in February of that year, you might have seen an AC body-and-chassis ‘roller’ delivered to Carroll Shelby’s shop. And following the installation of a Ford small block V8 into that same chassis you could have heard that assemblage – which would be called ‘Cobra’ – anywhere in greater Los Angeles. The first prototype was about as visceral as anything built since World War II, and would hold its head high if compared to Mercer’s prewar (WWI) Raceabout or Bugatti’s prewar (WWII) Type 35; hell, it was almost as fast as Yeager’s Bell X1! This was a sports car, forgawdsake, spec’d as Americans would want: one part Watkins Glen, New York – and one part Wacko, there in the center of Texas.
Fast forward some six decades, and if you were at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles you would have seen the purtiest damn celebration of Carroll’s idea; it’s the first of ten tributes to what became known as CSX2000. Sitting as the centerpiece on an upstairs floor, and looking absolutely radiant in its medium metallic ‘Cobra’ blue, the aluminum-bodied CSX2000 is a piece of quintessential ‘60s – one part Jan & Dean on their boards, one part Jackie Kennedy on her horse.
As Shelby Legendary Cars CEO Lance Stander puts it, ““Carroll Shelby was one of the most influential people in the history of the automobile. Through his cars, racing team and driving career, Carroll became a catalyst for waves of innovation and his impact can still be felt by enthusiasts worldwide. We wanted to celebrate this charismatic and magnetic personality who truly changed the landscape with a car worthy of him.”
Intended to mark Shelby’s 100th birthday in 2023, the tribute’s intro was delayed to make – as Shelby Legendary Cars’ release would put it – everything right. And from this set of aging eyeballs they’ve succeeded. What would be known as the 289 Cobra has a lightness, both visually and in its spec sheet, not shared by the later competition versions, and certainly not shared with its 427-powered, big block sibling. Under the hood may be a Fairlane, but on the ground the AC was closer to MG’s TC; wheelbase is but 90 inches, and if your garage is just 13 feet long the Cobra will fit; it stretches 151 inches. And without fuel or your overstuffed wallet the prototype weighed only 2100 pounds.
To roll this out proudly (and, uh…loudly), the VIP preview was emcee’d by Dallas’ own Scott Black, with remarks by the Petersen Museum’s Terry Kanges, Carroll Shelby International’s M. Neil Cummings, Legendary Shelby Cars CEO Lance Stander and Vince LaViolette, VP of Production and Design at Shelby American. All, of course, paid tribute to Carroll Shelby and his singular vision, while no one mentioned Jackie Kennedy.
With just ten planned for production, and billionaires seemingly built daily, motivated buyers should motivate themselves over to the Shelby Legendary Cars website. And tell ‘em I sent you…that’ll be a BIG help.
