One to Buy: ex-works 1 of 6 built 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Le Mans Competition
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In 1963, half a dozen 289-engined GT class Shelby Cobras were built to Competition Le Mans trim. This small batch of cars were inspired by a pair of Cobras that had contested the Le Mans 24 Hour race in June 1963 and were completed to an extremely high specification with the steering, exhaust, wheels, brakes, suspension, cooling and bodywork all suitably enhanced.
Today, one of those six cars, chassis CSX2136 is on the market with Canepa in Scotts Valley, Calfornia.
Completed in June 1963, chassis CSX2136 made its competition debut in early September when Bob Bondurant and Dave MacDonald finished fourth overall and won the over two-litre Grand Touring class at the Road America 500 mile US Road Racing Championship event.
Lew Spencer then drove it to third overall in the Los Angeles Times one hour Grand Prix race for GT cars at Riverside. Having incurred a crunched left front fender during this outing, Shelby executed a repair back at the factory and changed the car’s colour from black to light metallic blue.
CSX2136 subsequently raced four more times in 1963, most notably picking up second overall in the Hawaii GP at Kahuka and a brace of class wins at the end-of-season Bahamas Speed Week.
Shelby team driver and garage owner Ed Leslie then purchased CSX2136 as his personal race car for the 1964 season. Despite having been a big step-up from the Triumph TR4 he had raced in 1963, Leslie took the now black again Cobra to seven outright wins in between his factory drives for Carroll Shelby’s squad.
CSX2136 subsequently went through the hands of several further North American owners and in more recent times has been the subject of an exacting restoration.
For more information visit the Cnepa website at: https://www.canepa.com/
