The First Three Shelby Cobras, the third book in the acclaimed
Exceptional Cars series, tells the story of three remarkable cars, the
first AC Cobras created by the legendary Carroll Shelby in 1962 and now
favorites of sports-car enthusiasts throughout the world. The prototype
CSX2000 has been described as the "most important American car",
although it was built on a British AC Ace chassis with an American Ford
V8 engine. It was retained by the Shelby family until 2016, when it sold
at auction for a record $13.75 million. CSX2001 was the first production
Cobra, and was delivered to American racing driver Ed Hugus. It was
later sold to Frenchman Jean-Marie Vincent, who raced in the Tour de
France and in numerous European hillclimbs. CSX2002 was the first Cobra
to race and nearly won its inaugural outing at Riverside, driven by Bill
Krause, until sidelined by a broken rear hub. It did take the first ever
Cobra win, with Dave MacDonald at Tucson in March 1963. Its success led
to a series of competition wins that made Shelby's Cobras famous and
admired across the globe. All three cars are now the pride of car
collections in the United States of America. CSX2000 and CSX2002 are
part of the Larry Miller Collection, and CSX2001 belongs to
California-based motorsport aficionado Bruce Meyer.