Beschreibung:

Rightly regarded as one of the all-time great classic sports cars, the muscular, fire-breathing Cobra succeeded in capturing the hearts of enthusiasts like few of its contemporaries. Texan Carroll Shelby had gone racing in Europe in the late 1950s and realized that a combination of a lightweight American V8 engine and a proven European chassis was a winning combination. He had a Ford V8 installed in the chassis of an AC Ace, named the result the 'Cobra', and proved his point. Formalizing the arrangement, Shelby had AC Cars send Cobras - minus engines - from England to be finished off at his facilities in California. The 260ci (4.2-liter) prototype first ran in January 1962, with production commencing later that year. In 1963 the more powerful 289ci (4.7-liter) unit was standardized. Rack-and-pinion steering was the major MkII up-date; then in 1965 a new, stronger, coil-suspended MkIII chassis was introduced to accommodate Ford's 427ci (7-liter) V8 engine, which in race trim could produce well in excess of 400bhp. Wider bodywork, extended wheelarch flares and a bigger radiator intake combined to create the definitive - and much copied - Cobra MkIII look. Competition and semi, or ‘street’ competition (S/C) versions used the mighty 427. The ‘S/C’ had been created by the simple expedient of mildly ‘de-tuning’ 31 unsold competition cars. De-tuned? How does 0-100mph in 8.8 seconds and 165mph sound? The Cobra set new standards of performance for road cars and was highly effective in competition. Just 1,000-or-so Cobras of all types were built between 1962 and 1967, and only 356 of those were the ultimate ‘427’ version. ‘CSX3259’ is listed in the Shelby American World Registry. Originally finished in red with black interior, the car was invoiced to Stark Hickey Ford of Royal Oak, Michigan, on 30th June 1966 for $6275. '3259' was purchased by its first private owner, Jim Rayl of Kokomo, Indiana, in August 1966. By the early 1970s, the car had been sold to William C. Link of Bloomington, Indiana, who advertised it for sale in 1973 as follows: "1966 Cobra 427 roadster, candy apple red, Halibrand mags, new Goodyear G-70's, 15,000 miles. Asking $7500." Unable to find a buyer, Link kept the car and repainted it in maroon with a white nose and center stripe. He offered the car for sale again in the fall of 1978 for $40,000. According to the Shelby Registry, the Cobra's next recorded owner was Nick de Courville, of California. This must have been a short-lived affair, for ‘3259’ was again on the market in the spring of 1979, this time with 20,600 miles on the lot at Beverly Hills Porsche-Audi. Mr. Richard Wright of West Hollywood purchased the car for $53,129 and registered it in California. A registration card from this period confirms Mr. Wright had the car registered in California through at least February 1980. Wright exported '3259' to England in 1981, possibly for an unknown buyer. Period photos show the car looking very original and displaying its blue California registration plates ‘126 XEG’. By 1983 the car had been acquired by Dr. Michael Bürgel, in Germany, who registered the Cobra with the plate "BO-W8". When acquired by Bürgel the car was very original. Completely restored by him in the mid-1980s, it was returned to its original red with black interior and converted to S/C specification at the same time. The car received numerous upgrades, notably quadruple Weber carburetors, side exit exhaust, a roll over bar and a hood scoop. During its European ownership period, '3259' was likely fitted with the replacement Ford service block it retains today. Bürgel enjoyed the car for nearly two decades during which ‘3259’ became well known in European Cobra circles. Its next owner, noted historic racer Frank Sytner, reimported the car to the United States in 2002. Subsequent to its return, the Cobra has benefited from an extensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration performed by Stewart Hall of Hall Fabrication & Racing of Benicia, Californ