Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff – 11/10/2014
Mecum Auctions has a really cool bit of Shelby history coming up for auction next January in Florida. This C500 Ford transporter was one of six built by Shelby American and is mostly unrestored. Of course, it being Shelby, the truck is equipped with a bunch of Shelby accessories, including a Tachometer, Cobra Valve Covers/Air Cleaner, and Shift Knob. You can check out the listing on the Mecum site HERE.
Official Listing:
The story of Carroll Shelby’s Cobras and his three-year war to crush Enzo Ferrari on the world stage has been well chronicled. It began with a single prototype cobbled together in Lance Reventlow’s shop on Princeton Drive in Venice, California, and ended with a July 4 win at Reims, France, in 1965. However, the Shelby story did not end there; it carried on through 1967 with more road racing Cobras, the 427 Cobras, and a regiment of GT40 prototypes that would finally put paid to Ferrari’s hopes for another FIA World Championship. Transporting Shelby’s racers were a team of specialized Ford transporters based on the CS500 platform; six in all, it is believed, one of which is offered here in unrestored form.
In the mid-2000s it was purchased from a Canadian collector and restorer and driven by its new owner to Arizona, a trip of over 1,800 miles. In September 2007 it hit the road once again, this time to Santa Monica, California, where it participated in the SAAC’s Tony Sousa Memorial show and was awarded a First Place prize.
Still sporting its mostly original paint and interior – complete with wooden Cobra shift knob and dash-mounted tachometer, it incorporates a 330 CI Ford engine with Cobra finned aluminum air cleaner, valve covers, and oil pan, and mated to a 4-speed transmission. As further authentication, this dually flatbed transporter is signed on the dashboard by Bob Bondurant, who co-drove with Jo Schlesser at Reims to win the FIA Championship, former Shelby employee Bernie Kretzschmar and early crew member and driver John Morton, who once recalled traveling in it to Sebring, Florida. For Shelby collectors, this is could be one of the most unique pieces of Shelby lore ever offered.
HIGHLIGHTS
– Believed to be 1 of 6 built for use by the Shelby American racing team in 1966
– Autographed by Bob Bondurant, Bernie Kretzschmar, and John Morton
– SAAC first place prize in September 2007
– Unrestored condition
– Mostly original paint and interior
– 330 CI V-8 engine
– Cobra valve covers, air cleaner, and oil pan
– 4-speed transmission
– Wooden Cobra shifter knob and dash-mounted tach
– Dual rear wheels
– Painted bumpers and grill
– Flatbed conversion
