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This exceptionally rare car just made history at the Pebble Beach auctionshttps://www.businessinsider.in/this-exceptionally-rare-car-just-made-history-at-the-pebble-beach-auctions/meet-the-the-1962-shelby-cobra-csx-2000-the-very-first-shelby-cobra-ever-made-/slidelist/53786945.cms2021-07-26T12:46:18+05:30

This exceptionally rare car just made history at the Pebble Beach auctions

Jul 26, 2021, 12:46 IST

Meet the the 1962 Shelby Cobra CSX 2000 — the very first Shelby Cobra ever made.

It's got a big of a rugged look, but that's part of the charm. After all, this is the car that put American sports cars and racing on the main stage.

The car was created by Carroll Shelby, one of the most influential people in the auto industry. His career started as a racer in 1952. He was so talented that he won the 1959 Le Mans 24-Hour race only seven years into his racing career.

Shelby ended his racing career after that Le Mans win due to health issues, but shortly after launched auto company Shelby-American.

And this car right here is the very first Shelby Cobra that company made.

It was the first time Shelby fitted a giant, American V8 motor into a little British sports car.

And the car performed beautifully. The year it was released, the Shelby Cobra reached a top speed of 153 miles per hour and got to 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds.

It was the only Cobra in existence for a solid five months.

And its success is what allowed Shelby-American to thrive. The company was able to employ over 500 people within 5 years.

But more importantly, the success of the Shelby Cobra kicked off the company's relationship with Ford.

Shelby and Ford would go on to build the Shelby Daytona, pictured below, the design of which was loosely based on the Shelby Cobra. The Shelby Daytona won the 1964 24 hours of Le Mans, marking the first win by an American team.

But it was the little Shelby Cobra that made the win possible, legitimizing American racing and sports cars.

Carroll Shelby owned the car until he died in 2012 at the age of 89.

Now it's been sold to a new owner for $13.75 million.

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