Cobra MK I Chassis History, Vol. 2 Reviewed

Review by Pete Vack

Hey Little Cobra…

Oh no, we are not going to bring up that old ditty…
Oh, yes we are, because in Volume 2 of the Shelby Cobra book, author Bob Walker has revealed the full story about the song that made the Cobra famous. Or was it the other way around?

According to Walker, in an interview with Carol Conners, Beach Boy Brian Wilson, who was one of the background singers to the song, was critical of the lyrics when he found out Connors was the lyricist. “I knew it must have been written by a girl!” he fumed, because the phrase “Took my Cobra out gear and let it coast to the line isn’t right. Nobody takes the car out of gear and lets it coast to the line.”

And indeed it was a girl, and quite a woman at that, coasting or in gear. Carroll Shelby purportedly gave Carol three Cobras, CSX 2067, the subject of Walker’s chapter, another with chassis number unknown, and a third, CSX 2544. It was once believed that Carol drove the car off a cliff and destroyed CSX 2067, but Walker finds out the real story behind the legend. Carol did run off a cliff, but it was in a MGA years earlier when she had just recorded the hit song, “To Know Him is to Love Him.”

Carol Connors stands in front of her first Cobra, CSX 2067, holding the lyrics to the song “Hey Little Cobra.” It would be the first of three, but the current status of CSX 2067 is unknown.

The interview with Carol Connors is one of dozens conducted by Walker in his search for accuracy. Above all else, Walker’s first-person testimonials make his Cobra histories stand out. Whatever might be said, remembrances of the owners and participants bring the stories of Cobra chassis numbers to life. Connor’s recollections are particularly informative and revealing, and certainly more interesting than that of most Cobra owners.

Unless, of course you are a Bugatti owner who also owns a Cobra. And who, along with the aforementioned Herbie Hancock, has owned his Cobra for a long, long time. Tom Clifford, a director of the American Bugatti Club for 22 years, purchased his Cobra in 1972 and has owned it ever since. And though it seemed unusual, Clifford told us that there are several others who include both a Bugatti and Cobra in their collection. But none have owned theirs for a half a century!

Wrote Clifford in an email: I bought CSX 2072 in 1972 as my everyday car for $3,400. I would drive it 20 miles to work every day. I still try to drive it every weekend to go shopping or out to dinner. I have owned the T37A Bugatti since 1983. The car in the background is a Lotus XI once owned by George Arents. The motorcycle in the back is a 1950 Vincent Comet that is done up as a Gray Flash. Photo by Tom Clifford, does not appear in book.

And getting back to the book. As we have said, this is a massive work. We asked Walker how long it took. “I pitched the concept to Glyn Morris of Dalton Watson Fine Books in August 2017 in Carmel during the Concours on the Avenue, with a sketchy outline in hand and a few written pages. From there, the book took almost four years to complete.” We also asked him about the many corrections to the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) Registry that seemed a bit overboard. “Ned Scudder is the Cobra Registrar and my hero. Rick Kopec is a prince, the SAAC editor, and a fantastic guy to work with. My intentions were to correct errors and add updated information. The Registry is still an important reference book for Cobra research, even with some flaws. It covers all Cobras and not just the 125 Mark Is that I addressed.”

This one simply caught my eye. What is it? This is CSB 3054, not part of the Mk I series, designed by Peter Brock as a 427 Super Coupe in 1965 and remained unfinished until 1981. Find more under the chapter on CSX 2087.

We return to Hollywood, where we find that Kingston Trio member Robert Shoen, aka Bob Shane, was also a Cobra owner. He purchased CSX 2097, red with black interior, with a 289 HIPO engine, from Shelby American in 1963. He was smitten; he kept 2097 for two years before trading it in on CSC 2456, which was a deep burgundy with a black interior. Like Carol Connors, the Kingston Trio, never really a ‘folk’ group, were doing extremely well; the group had 14 albums in the Billboard Top 10 and five reached number 1. Shane’s Mk I Cobra still exists, “…in storage and rarely used.”

Cobra Production, Venice, CA, 1964. Production Cobras being built in the Carter Street facility. Cobras were equipped with accessories; the box of accessories on the back of the car had yet to be installed.

Volume 2 incorporates the bibliography, a superb index, and a very handy chart listing each of the 125 cars in order of serial number, including colors, engine size, invoice dates, first and current owners, and the page number where it can be found in the book. Walker added, “I also need to tell you that Jodi Ellis is the person responsible for the fantastic layout and artistic result that is way over the top!” But we knew that, didn’t we.

Shelby Cobras: CSX 2001 – CSX 2125
The Definitive Chassis-by-Chassis History of the Mark I Production Cars
by Robert D. Walker

230mm x 280mm
2 Volumes
Hard cover with dust jacket in slipcase
1,052 pages
1,569 images
$250
25 MyRewards points with purchase

Order Here