Presented by RM Sotheby’s Private Sales – In the early 1990s, Carroll Shelby took up where 427 Cobra production had left off, nearly 30 years prior, with the introduction of the 4000 Series. Built in Las Vegas, Nevada, these cars were intended to be “new” Cobras with the same style and appearance as their 1960s ancestors and were built using newly constructed frames and bodies in either fiberglass or aluminum.
Those that wanted to go a different route could commission the artisans at Kirkham Motorsports of Provo, Utah to build a very special Cobra body. Each Kirkham body is constructed with unequaled care—composed of seventeen hand-formed and joined panels, they are finished to such an exceeding quality that the seams are invisible to the naked eye, even when viewed from below. They are, quite simply, works of art, meeting the street naked; wearing not a drop of paint, they expose their sculptural bodywork for all to see. Bodies ordered through Kirkham are available in several materials, most commonly aluminum—finished to a highly polished or roughly-brushed sheen—but are also offered in bronze, and copper.
Below are three impeccable examples that are currently for sale by RM Sotheby’s Private Sales. You can learn more about each individual Cobra by clicking their respective buttons.
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra “CSX 4428”
This Shelby Cobra is completed with a unique Kirkham Motorsports-built polished aluminum body with contrasting brushed racing stripes. Since 1994, Provo, Utah-based Kirkham has offered exacting Cobra replicas in a range of configurations, including street and racing variants of the original 289 and the 427. Exterior features include a hood scoop, four-into-one side exit stainless steel exhausts, a driver’s side roll bar, clear wind wings, tinted sun visors, pop-up gas cap, as well as front and rear quick-jack racing bumpers. It rides on Goodyear Eagle “billboard” tires mounted on Halibrand-style knock-off wheels with a polished lip.
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra “CSX 4600”
Kirkham Cobra bodies are typically rendered in lightweight aluminum, but for discriminating enthusiasts in search of something exceptional, it can also create distinctive bodywork in unexpected and challenging materials like copper and, in the case of chassis CSX 4600, bronze. In addition to the eye-catching, unexpected medium, these unpainted bodies reveal any underlying flaws, making them the ultimate demonstration of the quality of Kirkham’s offerings.
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra “CSX 4602”
This exotic and alluring 1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra “4000 Series,” chassis number CSX 4602, is a rarified example with a body executed by Kirkham in copper. A pair of brushed “Le Mans” stripes bisect its otherwise mirror-like, highly polished skin, providing an eye-catching accent. Step over the copper door sills, beneath which sit polished stainless steel side-exit exhaust pipes, and you will find a set of lap belts for the period-style buckets appointed in black leather. For more competitive outings, the driver’s seat is also equipped with a pair of shoulder harnesses. The leather-wrapped dash is filled with a set of gauges from Speedhut of Orem, Utah, and fronted by a period-style wood-rimmed steering wheel.