First SC (CSX 3021) to be auctioned

[CSX 4027]

CSX 3047, the other Hertz Gold 427 S/C and the most Original 427 S/C on the planet, is happy.

[Nedsel]

I love the way auction companies typically use such understated terms to hype their events. That's heart-warming. Really, who is to judge what Cobra is "the best in the world" ? Additionally, one might ask what makes a car "the most original S/C in the world" - a fresh paint job scraped off, or a fresh paint job left on the car? Isn't this somewhat unquantifiable?

[CSX 4027]

3021, a great car, probably didn't have a sign of any 1966 Shelby factory paint after it's shunt, color change then back to gold.
3047 hasn't had a shunt and has 90% of it's 1966Shelby factory paint after the de-paint.
I am not aware of another S/C with any original Shelby factory paint.
Besides that, the original oil cooler, diff cooler and original vinyl seats to mention a few, are pretty amazing.
My personal definition of original is what the car currently has that it was born with as opposed to what it was repaired or restored with.
3047 was never restored. Just maintained to continue to run which it did up until a few years ago. I drove it from Maryland to New Jersey and it didn't miss a beat.

[Slither]

CSX2009 is going to the Russo Steele auction in Scottsdale, AZ later this month. It should do very well. It is a beautiful car.

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by CSX 4027

3021, a great car, probably didn't have a sign of any 1966 Shelby factory paint after it's shunt, color change then back to gold.
3047 hasn't had a shunt and has 90% of it's 1966Shelby factory paint after the de-paint.
I am not aware of another S/C with any original Shelby factory paint.
Besides that, the original oil cooler, diff cooler and original vinyl seats to mention a few, are pretty amazing.
My personal definition of original is what the car currently has that it was born with as opposed to what it was repaired or restored with.
3047 was never restored. Just maintained to continue to run which it did up until a few years ago. I drove it from Maryland to New Jersey and it didn't miss a beat.

Steve, I have seen several posts from others who've seen 3047 after the depaint. Can you share any of those pics (publically or privately)? I have sent you a few e-mails in the recent past that have gone unresponded.

[CSX 4027]

You mean to tell me, you didn't tell me you were moving to Florida and I have no one to make my truck run 10 seconds? Sheesh

Pictures of 3047 will be plentifull when the car is done this spring.

[Nedsel]

Steve, I would never suggest that 3047 is anything other than a great car. But any car that has been repainted has had that paint scuffed so the new paint has a chance to adhere. Even if 3047 wasn't prepped properly and the original paint could be revealed, compounded, and brought back, it will never be quite the same as a car that has never been repainted at all. Any prospective purchaser will wonder how much remains original, and how much new color has been fogged in. 3047 might be classified as the S/C with the most remaining original paint, however the question marks will very likely put it into a very similar classification as a car that has had one repaint in its original color.

[brettco]

It's hard to believe 3047 was repainted just for a color change alone, and no repairs with filler or primer were made before paint? Also, laquer paint is the least chemically resistant paint there is so I would think the new paint or sealer would of attacked or stained it. You have to do irreversible damage to a paint job to stack a new one on top to do it right. You sure wouldn't be able to use any chemical help to strip it and unless the gold was clearcoated when it was sprayed any marks from the repaint removal would be into the metalic flake and buffing would leave an uneven metallic finish behind. I have been an auto refinisher for 24yrs and have never heard of a repaint being removed down to the previous paint before and from a gold lacquer single stage with no repairs would be not one but four seperate miracles. If it was clearcoated when new it would just take two miracles-haha. The guy who did the repaint over the gold should give someone a refund! This is my professional opinion-not that anyone asked. Brett

[elmariachi]

About 4 months ago while surfing Craigslist for a 427 block and misc junk I responded to an ad in Ft Myers about a Shelby aluminum block for sale. Spoke with the guy and he said he had #3021 in his garage, a gold Cobra. He told the story or wrecking it and said it sat in his garage for years with the dry-rotted tires. Said it was the lowest mileage original on the planet. Never got his name but I guess this was the same car/guy. Small world.

[CSX 4027]

The Original Hertz Gold paint was probably enamel. They used it on mustangs which were probably enamel also. The new paint was definately laquer which did not adhere to the enamel. There was no primer. The few bondo spots were from lean-on aluminum types of dents and parking lot dings. That's it. The bondo doesn't come off going to gold. Those will be the dust in area's. The obvious advantage about seeing a car like this is the absolute ability to see that it was never hit. The car was with a dealer at that time who needed to sell it so, he did a quickie to make it sale-able. I kept pounds of the chips in zip-locks which will go with the car wherever it ends up. Or actually could be a good Ebay item since a layer of the original gold is on the back side of the chips

[1985 CCX]

I can attest to Steve's depiction of the car! It was a painstaking/time consuming process that has really turned out fantastic!

[brettco]

So the last coat of 3047s paint will be new? Doesn't the orignal gold finish need what you say is stuck to the back of the paint chips? If the new car used enamel the coats of paint would melt together into one paint film. If it was lacquer and someone waited long enough between lacquer coats they could seperate. You say the quicky repaint didn't stick well but it pulled the gold with it? I guess if you want to call the original substrate the original paint that makes sense but 3047 would still need new topcoat color? This is all a play on words I guess. Good luck. Brett.

[elmariachi]

Can we see some pics??

[DMXF]

Originally Posted by CSX 4027

The Original Hertz Gold paint was probably enamel

Steve - For what it's worth, based on old documents and conversations I've had with a couple of the original SA painters, my feel is that they probably used acrylic laquer on the SC cars. It was the new thing they had switched over to from the nitrocellulose lacquer that AC Cars had originally been using (they asked AC to change). There's probably a way to have a chip analyzed to verify, if you're so inclined.

[CSX 4027]

Brett, When the blue came off it took some gold yielding gold on the backside of the blue chip. The car still remains with a layer of gold. It just won't shine and has a sandy finish. The car looks like an old war horse which is really what it is and it is going to stay that way.
Mike, Remember Hertz gold wasn't really a COBRA color or a Ford color but used by Shel to paint the stripes on the Hertz Mustangs. Think cheap. So probably enamel. Whatever it was it was different than the blue laquer used by Carter because there was no permanent adhesion.

[DMXF]

Originally Posted by CSX 4027

Mike, Remember Hertz gold wasn't really a COBRA color or a Ford color but used by Shel to paint the stripes on the Hertz Mustangs. Think cheap. So probably enamel. Whatever it was it was different than the blue laquer used by Carter because there was no permanent adhesion.

Steve, SA was mixing their own paint, so I would think whether the color was standard Ford or not shouldn't have impacted the type of paint they would use......what mattered was what they were accustomed to using. SA seemed to think the acrylic lacquer minimized problems (ie, saved $) according to a '65 memo they sent AC. It would be interesting to know if there was any documentation on the type of paint they used for the Hertz Mustang stripes or the basic paint on those cars (if they painted them or just received them painted by Ford), as stripe material may not necessarily be appropriate for an entire car paint job.

[Power Surge]

Wasn't the "Hertz gold" used to paint the stripes on the Mustangs clear paint with gold flake added to it?

[Don]

January 6th news alert from: dhkinney@carsthatmatter.com


" The first weekend of the New Year saw a reported world record price for a 427 SC Cobra at auction plus a "no surprise" price on a well turned out 289. The 427 SC Cobra, CSX 3021, was offered to the sale as the first 427 SC Cobra built and sold for a reported $3,780,000 at auction in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 3rd.This is said to be a world-record price for an open Cobra without race history, and, when verified, will fill the record book on many scores. The gold-colored 427 SC, one of only two built in that color, was also featured on the Cobra Caravan, a Shelby roadshow when the car was new. Said to be a one owner car with just 3,800 miles, it was presented at auction late in the sale on Saturday evening where it sold to a buyer in attendance at the event, held in the War Memorial Auditorium.

The same bidder also reportedly bought CSX 2311 for $572,400. This dark green 289 featured some unusual options including dual carbs, painted and not chromed wire wheels and an original Cobra radio. Phone calls and an email sent to the auction sponsor and the auction company, Hollywood Wheels Auctions and Shows, have not been returned at this time. "

[1985 CCX]

Send me a chip or two Steve and I can analyze the paint via FTIR Spectroscopy. Acrylic is easy to determine.

[What'saCobra?]

CSX 3021 went for 3.4M? Remarkable! Hope it is real.

Of course, we are all happy, correct? Well, i am reminded of the foolishness of the Ferrari market for a few years after Enzo went to that big Restaurante Cavalle Rampant in the sky. There were many sales and re-sales between dealers and near-dealers that purposely pumped-up retail prices.

When Ferrari prices ultimately fell back, many 3XX series owners were seriously disappointed in their "investments". Although the rarest cars did retain a larger share of their run-up in prices, it was hard to believe that investor-grade cars could be made out of production items of 7-12 thousand quantities. Ferrari 3XX cars remain wonderful street machines.

One data point does not describe a trend and as we have learned, not all trends are un-managed. But, it is pretty spectacular for an original well-documented street SC to sell at 3.4 large, even if it was mostly unused, re-painted in original gold, the first SC, etc.

Personally, i like it. But, i am obviously biased and not an un-interested by-stander (of a sort).