In January 1964, chassis CSX2279 was invoiced to Shelby American, Inc. and was shipped from the AC workshops in Britain to Los Angeles, California aboard the SS Dintledyk. After it was fitted with all of the great Shelby elements that make a Cobra a “Cobra”, the car was sold to Culver Motors in Culver City, California. This car is notable in that it was fitted with a number of highly desirable and rarely seen class “A” and class “B” accessories including an aluminum deep sump oil pan, chrome wire wheels, dual four-barrel carburetors and a factory-installed roll bar. Clearly this car was designed for competition use as it was rare to see a street car constructed with so many competition features. Delivered in March 1964, the silver over black cobra boasted a hefty sticker price of $6,072.75.

Chassis CSX2297 spent the vast majority of its early years on the West Coast. By the early 1970s, it was acquired by noted exotic car dealer Monte Shelton of Portland, Oregon, and sold to a Mr. Sutherland in 1974. Five years later, an Arizona collector added the Cobra to his stable. When the car was sold in 1988, it was described as having a number of rare factory extras and said to be in excellent, unrestored condition.

In 1989, Canadian collector Harry Bytzek purchased the car. By the early 1990s, he had commissioned a complete restoration, the first ever for chassis CSX2279. All the work was handled by a highly regarded Cobra specialist who left no aspect of the car unattended. However, unlike many Cobra restorations, a concerted effort was made to preserve as much of the originality as possible. Since the restoration, the car was shown at the 2001 “100 Years of Ford” Concours in Detroit. After being used sparingly, the decision was made to repaint the car in its current color scheme. This work was executed by renowned restoration shop, and home of the television show "Dream Car Garage", Legendary Motorcar Company of Ontario, California.

Chassis CSX2279 is an outstanding example of how a factory-prepared 289 should look and run. Besides its authentic presentation, its rare competition options help distinguish it from the vast majority of 289 Cobras. It is a genuine factory hot rod, delivered new to Southern California and astonishingly, it retains most of its original alloy skin, chassis, engine and transmission.

This car is offered with copies of the original invoices from AC Cars and Shelby American, and is completely documented in the Shelby registry. Moreover, this is a desirable rack-and-pinion car with the improved Ford electrics and Stewart Warner gauges. On a recent drive, the particular car was said to provide the kind of thrilling performance you’d expect from a 2,000 lb. car with nearly 300hp. It can light the tires up in third gear, take corners sideways and produces a kind of “hide the children” noise that only a Detroit V-8 makes. This car is eligible to participate in all of the great tours and rallies in the US and abroad. Its rare combination of outright speed, handling, comfort and reliability will make it a perfect entrant.