The original Shelby Cobra is always delightful to encounter, especially the early Mk1 model, which was outfitted with a modest although still fun to drive 260 cubic inch V8 engine. Far from being fire-breathing monsters like the 427 models that followed, the small-motor Cobras are viewed by some collectors as the truest to Carroll Shelby’s original vision. They are also amongst the rarest—less than 75 were ever built, and significantly easier to drive than their 7-liter siblings.
This Shelby Cobra Mk1, now listed on eBay, is noteworthy as the 32nd example ever built, but it also comes with an unusual back story. According to documentation provided by the seller, CSX2032 (the car’s production code) was originally purchased by Lawrence “Lance” Reventlow, son of socialite Barbara Hutton, who spent much of her life in the tabloids as the unlucky-in-love heiress to the massive Woolworth fortune.
The Shelby Cobra would go one to dominate in racing thanks to its combination of lightweight design and powerful V8 engine.
Reventlow became a driving force in international racing starting in the 1950s, eventually building America’s first open-wheel race car—the Scarab—capable of competing at the Formula 1 level. It was never successful in the series due to a number of technical problems. The Scarab finished only a single race in its single season. (Yet, it opened the door for Dan Gurney’s Eagle in the following decade.)
The car now features a 289 cubic inch V8 in place of its original 260 cubic inch unit.
Reventlow’s passion for racing came naturally, as one of his stepfathers won the Targa Florio in Sicily when he was a young man. He was also friends with James Dean, and was reportedly the last person to see the young actor alive on the day he suffered his fatal car accident.
There’s no evidence that Reventlow ever raced this particular Cobra. Rumors suggest that he picked it up and tucked it away in storage until his accidental death in 1972. Since then, there have been a series of owners. After an engine swap that saw it gain the 289 cubic inch engine it still features, the CSX2032 was professionally raced in and around Wisconsin. That lead to a long list of modifications, customizations, and restorations that brought it to its current wonderful state.
