The rarest and ‘scariest’ muscle car ever sold for more than $5 million
- The world’s rarest and scariest muscle car sold for $5.5m
- The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is a one-off
- The car has sold for more than $5 million several times
Published on Sep 04, 2024 at 11:22 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 04, 2024 at 4:54 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The rarest and ‘scariest’ muscle car in the world sold for a staggering $5.5 million dollars at auction in Arizona.
The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is considered the rarest of the rare, with just one in existence.
The Super Snake CSX 3015 was built for Carroll Shelby’s personal collection all the way back in 1966.
Dubbed ‘the Cobra to end all Cobras’ by Shelby himself, the muscle car certainly packs a punch.
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The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is a true one-off
The Super Snake was a pairing of typical Shelby good looks and break-neck speed.
The car was notoriously difficult to handle and was enough to terrify even the most seasoned drivers.
Fitted with the standard 427 cubic-inch V8, the Super Snake was boosted by two Paxton superchargers and could produce 800 horsepower.
“When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car in the road,” Shelby said in 2016.
He realized that dream with the stunning blue motor hitting a top speed of 321km/h (200mph) and the capability to go from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in just three seconds.
A second version of the car – the CSX 3303 – was built for disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, but he decided to sell the car on after finding it difficult to drive.
It was sold at auction to a man named Tony Maxey, who reportedly had similar problems keeping the car under control.
Tragically, the car would later result in Maxey’s death after he lost control of the Cobra and soared off a cliff.
That car was never recovered, and the original CSX 3015 remains the last Super Snake out there.
The muscle car has been sold for millions at auction
Back in 2015, the car went under the hammer at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Auction.
After owner and car enthusiast Ron Pratte decided it was time to sell off some of his mind-blowing collection, which included a $3.3 million Pontiac Bonneville concept car.
The whole collection, of over 100 cars, sold for $40.44 million, with the Super Snake’s sale responsible for $5.1 million of that total.
Somewhat incredibly, it managed to topple this sky-high figure in 2021, when it went up for sale again and this time made an additional $400,000 – selling for $5.5 million.
So if you fancy getting your hands on a piece of muscle car history, you’ll need deep pockets.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
