The super rare Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake the ‘world’s scariest’ muscle car
- The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is one of the scariest muscle cars ever
- It was built for Carroll Shelby’s personal collection
- The car has a tragic history
Published on Aug 30, 2024 at 11:40 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Aug 30, 2024 at 4:26 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The ultra-rare Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is one of the scariest muscle cars ever produced.
Built in 1965, the Super Snake was part of Carroll Shelby’s personal collection.
Shelby branded it ‘the Cobra to end all Cobras’ – and it certainly isn’t one for the faint-hearted.
The mean-looking machine packs a real punch and is well-known for being a handful on the road.
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The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake packed a real punch
We’ve seen a few examples of rare Shelbys, such as this 1965 single-owner GT3500 or this treasure-trove secret warehouse that was home to a handful of them, including a Sportsroof Shelby GT350, of which only 937 were ever made.
But when it comes to the rarest of the rare, that title must go to the CSX 3015 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake.
Mixing stunning looks with break-neck speed, the Super Snake was capable of terrifying even the most confident of drivers.
“When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car on the road,” Shelby said in 2006.
“Forty years later, it will still kick the tail of just about anything in the world. It’s the fastest street-legal Cobra I’ve ever owned.”
Fitted with the standard Cobra 427 cubic-inch V8, the CSX 3015 was boosted by not one, but two Paxton superchargers, which could produce 800 horsepower.
The car could hit speeds close to 321km/h (200mph) and could go from 0-100km/h (0-60mph) in just three seconds.
While that might not be quite as impressive as the Rimac Nevera R that can hit 0-100km/h in 1.81 seconds, it’s important to remember that the Cobra was built in the 1960s – so it was all brute force and no tech.
The Shelby has a tragic past
A second version of the car – the CSX 3303 – was created for disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, but he found the car difficult to drive and keep under control.
It was later sold to a man called Tony Maxey, who reportedly faced similar problems with the car as Cosby had.
Tragically, the CSX 3303 would claim Maxey’s life.
While out driving one day, he lost control of the car and soared off a cliff, plunging into the Pacific Ocean waters below.
The tragedy meant that the CSX 3015 is the only remaining Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake.
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.
