New Turnkey Cobra – CSX10000

Look, let’s get the elephant out of the room. CSX10000 is a silly name. They may as well have called it Basquingiblet. But that’s not the point. The point is that this is a legit, angry, V8, snarling, box fresh Shelby Cobra. Not a Dax rush, not something built by a vet from some fibreglass and an old Ford Sierra (niche reference). It’s a legit Shelby. Each one is even on the official register, which is nice. We’re not ones for getting giddy about being on a list. We are, however, sent wibbly at the knees when someone mentions a 460bhp 5.0 Coyote V8 backed up by a six-speed Tremec manual. 460 brake to the rear of a car that weighs as much as a wet napkin. Silly, but brilliant.

The Shelby Cobra was originally introduced at the New York Auto Show in 1962, with an updated version featuring a computer-developed chassis and a big block Ford engine in 1965. Now, through an agreement with Shelby, Clive Sutton – the place that will will make you a RHD ’67 Mustang fastback – will be the first to offer a complete, turnkey Shelby Cobra in its latest form to UK buyers. This landmark celebrates the famous roadster’s triumphant UK return.

Buyers who have an ironclad will and a willingness to be found upside down, in a ditch, can request the Shelby Cobra as a supercharged version, a combination that results in a power output of 700hp @ 5,000rpm with 550b-ft of torque at 5,800rpm. The upgrade sees a Whipple twin-screw 3.0-litre supercharger added to the car resulting in power and performance that honours the original, exhilarating Shelby Cobra of the 1960s. Fit a tow bar and you could easily pull a twin axle Bailey caravan, or the moon. Your shout.

M. Neil Cummings, CEO of Carroll Shelby Licencing told us: “Our founder, Carroll Shelby would be impressed with this latest evolution of his original Cobra that he first created in 1962 after he won Le Mans as a driver in 1959, then turned to his dream of designing and building his own special world-beating sports car. He retired as a Le Mans-winning driver due to a heart condition that required him to pop nitro-glycerine tablets to keep his heart going to the finish line.

“Bringing this Shelby turnkey car to the UK with our retailer Clive Sutton is a special moment for Shelby. It’s a fitting reminder to the world that Shelby is the original, genuine designer, builder, and Manufacturer of Record for the Shelby Cobra, which won the 1965 FIA World Manufacturers’ Championship while beating Ferrari for the first time in the FIA GT class.”

Officially recognised by Shelby as a distinct new model, each Cobra CSX10000 will be recorded in the Shelby Cobra Registry, which enables owners and buyers to distinguish genuine Cobras from replicas. This recognition adds status and provides a foundation for provenance, while also helping to preserve investment values.

Clive Sutton, founder and CEO: “It is an immense honour to be the first market globally to receive the Shelby Cobra CSX10000. As an officially recognised and licensed Shelby Cobra, the car will provide a strong investment opportunity alongside its spine-tingling performance and retro styling.”

As the UK’s only official distributor for Shelby products, Clive Sutton is now taking orders for the 2024 Cobra CSX10000 with prices starting from £195,000. The UK is the first market to receive the new model, with the US and other global markets set to follow in due course.

It’s an incredible machine, there is no doubt. It looks like something that would be built bespoke to be the hero car in a Hollywood blockbuster. Is it cheap? No, of course not, you get a fiver change from £200k. But so what? It’s a legit, proper, official, approved Shelby Cobra. And the cynics might say “Shelby is dead, this is just money making licencing.” And to those misers, we say this… do you think he’d disapprove? Exactly.