After returning from a promotional tour of Europe, the Cobra 427 Competition (CSX 3015) was selected for conversion into a street legal racing car. One of the 56 620 hp Cobra 427s built for the 1965 racing season was fitted with a windshield and a silencer. In addition, the engine was detuned on 485 ponies, an impressive number considering the vehicle’s light weight.
However, Carroll Shelby, who had set higher, wanted to build the meanest Cobra – a “Cobra to end all Cobras”. He achieved his goal and created the iconic Super Snake thanks to two huge compressors. Without driver assistance, the “king cobra” has as fantastic numbers today as it did in the sixties. Today the Shelby Cobra Super Snake is an icon classic car. That’s why it was the craziest sports car of the 1960s.
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Double compressors
Via Barrett-Jackson
One of the features that make the Shelby Cobra Super Snake stand out is the enormous bulge that supports the hood. While it makes the Super Snake look meaner, the real purpose was to make room for the massive blowers Shelby tucked under the hood.
Via: Robb Report
To create the ultimate Cobra, Shelby had to glue a set of two Paxton compressors to the engine. Two compressors working as one on an engine is something that only a handful of automakers have successfully achieved.
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Multi-million dollar story
via Barrett-Jackson
For a car that wasn’t designed for the market, the Cobra Super Snake has an expensive history matched only by a handful of cars. The CSX 3015, which was driven by Shelby for decades, was first auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson in 2007 for a record price of $ 5.5 million.
about me at auctions
Back to Barrett-Jackson in 2015, it lost $ 400,000 in value when it changed hands for $ 5.1 million. The Cobra Super Snake went under Barrett-Jackson’s hammer again in March 2021 and went home with a new owner after hitting the 2007 price of $ 5.5 million.
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Phenomenal performance
via barrett-jackson
To turn the already monstrous Shelby Cobra 427 S / C into a monster, Shelby attached two huge Paxton compressors to the 7-liter V8 engine. As a result, an engine that was already producing 485 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque was now producing 800 hp.
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It was paired with a three-speed automatic transmission and sent the Super Snake to 60 mph and a top speed of nearly 300 mph in about 3 seconds. Built without the use of space age materials, it can rival most modern sports cars.
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Track family tree
About supercars
The Cobra Super Snake was developed specifically for the racetrack in 1965 as a Cobra 427 competition model with a V8 engine producing 620 ponies. Since the 1965 racing season was missed, unsold competition models were converted to the street-legal versions known as S / C models.
Via Dupontregistry
It is two of these S / C models that Shelby injected a massive dose of adrenaline to create the “Cobra to End All Cobras”. The Super Snake proudly displays its racing line and retained the two massive exhaust pipes used in the race-specific Cobras.
5
No grid
Via Barrett-Jackson
A feature that distinguishes the Super Snake from other vehicles is the lack of the standard grill due to the enlarged opening in the nose. If you look down through the gaping hole, you can see the fans and part of the vehicle’s drivetrain.
Via Barret-Jackson
While there are bars that a bumper could be attached to, the Super Snake doesn’t have a proper bumper. In order to supply the powerful engine below with ambient air, the specially made engine hood has a large hood at the top.
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Insane power to weight ratio
Via Barret-Jackson
The outstanding performance of the Super Snake results from an insane power-to-weight ratio that surpasses most super sports cars. The Super Snake weighs 2282 pounds with its 800 hp power plant and has a power to weight ratio of 0.35.
Via Barret-Jackson
In comparison, the Bugatti Veyron with 1182 hp has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.29, the Lamborghini Aventador 0.22 and the McLaren Senna 0.26. Since a higher gear ratio means higher speed, it is generally not surprising why the Super Snake is such a beast on the tarmac.
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Built for personal use only
About Watch-Insider
Although one of the two Cobra Super Snakes built later became a sensation at Barrett-Jackson, initially neither of them had a sticker. Shelby made the CSX 3015 for his personal use, while the CSX 3303 was a gift to comedian Bill Cosby – his close friend.
About RobbReport
Legend has it that Bill Cosby only drove it once and found it too powerful and aggressive, and gave it back to Shelby. However, CSX 3303 eventually ended up at a dealer in San Francisco, while CSX 3015 ended up at Barrett-Jackson auctions decades later.
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Unique
Via Barret-Jackson
The Cobra Super Snake is not only the rarest of all Shelby Cobras, but also one of the rarest American classics. Of a total of 998 Cobras built, while 56 units became competition models and 31 units became S / C models, only two units became Super Snakes.
Via Barret-Jackson
The CSX 3303 ended up in the hands of Tony Maxey, who was killed in a total write-off accident and only one Super Snake survived. Although there are more imitation cobra than originals on the streets, the king cobra rules in a class of its own.
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Minimalistic design
Via Barrett-Jackson auction
Shelby needed to keep the design as minimalistic as possible in order to keep the overall weight low and to get superior performance from the Super Snake. With the Super Cobra being a race car first and a street car second, Shelby’s priority was to get it done as quickly as possible.
About motor biscuit
From the flat door panels to the simple seats; and from the flat dashboard to the simple center tunnel, everything was function-oriented. Scary as it sounds, the snake came without proper seat belts – a serious design flaw if there was one.
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About the author
Jay Moren
(36 published articles)
Jay Moren is a car enthusiast who loves anything with an engine. When he’s not writing about cars, he plays the saxophone and keyboard. He also plays as a goalkeeper for a non-league team in his native Nigeria
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