This 1966 Shelby Cobra is one of approximately 260 street-specification Mark III examples produced and was billed to Shelby American by AC Cars Limited on March 10, 1966, before being invoiced to Hi-Performance Motors in El Segundo, California, on July 7 of the same year. Chassis 3220 spent its first two decades in California, where it was fitted with a 427ci side-oiler V8 circa the 1970s. After moving to England in 1989, the car underwent a refurbishment that included a conversion to semi-competition specification before returning to the US in 1993. It was purchased by its current owner in 2023 and subsequently underwent an additional refurbishment that included a return to its original shade of Guardsman Blue. Among the S/C-style features are fender flares, a hood scoop, side-pipe exhaust, an oil cooler, adjustable Koni coilover shock absorbers, Halibrand pin-drive wheels, an aluminum trunk floor, a 41-gallon fuel tank, and a roll hoop. Additional equipment includes a four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel disc brakes, black leather upholstery, and a Moto-Lita wood-rimmed steering wheel. This semi-competition-style 427 Cobra is now offered on dealer consignment in Thousand Oaks, California, with photos from the refurbishment and a clean Pennsylvania title.

Shelby introduced the 427 variant of the Cobra in competition trim in 1965 as part of an effort to bolster the model’s racing presence by homologating a big-block-powered version of the platform. Revisions to the AC-built chassis necessitated by the heavier powerplants included 5” of width added to the steel ladder frame, which featured main tubes enlarged to 4” in diameter and rode on a coil-spring suspension in lieu of the earlier Cobra variant’s transverse leaf springs. The street-oriented version of the 427 Cobra arrived in late 1965 and was joined by 31 semi-competition, or S/C, cars derived from unsold competition chassis.

This example’s aluminum bodywork was modified in the style of an S/C model under prior ownership and had been repainted red. The body was reportedly stripped to bare metal and repainted in its original shade of Guardsman Blue during the refurbishment that was completed by H&H Performance in DuBois, Pennsylvania, in 2024, at which time the frame is said to have been media-blasted and refinished in black satin. S/C-style details include rear fender flares, a riveted hood with a scoop, bumper jacks, rectangular taillights, side-exit exhaust with four-into-one collectors, a roll hoop, and a Le Mans-type fuel filler cap. The exhaust was recoated in Cerakote in 2024.

Halibrand pin-drive wheels are secured by three-eared knock-offs and wear Goodyear Blue Streak tires measuring 6.00-15 up front and 8.00-15 at the rear. Stopping is handled by four-wheel disc brakes, while steering is via rack and pinion.

The cockpit houses fixed-back bucket seats trimmed in black leather, while color-keyed carpeting covers the floors. S/C-style touches include a dash absent of defrost vents or a glovebox and the deletion of windshield-washing elements. The trunk compartment was fitted with an aluminum floor over a 41-gallon fuel tank, while the batteries were relocated to the area behind the seats.

The wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel sits ahead of S/C-style Smiths instrumentation including an 8k-rpm tachometer, a reverse-sweep 180-mph speedometer, and gauges monitoring oil temperature, coolant temperature, amperage, fuel pressure, and oil pressure. The five-digit odometer on this 1966 Shelby Cobra shows 2,300 miles, approximately 200 of which have been added under current ownership.

The 427ci Ford side-oiler V8 is said to have been installed circa the 1970s in lieu of the car’s original 428ci Police Interceptor engine and is topped by a Holley 780-cfm four-barrel carburetor and a “turkey pan” cold-air box. The lubrication system incorporates an oil cooler.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. The double-wishbone independent suspension setup incorporates adjustable Koni coilover shock absorbers at each corner with an anti-roll bar up front.

More details on the vehicle can be found here.