After spending years at the top of its respective racing circuit, the Shelby Cobra was due for a much-needed revision. In the mid-to-late 1960s, the car’s creator, Carroll Shelby, and legendary British race car driver, Ken Miles, were hard at work designing a new platform to take on the next generation of automotive platforms. The result? A 550-horsepower Cobra that would adopt a NASCAR-inspired V8 engine.
After extensive phases of research, development, and manufacturing, Shelby sought to admit the car into the lauded FIA GT class. His model, the 427 SC Cobra, was prepared for homologation, but there was one slight problem — a total of 100 cars would have to be completed prior to consideration. Sadly, Shelby would not meet its deadline, leaving 51 ‘427’ variants without a reason for existence. In 2014, the Carroll Shelby Trust opted to finish what its founder had started, returning to the 427 S/C for one final push. The vehicle you see here, as well as its limited siblings, adopted the ‘Sanction II’ monicker. Each of the cars would include a period-correct side oiler 427 FE V-8 engine, a four-speed manual gearbox, and a suite of authentic components from the era. Now, this unique, five-mile example is listed for auction on RM Sotheby’s, where it’s expected to sell for $400,000+ at the company’s Open Roads event.
