289 Cobras and Monterey Car Week 2024
Monterey Car Week will have an abundance of Shelby Cobras on offer by the auction companies holding sales this August. We previously looked at a 289 Cobra that was thoroughly enjoyed by Steve McQueen that will be sold by Mecum and now we’re going to look at two more 289 Cobras, one being offered by Broad Arrow Auctions and the other by RM Sotheby’s.
Both of these cars are anticipated to bring strong money compared to some other 289 Cobras we’ve seen in the past couple years, each for different reasons. Both of them wear their factory-correct interior colors, each equipped with a stunning and original Red interior along with striking exterior paint.
This 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra will be offered by Broad Arrow Auctions at their 2024 Monterey Jet Center sale. It’s a matching-numbers example and comes from just its second owner since new. It’s finished in Silver Mist, the rarest factory-equipped color and is the first 289 Cobra to be built with front fender vents.
CSX2159 spent 52 years in the care of its first owner, Ron Riffel. It was quite the upgrade from his 1959 MGA Twin Cam. It was the first Cobra finished in Silver Mist with a Red leather interior and would come to be a far more significant car than he could have anticipated back in 1964.
CSX2159 would end up spending 40 years in Ron’s garage until he and his wife Loreta decided to restore it to its former glory in 2007. Ron made sure to keep every piece of paper related to the car from the day he bought it and was able to start the restoration in full in 2008. It ended up being a family-focused job as their son was an expert automotive painter and he worked with ICI, the original paint manufacturer in England to ensure they had the correct Silver Mist before respraying the car.
The interior of the car is largely untouched with the seats and carpet in their original condition, as well as the tonneau and top. The restoration was completed in May 2008 and was documented and photographed through the entire process.
Broad Arrow Auctions estimates this Cobra will sell for $1,350,000 – $1,650,000.
This is a single-owner 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra driven and raced by Hank Williams. It’s arguably the most successful Cobra on the track and most well-documented Cobra in the world. It includes the original build sheet, warranty card, competition license, and photos that span its decades of time in the care of Hank Williams.
One of just three 289 Cobras finished in Princess Blue in 1964, it’s also equipped with a Red interior. It is unrestored, wearing a patina that could only be earned by entering almost 400 races and winning more than 260 trophies and awards, which are included with the car.
It’s a numbers-matching car and was driven by Hank Williams until he was 98 years old. He passed away at 99 years of age and left a legacy that is so much more than this car, but it would be impossible to tell his story without telling the story of CSX2227.
Carroll Shelby himself learned of Hank’s success with the car on the track and gave him the nickname “Snake Charmer” as well as his Le Mans team shirt, which is also included with the car. Hank made the car his own, adding a removable hardtop and repainting it from Princess Blue to the Lincoln-produced Silver Mink that it wears to this day.
RM Sotheby’s hasn’t published an estimate for this car but we expect it to be significantly above a “regular” 289 Cobra, if one believes a Cobra can be called “regular.” This is a car we will definitely check out in person and will be there to watch it cross the auction block.