The last remaining Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake. Photos courtesy Barrett-Jackson.
When Ron Pratte announced that he’d be selling his extensive collection at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale, it was a given that many of the lots offered would draw big money. Topping that list on Saturday night was the last surviving 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake, for which a bidder paid a fee-inclusive price of $5.1 million, $400,000 less than Pratte paid to acquire the car in 2007.
Chassis CSX 3015 began life as a 427 competition roadster, one of 23 such models built. Originally used for a European promotional tour, the car made its way Stateside in late 1966 and was converted to SC (Semi-Competition) trim to make it street-legal. Enter Carroll Shelby, who was tired of seeing the taillamps of his friend Stan Mullin’s Ferrari on their regular trips to Lake Tahoe. Wanting a 427 Cobra with a bit more top end, Shelby had his team install a pair of Paxton superchargers and mate the engine to a reinforced Lincoln Cruise-O-Matic transmission. The “Super Snake,” of which only two were ever constructed, was born.
Shelby’s upgrades produced the desired effect, and the World Registry of Cobras and GT40s, 4th Edition, quotes Mullin as saying, “…the darn thing exploded past 140 MPH, and actually accelerated faster at that speed than from a standstill. It ate my Ferrari alive.” A second Super Snake car, CSX 3303, was built for comedian Bill Cosby, who once quipped to friend Carroll Shelby that he’d buy a Cobra if it could do 200 MPH. Ever the showman, Shelby reportedly affixed a plaque to 3303′s dashboard, guaranteeing the car would do 200 MPH. It did, to the horror of Cosby, who document the experience in his comedy album 200 MPH.
Shelby put his Super Snake on the market in late 1968, at an asking price of $10,000. It remained for sale until 1970, when it was purchased by songwriter James Webb. By then, CSX 3015 was the sole remaining Super Snake; CSX 3303 had been crashed heavily by owner Tony Maxey, who later succumbed to injuries received in the accident.
Webb held on to the car until 1995, reportedly turning down offers as high as $1.2 million. The decision to part with the car was made for him; owing an estimated $3 million in back taxes, CSX 3015 was seized by the IRS and later sold to a collector at auction for the price of $375,000. It would pass through several more owners, a repaint and a full restoration before being acquired by Pratte at auction in January of 2007.
Ron Pratte donated proceeds from the sale of his Futurliner to the Armed Forces Foundation.
Another eagerly anticipated lot was the 1950 GM Futurliner that Pratte purchased at auction in 2006 for $4.1 million. Ahead of the lot’s sale on Saturday night, Barrett-Jackson announced that all proceeds from the sale would go to the Armed Forces Foundation, and bidding quickly jumped into the millions of dollars. While the bus sold for a hammer price of $4 million, it’s worth reporting that the lot received a further $650,000 in donations from bidders.
One of two built, the Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama concept sold for $3.3 million.
Other lots in the Barrett-Jackson top-10 included a 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama Concept, which sold for a price of $3.3 million; a 1949 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport Franay, which sold for a price of $1.65 million; a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster, which sold for a price of $1.595 million; a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, which sold for a price of $1.1 million; a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 320B Cabriolet, which sold for a price of $1.045 million; a 1936 Delahaye street rod, named “Whatthehaye,” which sold for a price of $671,000; a Gas Monkey Garage modified 1991 Ferrari F40, which sold for a price of $643,500; and a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Cabriolet, which sold for a price of $643,500. Though not ranked by Barrett-Jackson in their top-10, other charity lots deserving mention include a 2015 Ford Shelby GT350R (VIN #001), donated by Ford and sold to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which saw a hammer price of $1 million; a 2015 BMW M5, donated by BMW and sold to support BMW Car Club of America Foundation and Tire Rack Street Survival Program, which saw a hammer price of $800,000; and the first retail 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible, donated by GM and sold to support United Way, which also saw a hammer price of $800,000.
This 1956 DeSoto Firedome went to a new owner for a price of $8,250.
Those preferring domestic beer to Dom Perignon weren’t excluded from bidding, either. More affordable lots of interest included a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC coupe, sold for $4,400; a 1981 AMC Concord coupe sold for $4,950; a 1967 Ford Ranchero sold for $6,050; a 1971 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon sold for $6,270; a 1959 Edsel Ranger sold for $6,600; a 1956 DeSoto Firedome sold for $8,250; a 1966 Ford Thunderbird Landau hardtop sold for $7,370; a 1952 Dodge Power Wagon military pickup sold for $4,950; a 1979 Ford Mustang Turbo hatchback sold for $5,720; and a 1957 GMC 250 flatbed sold for $5,500.
Overall, cars from the Ron Pratte collection brought in over $40 million of the sale’s $130 million in sales. For complete results, visit Barrett-Jackson.com.
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