Shelby Cobra CSX2000 prototype marks the start of the Cobra legacy

The Shelby Cobra 260 Prototype CSX2000 represents the first realization of Carroll Shelby’s vision to combine a lightweight British chassis with American V8 power. The project, named ‘Carroll Shelby Experimental 2000’, began at AC Cars in Thames Ditton, England, where an AC Ace chassis was modified with thicker tubing, reinforced suspensions, and a Salisbury limited-slip differential.

Completed in late February 1962, the chassis was transported to Los Angeles without an engine or transmission. Carroll Shelby and Dean Moon personally retrieved the chassis and moved it to Moon’s workshop in Santa Fe Springs, California. There, they completed the vehicle by installing one of the first 4.2-liter Ford V8 engines paired with a four-speed manual transmission.