The Factory Built, Le Mans Entry 1963 AC Shelby Cobra Le Mans Coupe
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The Factory Built, Le Mans Entry Ex - Hugus, Jopp, Miles, Olthoff, Hawkins, Schlesser 1963 AC Shelby Cobra Le Mans Coupe Chassis Number: CSX 2142 Registration Number: 645 CGT • The first of three Shelby Le Mans Coupes built by the AC Cars factory for the first Cobra Le Mans effort in 1963 where the Sunday Times sponsored team was managed by Stirling Moss with Carroll Shelby in attendance on behalf of the Ford Motor Company, and the brainchild of Shelby’s partner in imagining the Cobra concept, Ed Hugus. • Fitted with a special experimental highly modified Ford 289 V8 engine for Le Mans by Phil Remington and Shelby America on the insistence of the Ford Motor Company, unknown to Hugus at the time. • Taken over by John Willment to run the European competition Cobra operation for Shelby following Le Mans and tested with Ken Miles. CSX 2142 was entered for the 1963 RAC Tourist Trophy at Goodwood but failed scrutineering on the grounds of modifications. • Sold to Ford of France following a very successful South African tour with Willment. Driven by Jo Schlesser over the ’64 and ’65 seasons for Ford France taking victories along the way. • Restored in the ‘90s to Ford of France livery by Yvan Mahe before going back to Le Mans livery with Kevin Kivlochan in 2001 and then being further restored for Frank Sytner by Simon Hadfield Motorsport. • In the current ownership since 2009 and raced at the best historic events throughout Europe while being maintained at Pearsons Engineering throughout. Winner of the 2013 Tour Auto with the current owner and Gary Pearson, with other highlights including 4th overall in the RAC TT at the 2011 Goodwood Revival with Pearson and Jackie Oliver. T. + 44 (0)1285 831 488 E. [email protected] www.williamianson.com • Presented with just 1h30 of running on the Steve Warrior engine, unused fresh gearbox by Gary Spencer at CRC and with current 2015 FIA HTPs. • A key part of the foundation of the Cobra legend, immersed with Carroll Shelby, Ed Hugus, Ford Motor Company, AC Cars, Phil Remington, Stirling Moss, John Willment, Ken Miles, Bob Olthoff, Paul Hawkins, and of course Le Mans. Regarded as one of the all-time great sports cars, the muscular, yet refined AC Cobra combined European chassis engineering and American V8 power in an what was to be become a legendary alliance between AC Cars and the Ford Motor Company, brought about Le Mans-winning racing driver Carroll Shelby,. The former's Ace provided the simple twin-tube chassis frame - strengthened and supplied with four-wheel disc brakes for the Cobra - into which was persuaded one of Ford's lightweight, small-block V8s. The Cobra was an instant success from the moment it hit the track, giving the might of Ferrari a run for its money and beginning the Ford vs Ferrari battles. The car we have the pleasure of offering for sale, CSX 2142, is the basis and first of the Le Mans Coupes built by the AC works with Ford and Shelby support, the first Cobra to race in international competition outside of North America, and immersed with the key figures in the Cobra story. The Formation of the Legend Alongside Carroll Shelby was a key but lesser known figure, Ed Hugus, who helped imagine the concept and provided the means to make it a reality. Shelby and Hugus had lodged at a Goodyear facility near Le Mans after Shelby’s triumph in June 1959 aboard the Aston Martin DBR1, while they awaited their flights back to the USA, Shelby asked Hugus what sports car he would build if he could. Hugus has also been driving in the 24 Hours with a Porsche 718 RSK, and was well versed in a variety of cars. It was Hugus that suggested the AC Ace as a basis to Shelby, having been impressed with their performance as a competitor, while noting that he thought it was a bit underpowered. Hugus offered to arrange contact with Derek Hurlock, whose family owned AC Cars, though the idea fell wasn’t acted on for some time. When Hugus had caught up with Shelby at one race circuit or another in the USA, they would resume their conversation, and Hugus told Shelby that when he achieved the ambition, Hugus would be willing promote and sell Shelby’s cars through his dealerships, European Cars. T. + 44 (0)1285 831 488 E. [email protected] www.williamianson.com At the end of 1961, Shelby ordered an initial AC Ace without engine from AC Cars with the idea of fitting in a new lightweight Ford V8, which formed the prototype CSX 2000, but was only just able to pay for it. Even with help on the engine supply from Ford, Shelby couldn’t commit to a production run of cars. Shelby contacted Hugus, who uniquely did not want to become a partner with Shelby, but instead agreed to support and order the next two unfinished Aces from AC Cars on his own account. Interested in selling and racing Shelby’s products, Hugus’ European Cars took delivery of the first car from AC, CSX 2001, and a small production line subsequently formed in European Cars’ service department. In practice, it became that they would take delivery of an unfinished car, fit the engine and drivetrain in a matter of days, then retail the cars, becoming the first Cobra dealer. Hugus’ support and facilitation allowed the Cobra project to get underway, and the handshake based gentleman’s agreement continued while Shelby sought Ford’s backing as his own benefactor. Eventually, in mid ’62, Shelby secured his first financing and production contract with Ford. By that point, Shelby had become quite insecure about the capability of the European Cars operation as Ford executives asked questions as to why they should deal with Shelby rather than Hugus, and a rift with Hugus began to form between the two. The completed CSX 2001 was prepared for racing by European Cars in a bid for added publicity, and Hugus planned to be the first person to race a Shelby Cobra. Hugus sold CSX 2001 into private hands at the end of ’62, with a proviso that it could still be called on for promotional work going forwards. Hugus’ competition aspirations with a Shelby Cobra spanned to the Le Mans 24 Hours, an event he had completed many times, often at the wheel of a Ferrari. An interesting side note: it was only recently that it emerged that Hugus unofficially drove the winning Ferrari 250LM of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt in the middle of the night, so actually won Le Mans, but no one knew it! He planned an entry in the 1963 edition from mid ‘62, but Shelby wasn’t forthcoming on the idea at first, then the relationship between himself and Shelby had become more fractious and Ford’s involvement increased. Set on the prospect of Le Mans, Hugus decided that he would have to enter a car himself, which he duly did. Derek Hurlock was contacted at AC Cars and Hugus placed an order for a Cobra that could incorporate all of the updates and racing technology that was being accumulated both at Shelby American and European Cars. The new car was given the out of sequence number CSX 2142, and Hugus planned to debut his new car at the Nassau Speed Week in December 1962, submitting entries for there and the Sebring 12 Hours of March 1963. Though as the working relationship between Hugus and Shelby separated further, Hugus called Hurlock and postponed the delivery of CSX 2142. T. + 44 (0)1285 831 488 E. [email protected] www.williamianson.com Ever the team player, he didn’t want to compromise Shelby’s efforts with Ford in what would be their debut international outing, and it was a chance for things to settle down in the meantime. Hugus sat out Nassau on the Cobra front, with the number 198 entry being recorded as ‘did not arrive’. The revised plan was for CSX 2142 to be delivered in time to take on the Sebring 12 Hours in March ’63 ahead of the 24 Hours at Le Mans, though as it approached the event, Hugus was reluctant to compete against the Shelby American entries. He decided to withdraw his entry, instead giving the slot to Shelby so that he could field another car. Le Mans 24 Hours, 1963 Meanwhile, AC Cars decided to join Hugus with a second entry to Le Mans in June 1963, running under their own AC Cars banner. Alongside Hugus’ CSX 2142, two further but right hand drive competition cars were then constructed at AC, CS 2130 and CS 2131. Hugus had sent a huge twenty page specification list to AC Cars, and the results featured a fastback removable hard top fashioned from aluminium, bonnet air vents, side cooling ducts, flared wheel arches, magnesium alloy Dunlop wheels and oversize fuel tanks. The Ford Motor Company, while not directly involved with the Cobra participation at Le Mans, was keen to lend help and organised the supply of special engines and transmissions to AC Cars through Shelby American, despite Hugus’ desire to compete independently. Furthermore, Ford arranged for Shelby American to send their top racing mechanic Phil Remington to oversee the installation at AC Cars in Thames Ditton. T. + 44 (0)1285 831 488 E. [email protected] www.williamianson.com Unknown to Hugus was that there were actually two different specifications of engines supplied, with CSX 2142 receiving number X11, a special and highly tuned development engine, while that of CS 2131 was classified as being in a slightly modified state of tune.