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Barn-find 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 gets a dusting off

21 January, 2015

It seems that the coveted barn find has been making a resurgence of late, with the huge French haul late last year, and now this. It’s a 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 — one of only 579 produced — and was found, in the condition in which you see it, in a Vermont barn.

Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company / Mike Maez

Verified as CSX 2436 in the Shelby American World Registry, the Cobra was originally finished in rouge iris with beige upholstery, and was billed to Shelby American on May 14, 1964.

Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company / Mike Maez

Almost perfectly preserved, considering it has been in storage for four decades, the original rouge iris finish is still visible where the black paint covering it has flaked off. The 289ci small block has been serviced and returned to running condition and sits in an unrestored engine bay. The interior is similarly unrestored, and the upshot of the car’s unrestored condition is that it retains almost all of the original factory touches, usually replaced during restoration.

Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company / Mike Maez

Looking to build a car of his own, the AC Ace looked perfect for Carroll Shelby, especially with AC nearing the end of their engine supply from Bristol. Thinking that the attractive and nimble AC Ace could be made into a seriously competitive race car with the addition of a V8, he wrote to Charles Hurlock of AC Cars with this idea. Hurlock was all ears, on the proviso that a suitable V8 engine was available. Shelby found this suitable engine in Ford’s then-new small block V8, and the rest is history. Shelby American produced only 654 small block-powered Cobras, of which 579 came with the 289ci and only 75 with the 260ci.

Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company / Mike Maez

With its genuine rarity verified, the Cobra is to be offered for auction in Scottsdale for upwards of $1.4m — better get your bank manager on the phone sooner rather than later!

 

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

18 October, 2026

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

16 October, 2026

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.