1964 Shelby Cobra 289 CSX2421

• Chassis number CSX 2421 was shipped to Los Angeles and initially invoiced to Jerry Watson Ford in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• Shelby voided the invoice and brought the car back to Los Angeles for sale at Hi-Performance Motors.
• The car’s whereabouts between 1965 and 1973 are not well-documented.
• Bill and Kathy Armstrong became the first documented owners of CSX 2421 and showcased it at various events in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.
• The Armstrongs won awards at the New Hope Auto Show in 1977 and the first annual SAAC meet in Brown County, Indiana, in 1978.
• The car was stored when Mr. Armstrong was called to serve abroad and never retrieved upon his return in the 1980s.
• Gary ‘Bubba’ Carter purchased the car in the early 1990s and had it shipped to Eddie O’Brian in Colorado for inspection and a light refresh.
• The car underwent a thorough restoration, including being stripped to bare metal and receiving renewed paint and interior.
• Colour Restorations, under Glenn Watts’ guidance, refreshed the body and chassis while retaining original trim and hardware.
• CSX 2421 has retained its original identification numbers and is highly sought after by collectors due to its authenticity and desirability.
• The odometer indicates 41,000 miles have been driven since new.

According to the SAAC World Registry, chassis number CSX 2421 was shipped to Los Angeles aboard the SS Dintledyk and invoiced to Jerry Watson Ford of Fort Wayne, Indiana, on November 6, 1964. However, Shelby voided the invoice and brought the car back to Los Angeles to sell it at his own dealership, Hi-Performance Motors.

The car’s history between 1965 and 1973 is not well-documented, but the first known owners were Bill and Kathy Armstrong from Pennsylvania. The Armstrongs showcased the Cobra at various events in the Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States. They even won awards at the New Hope Auto Show in 1977 and the first annual SAAC meet in Brown County, Indiana, in 1978.

In the following years, Mr. Armstrong was called to serve abroad, and he and Kathy stored their cars with the intention of retrieving them upon their return to the U.S. in the 1980s. However, for unknown reasons, they never had the opportunity to do so, and the Cobra remained in storage for many years until around 1990.

Gary ‘Bubba’ Carter came across an ad for the car in the early 1990s and decided to purchase it. He had the car shipped to Eddie O’Brian in Colorado for a thorough inspection and a light refresh. The car was stripped down to bare metal, revealing only a minor bump on the lower front nose. The paint and interior were renewed in the 1990s, and in 2014, RM described the car as being in “remarkably fine condition.”

To ensure the preservation of the car’s body and chassis, Colour Restorations, under the guidance of Glenn Watts, was entrusted with refreshing the vehicle. Glenn, an experienced Cobra restorer, worked closely with the esteemed Bill Murray. The car’s trim and hardware largely remain original, with each piece still bearing its 2421 serial number. The original yellowed Stewart-Warner gauges add to the car’s charm, and the odometer shows 41,000 miles. Although a new top and side curtains were installed during the restoration, the original set is still with the car.

CSX 2421 has been highly coveted by collectors from the early days of the Cobra’s status as a genuine collectible. Its expert restoration has preserved its original identification numbers, making it one of the few remaining examples with such authenticity and desirability.