From its debut, the Shelby Cobra was instantly renowned for its classic hot rod formula of ample horsepower in a lightweight package. This combination was incredibly capable in skilled hands, but it demanded respect—for just like its namesake, the Cobra could quickly turn and bite an unwary driver. This fortunate Cobra, chassis CSX 2134, survived one such harrowing ordeal and rose to live a second life as intriguing as its first.
CSX 2134 began life as any Cobra, constructed by AC Cars in England and dispatched for New York on 27 June 1963 aboard the SS American Commander. Upon landing on American shores, it was transported to Shelby American where it received its engine and chassis upgrades. Originally finished in off-white over red trim, the Cobra was factory-prepared with the Class “A” accessory group including white sidewall tires and a luggage rack. On 24 August 1963, CSX 2134 was consigned along with four other Cobras to W.J. Janner of Ford Motor Company Car Sales Promotion in Dearborn, Michigan. CSX 2134 was shipped via Shelby American truck to the Ford District office in Kansas City, Missouri.
Interestingly, the Shelby American Automobile Club Leaf Spring Cobra Registry reports that future Ford Racing Director Jacques Passino was invoiced for the car on 16 September 1963. This was possibly for accounting purposes, as the car continued its service as a demonstrator until mid-1964, when CSX 2134 was returned to Shelby American with just over 6,000 miles displayed on the odometer. Upon receipt, Shelby American added accessories such as new bumper guards, convertible top, side curtains, tonneau, and floor mats, while performing various minor repairs and a complete respray in Lucite before distributing it for sale via Carroll Shelby & Lew Spencer's Hi-Performance Motors of Los Angeles, California.
While details of its first private owner are lost to history, the car’s true story begins after an accident at the hands of its second owner, David R. Knisley of California. The Cobra was rendered inoperable and the original aluminum body was heavily damaged from the accident, so Knisley sold the impaired Cobra in 1972 to Charles R. Luscombe who soon admitted his “intention of repairing the body had been overly optimistic.” Luscombe removed what remained of the damaged body, disposed of it in a landfill, and placed the Cobra chassis into storage.
In April 1995, after more than two decades in repose, Luscombe sold CSX 2134 to noted Carson City, Nevada-based drag racer Chet Bunch, who immediately began a comprehensive restoration. He commissioned a new aluminum body from esteemed metalsmiths Bruce and Collin Kimmons of Lake Havasu, Arizona, who crafted the body with competition-inspired features such as flared fenders, riveted hood scoop, and provisions made for heavy-duty side exhaust, driver roll bar, front and rear quick jacks, and an FIA-style fuel filler before shipping to Bunch’s own restoration shop for final assembly. A renowned restorer in his own right having previously worked on such iconic competition cars as the "Flip-Top" Cobra 427 prototype, Corvette SR-2, and "Gulf One" Z06 Corvette, Bunch envisioned this Cobra being his lifelong pride and joy. Determined to spare no effort or expense demonstrating the full extent of his mechanical expertise, Chet spent the next 20 years crafting CSX 2134 into the ultimate driving Cobra.
While acknowledging the inherently sensitive nature of altering an original Shelby Cobra, Bunch believed the extensive modifications he deemed necessary might be more acceptable to purists if carried out in the same fashion as Shelby American in the 1960s. What followed was an intricate, costly, and labor-intensive series of enhancements to reinforce the chassis, mirroring the methods used on Shelby’s legendary Daytona Coupes. This involved adding lengths of tubing to the frame in triangulated patterns to maximize rigidity and preserve weight distribution, all while ensuring the upgrades remained discreet.
With the chassis completed, Bunch fabricated a rocker-arm coilover suspension system in place of the original leaf springs, again taking great care in ensuring his modifications were easily removable should a future owner choose to return to factory specifications. For power, Bunch custom-built an engine to his exacting standards, starting with a Mexican 302-cubic-inch V-8 block, believed by many to be a stronger casting well-suited for additional power. The engine was stroked to 347 cubic inches and equipped with numerous performance upgrades backed by a four-speed manual transmission, yielding a reported 509 horsepower while still running on street gasoline. The interior appears stock with a wood-rimmed steering wheel, Smiths gauges that monitor performance, and bucket seats with lap belts. The exterior features Cobra-branded wind wings, a driver's side-view mirror, a side exit exhaust, and Halibrand knock-off wheels with BF Goodrich tires.
Now offered for the first time in 30 years, the car’s next steward faces the enviable choice of enjoying a remarkably drivable Cobra that far exceeds its factory capabilities—or, alternatively, returning the car to the way in which it left Shelby American to honor its early history as a FoMoCo demonstrator.
