Step into history with CSX2589 — the last 289 Cobra ever built, and the only one personally owned by Carroll Shelby himself! 🐍
This isn’t just any Cobra. It's Shelby’s own “Snake”, featuring a rare factory-installed automatic transmission, custom paint, and a story that spans decades. From its days as a company demonstrator to Shelby’s personal ride, this car has lived a legendary life.
🔧 Modified in the ’70s with a 351 Cleveland 🎨 Repainted in custom Targa Blue & Gold 🛠️ Restored back to original 289 by Shelby’s trusted mechanic 🏁 Now a museum-worthy masterpiece
Join us for a detailed look and driving experience of one of the most iconic Cobras in automotive history. Whether you're a Shelby fan, a Cobra lover, or just a gearhead, this is one ride you don't want to miss.
00:00His own snake, driving Carroll Shelby's personal 289 Cobra, the last one ever built.
00:07There's something a little surreal about sliding into the driver's seat of a Shelby Cobra.
00:12It's not just the rarity. Only 655 289 Cobras were ever made. It's the story each one tells.
00:21But the Cobra I'm sitting in today? This one's on a whole different level.
00:26I'm in CSX 2589, the last 289 Cobra to ever roll off the line before Shelby made the switch to the brutish 427s.
00:36And yeah, this one belonged to Carroll Shelby himself. Yep, the Carroll Shelby.
00:42This was his personal car, the one he owned from day one, the one he had tweaked and retweaked over decades.
00:48And sitting in it, looking at that tall automatic shifter poking out from the tunnel, you can't help but smile.
00:56That's right. This Cobra has an automatic.
00:59Wait, what?
01:00A Cobra with an automatic?
01:02That's usually the first thing that makes people do a double take.
01:06You're expecting a racy four-speed with a clutch that makes your left leg cry.
01:10But instead, you'd get a C4 slush box. Ford's lightweight, three-speed automatic introduced in 1964.
01:19Now, before you panic and scream,
01:22Sacrilege!
01:23It's worth knowing this. It wasn't that uncommon.
01:27Depending on who you ask, Shelby built 16 to 20 Cobras with automatic straight from the factory.
01:33They were built with intention, not as afterthoughts.
01:36For the Cobra, they used a heavy-duty version of that same C4 transmission that was found in the 65 Fairlane.
01:44In fact, this specific setup didn't even make it into the Mustang until a year later.
01:49But here's the kicker.
01:51The automatic transmission required six bolt bell housings,
01:55which meant the engine blocks themselves were different from the five-bolt ones in manual Cobras.
02:00That's a small but critical detail when talking originality.
02:03Oh, and because of the auto, these Cobras also got a special auto-light carburetor with an automatic choke.
02:10Manuals?
02:11They had to make do with manual chokes.
02:15Fancy.
02:16A bit of birth certificate.
02:18CSX 2589 Left AC Cars LTD
02:21In the UK and landed at Shelby American's LA shop in late October 1964, painted a beautiful iris rouge, think metallic maroon, with a black interior.
02:34It came straight from the crate with the six bolt 289 and C4 automatic, and immediately went into service as a company demo car.
02:42Throughout late 64 and into 65, it was used to show off to journalists, potential buyers, and important guests.
02:50It racked up about 1,400 miles before Shelby decided to make it his own in May 1966.
02:58That's right.
02:59He never even registered it until he bought it personally.
03:03Talk about having the pick of the litter.
03:06Let's fire her up.
03:07With a splash of premium fuel in the tank, we flicked on the dash-mounted fuel pump switch, stomped the gas pedal, and gave the key a twist.
03:16Rumble.
03:17She fired up like she meant it.
03:19A lumpy, growly 2,500 RPM idle echoed through the fairgrounds.
03:25That sound alone made the hair on our arms stand up.
03:29Pulling the automatic shifter into drive, still weird, the car gave a hard lurch, chirping the tires like an annoyed snake.
03:36The steering felt heavy at first, then lightened up once we hit 20 miles per hour.
03:41Around that point, the C4 auto clunked into second gear with another bark from the rear.
03:48No clutch stabbing here.
03:49This car just goes.
03:51Compared to modern Cobras with five speeds and upgraded suspension, this one felt a bit like a cruiser.
03:57But still quick.
03:59Still sharp.
04:00Still very much a cobra.
04:02It just doesn't ask as much of you.
04:05So, why an automatic?
04:08It's the question that always comes up.
04:11Why would Carroll Shelby choose an automatic?
04:14McCluskey has a theory.
04:15He always liked automatics.
04:19People forget that.
04:21He built a few 427s that way too.
04:24I think he was ahead of his time in that sense.
04:27And really, if it's good enough for Shelby, it's good enough for us.
04:31Final thoughts.
04:33Driving CSX 2589 wasn't just a test drive.
04:37It was time travel.
04:39This car has lived through every chapter of Cobra history.
04:42It was the last of its kind.
04:44It spent decades with the man who made it a legend.
04:47And somehow, it survived wild engine swaps, paint jobs, and the temptation of modern restoration trends.
04:55It's still raw.
04:56Still loud.
04:58Still a little weird.
05:00And still perfect in its imperfection.
05:02This is Carroll Shelby's Cobra.
05:04And it's exactly what he wanted it to be.
05:08Enter McCluskey, the Cobra Whisperer.
05:11Let's fast forward to the early 70s.
05:13Mike McCluskey, a young gearhead working on his Sunbeam Alpine, happened to live near Shelby in Playa del Rey, California.
05:22They became friendly neighbors, and Shelby, being impressed with McCluskey's work, casually asked,
05:27Hey kid, wanna work on my Cobra?
05:31That project turned into a big refresh for CSX 2589.
05:36Out went the 289, and in went a 351 Cleveland, a big, heavy cast iron beast.
05:44Shelby was experimenting with wheel production at the time, so on went some new knockoff rims.
05:49As for paint?
05:51Shelby's exact words were,
05:53Paint it blue.
05:55Do whatever you want.
05:56So, McCluskey chose a Targa blue, a Corvette color, an added gold center stripes, a hood scoop, a full-width rollbar, and a freshened black interior.
06:07The car became flashier, heavier, and definitely more aggressive looking.
06:11It was just a pig.
06:14The 351 swap sounded great in theory, but in practice?
06:19Not so much.
06:21He didn't like the engine, McCluskey said.
06:24It was just a pig.
06:26Too much weight.
06:27Too much heat.
06:28Shelby drove the car that way for about a decade, but it never felt quite right.
06:34Eventually, in the early 80s, he came back to McCluskey with a new plan.
06:38Return it to stock.
06:40By now, Cobras had become serious collector items, and originality was suddenly important.
06:46Lucky for everyone, McCluskey had saved the original 289 from the scrap heap.
06:52He pulled it from storage, rebuilt it, and swapped it back in.
06:57The rollbar was removed.
06:59The original wire wheels went back on.
07:01The only thing that stayed?
07:03That blue and gold paint job.
07:06McCluskey wanted to return it to Iris Rouge,
07:08but Shelby waved him off.
07:11Nah, leave it.
07:12I like it this way.
07:14Not quite a daily driver.
07:16Since then, CSX 2589 has mostly been sitting pretty.
07:21It's been on display at Shelby American's Las Vegas HQ,
07:25doing more looking good than tearing up tarmac.
07:28Shelby himself rarely drove it in later years.
07:31He just didn't fit in it comfortably, McCluskey said with a chuckle.
07:37He preferred Mustangs or even some of the Mopar stuff.
07:41Still, this was his car.
07:43The dash plaques say it.
07:44The restoration work shows it.
07:47The vibe feels it.
07:49Behind the wheel, finally.
07:51So here we are, decades later, and we finally got the green light to drive CSX 2589.
07:58Not on public roads, mind you.
08:00This is a multi-million dollar piece of history.
08:02Instead, we headed to Auto Club Raceway in Pomona,
08:07where early Cobras had once roared through SCCA events in the 60s.
08:12At first glance, the Cobra looked tired in the dim light.
08:15But once it rolled off the trailer and hit the sun, that paint popped.
08:20Blue and gold never looked so good.
08:22The interior was just how you'd want it.
08:24Clean, aged, full of character.
08:27The wood steering wheel had a soft, worn-in look.
08:30The gauges, Smiths for the tach and Speedo,
08:33Stuart Warner for the rest, were all intact.
08:37A small crack in the driver's side windwing.
08:40Some faded bright work.
08:42But overall?
08:43Incredible shape for a car with this much history.
