The Art of the Slabside

On October 13, 1962, the No. 98 Cobra charged through Riverside International Raceway in Shelby American’s first competition appearance. The photograph above captures more than an early race. It captures the moment the Cobra’s clean, original shape began proving what Carroll Shelby believed it could become.

More than six decades later, there is an unusual sight in our Irvine showroom: several Superformance MKII Slabsides together in one place. With completed cars and rolling chassis in a variety of colors, it is a rare opportunity to study that earliest Cobra silhouette from more than one perspective—and only a short drive from the track where its competition story began.

Why the Earliest Cobra Shape Still Matters

Before the flared fenders, side pipes and big-block theater, the Cobra was defined by clean curves, narrow wire wheels and small-block power. The exhaust exited beneath the rear rather than running alongside the doors. Full roadster bumpers, a simple grille and an uncluttered cockpit gave the car a visual lightness that later competition bodies deliberately traded for aggression.

Although enthusiasts now call this body style the “slabside,” that was not its original model name. Period literature simply called it the Cobra or the Cobra Sports Roadster. The nickname came later as a way to distinguish the clean-sided street roadster from the wider FIA competition cars and the dramatically flared 427.

There is another important distinction: the first Cobra was not a 289. It was powered by Ford’s smaller 260-cubic-inch V8.

The Cobra Takes Shape in Southern California

Carroll Shelby’s idea was wonderfully direct: combine the balance and low weight of a compact British-built roadster with a powerful, dependable American V8. The foundation used a three-inch round-tube chassis and fully independent suspension with transverse leaf springs. Shelby saw that this lightweight platform could become something much more serious.

The prototype was CSX2000, a designation understood as “Carroll Shelby Experimental 2000.” After development work in England, the car arrived at Los Angeles International Airport in February 1962 without an engine or transmission. Shelby and hot-rod pioneer Dean Moon took it to Moon’s shop in Santa Fe Springs, where a Ford 260 V8 and four-speed gearbox were installed in a matter of hours.

That moment gave the Cobra a distinctly Southern California identity. The underlying roadster had crossed an ocean, but the combination that changed American performance history came together here, among hot rodders, racers and fabricators who were accustomed to making bold ideas work quickly.

For its first five months, CSX2000 was the only Cobra in existence. Shelby used it as a press car and repeatedly changed its color—red, blue and finally pearlescent yellow—to create the impression that production was already moving. Yellow was selected for the prototype’s public debut at the April 1962 New York Auto Show because it was expected to look especially vivid beneath the fluorescent lights.

The publicity trick would have meant little if the car had not delivered. It did. Period testing recorded 0–60 mph in 4.2 seconds, a 13.8-second quarter mile at 112 mph and a top speed of 153 mph. For 1962, those numbers were extraordinary.

Conversation starter: CSX2000 was the first Cobra and the famous color-changing press car. It was not, however, the car that carried Shelby American into competition at Riverside. That was CSX2002.

Riverside: The Competition’s First Warning

On October 13, 1962, Shelby American entered CSX2002 in the three-hour sports-car race held during the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix weekend at Riverside. Wearing number 98 and driven by Bill Krause, it was Shelby American’s competition debut.

The Cobra started poorly, then charged forward and took the lead by lap nine against the new Corvette Sting Rays. It did not finish; a rear-hub failure ended the run. Yet the result felt almost secondary. Riverside had shown that Shelby’s lightweight, 260-powered roadster possessed the speed to challenge America’s established sports car.

Riverside did not give the Cobra its first trophy. It gave the competition its first warning.

For a Southern California owner, that connection is unusually direct. The first Cobra was completed in Santa Fe Springs, and only months later the shape proved its competitive promise at Riverside. The “slabside” nickname came later, but this was the landscape in which the original clean-sided Cobra became more than an interesting idea.

From the 260 to the Defining 289

The 260 established the formula. The 289 refined it. In early May 1963, CSX2044 became the first Cobra originally fitted from new with Ford’s 289-cubic-inch V8.

One subtle detail is often lost in the retelling: the 289 engine arrived before the later rack-and-pinion Mark II transition. Once the stronger small-block and sharper steering were brought together, they created the mature small-block Cobra character enthusiasts still celebrate today.

Racing development soon added wider wheels, flared fenders, brake-cooling openings, roll bars and side-exit exhaust. Those changes created some of the most recognizable competition Cobras. The more aerodynamic Daytona Coupe carried the same 289-powered idea onto faster European circuits and helped Shelby American secure the 1965 World Manufacturers’ GT Championship.

The street roadster remained the purest visual expression of the concept. It was not designed to look restrained; it simply had not yet accumulated every racing solution that followed. That is why the slabside can appear almost delicate beside a 427 while still looking purposeful from every angle.

The Original Character, Preserved by Superformance

Today’s Superformance MKII Slab Side is a street-oriented recreation of the later-production 289 Cobra, built under agreement with Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. Its three-inch round-tube frame, independent transverse-leaf-spring suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and wire wheels preserve the architecture and stance that give the small-block car its character.

The composite body, modern braking components and carefully considered construction bring contemporary quality to the experience without disguising the details that make the model special: clean fenders, full hoop bumpers, rear-exit exhaust, a carpeted roadster cockpit and a proper glovebox.

The 427 may be louder and more immediately recognizable, but the slabside tells the beginning of the story. It expresses Carroll Shelby’s original idea with unusual clarity: low mass, responsive handling, American V8 power and only as much bodywork as the car truly needed.

See the Art of the Slabside in Irvine

At the time of writing, Hillbank has an exceptional selection of completed Superformance MKII Slabsides and rolling chassis together in our Irvine showroom. We invite you to visit, compare the colors and configurations, and experience the original Cobra shape from every angle.

View Hillbank’s current inventory:
https://www.hillbankusa.com/vehicles

Contact our sales team:
https://www.hillbankusa.com/contact