The Incredible Life of CSX2128

One of Shelby’s Hardest-Working Cobras

Few Cobras lived a life as dramatic—or as successful—as CSX2128, the black-and-yellow team car that became one of Shelby American’s most important early racers.

Originally one of three team Cobras fielded at Sebring in 1963, CSX2128 earned immediate recognition as Dan Gurney’s first Cobra drive, and even landed on the cover of the 1963 Rip Chords LP “Hey Little Cobra.” But fame was only the beginning.

A Cobra That Raced… and Raced… and Raced

CSX2128 enjoyed one of the longest continuous competition careers of any team Cobra, running from March 1963 to March 1966. During its earliest outings, the car introduced two major advancements that became pivotal to Cobra performance:

First race Cobra equipped with a 289 V8 as original equipment
First team Cobra with rack-and-pinion steering, a huge improvement over worm-and-sector cars

Its Sebring debut ended early with an oil-seal failure, but that would be the worst finish of its career.

Under drivers Dave MacDonald, Bob Holbert, Ken Miles, Allen Grant, and others, CSX2128 collected:

9 wins
6 second-place finishes
2 third-place finishes
Only 2 DNFs in 23 team races

This was a car that delivered, year after year, across SCCA, USRRC, and major West Coast events.

A Cobra With Many Faces

Throughout its racing life, CSX2128 changed hands, colors, and roles—yet always remained a competitive threat.

1963 (Black/Jasmine Yellow): Driven by MacDonald, Holbert, and Gurney
1963 (Yellow/Black diagonal stripes): Stylish redesign by a 19-year-old George Lucas, who would later create Star Wars
1964 (Princess Blue): Returned to the Shelby team with wider wheels and flares, and won multiple races with Ken Miles
1965: Final Shelby-team season; continued racing in private hands

At one point, the car even found itself in drag-racing trim with a swapped 427 engine. By the late 1970s, CSX2128 was a heavily damaged, incomplete shell—so rough that some doubted it was even a real Cobra.

Rescue, Restoration & Preservation

Thankfully, CSX2128 was restored in the mid-1980s by Bill Murray, receiving a new body (with its original hood, doors, and trunk retained). A second restoration followed in the 1990s, returning the car to its rightful historic glory.

Today, CSX2128 is preserved in the Shelby American Collection, where its remarkable career—spanning factory team racing, dealer-backed campaigns, color changes, and legendary drivers—is honored as one of the most unique journeys in Cobra history.