Summary
- A 1966 AC Cobra race car, verified to have competed at Le Mans, is up for auction
- Forensic analysis confirmed the car’s identity, ending a long-lost saga
- With its history and rarity, the car is expected to sell for up to $2.7 million USD
A legendary piece of American racing history is set to cross the auction block. A rare 1966 AC Cobra 4.7-Liter Two-Seat Competition Hardtop Coupé is expected to command as much as $2.7 million USD at Bonhams’ upcoming Goodwood Revival: Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on September 13, 2025.
This isn’t just any classic car; it’s a verified competition hardtop coupé, one of only two sent to race at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans. According to the auction house’s lot description, the chassis, No. CS 2131, is among the initial five early pre-November 1963 right-hand drive AC Cobra chassis ever built. Its identity was lost to time until a recent forensic magneto-photographic analysis conducted in September 2024 by Neil Bainbridge of BS Motorsport definitively confirmed the chassis number.
At Le Mans, the car, driven by Ninian Sanderson and Peter Bolton of the AC Cars factory team, was a “tough customer.” With an aluminum hardtop roof to bolster aerodynamics, it touched 160 mph on the Mulsanne Straight and completed an astonishing 2,592 miles at an average speed of 108 mph, ultimately taking seventh place.
Now, the storied Cobra, which is considered to be one of the most original of all surviving AC/Shelby American Cobras, is presented in the classic livery of the Bell & Colvill team, complete with a powerful 440 hp, 4.7-liter V-8 engine. Its serpentine journey from racing legend to a lost piece of provenance and now a fully verified historical artifact, makes its auction a rare opportunity to own a tangible vessel of motorsport history.
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