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working at my Pediatric Internship was
worth the price. A spin around the speaker
stands at a local burger joint always re-
sulted in several guys following me out
onto the highway for a contest. Once a local
police officer driving a marked car asked
me to show him what it would do; no harm,
no foul. I tried my hand in the local SCCA
parking lot slaloms in which I had fared
well in my Fiat, but spent most of my time
spinning off the course and collecting py-
lons – much to the delight of my competi-
tion.
I managed to break a left-rear spring
shackle bolt after becoming airborne while
driving over a small hump-backed bridge
on a favorite rural road. My brother Jim,
yes, the one who floated me the loan, and
one of his buddies, without a shop manual,
spent more than a week repairing the
problem after removing the entire rear
suspension. Truth be told, Jim drove 2306
nearly as much as I did, making us co-cus-
todians of the car. Neither of our girl-
friends enjoyed riding in the Cobra. It was
too “rowdy” and they were too young to die!
March weather in Kentucky can bring
on a meteorological phenomenon that
strikes terror in to the heart of a Co-
braphile. We experienced an ice storm that
delivered an inch of frozen water on top of
2306 as it sat in the parking lot outside the
hospital where I worked. I had to tediously
peel off the rarely used tent-like top and
side curtains, climb over the side of the car,
and then drive it several miles to my home.
Each bump in the road brought ominous
creaks, groans and popping sounds from
the car that made me frantic. Once home
and in the garage, my brother and I care-
fully poured hot water over the compound
curves of that exquisite aluminum body to
slowly melt the ice. Much to our delight, no
discernable damage was done. That expe-
rience sent me looking for a junker to use
as a daily driver.
Reality crept up on me as I finished
my internship. I had to move to another
city where I could not afford living quar-
ters with a garage. Much to brother Jim’s
consternation, I began to look at possible
trades for the Cobra that I thought could
survive five years of outdoor storage. Alas,
no private party or dealership would allow
me more than $3,500 for the car against a
used Lotus Europa, a 911 Porsche, E-Type
Jag, or a tired Ferrari 330 GT 2+2. I ran an
ad in
Autoweek/Competition Press
which
was answered by one Ned Scudder, who
flew to Kentucky from “up East” and
bought the car for $5,500. He drove it
home!! My brother and I mourned for
weeks, while I bought a $900 1969 Corvair
Monza four-speed for transportation and
repaid the loan he had tendered me.
Brother Jim swore, when Ned drove it
off, that CSX2306 would not be the only
Cobra that the Maxwells would enjoy. I
doubted him, but he made good on his oath
about fifteen years later. Over time, he be-
came the long-term custodian of CSX2401
and CSX3288. He shares them with me
when our paths cross to reminisce about
our Cobra Daze.
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Winter 2016 75
CSX3288
CSX2306