1965 SHELBY COBRA 427
Vin #:CSX 4205

This Shelby Cobra 427 (CSX 4000 series) was built by Shelby America, Inc. in 1965. For the first seven years, it remained in the personal collection of Carroll Shelby.

Mr. Shelby sold it in November 2002 to a private collector who lived in Incline Village, Nevada — where it remained until January 2004 when Mel Martin purchased this rare Cobra with only six documented original miles on it during a collector car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

1965 Shelby AC Cobra MK III

This car is very special to museum founder, Mel Martin. It has only six original miles and the dash was signed by the legendary car designer Carroll Shelby (January 11, 1923 - May 10, 2012).

The AC Cobra was designed by Shelby to race. He wanted it to be a "Corvette-beater" and it did just that. In 1963, at Riverside International Raceway, Shelby's car outran an impressive field of Corvettes, Jaguars, Porsches, and Maseratis to give the Cobra its first win.

1953 Packard Model 2679 Convertible

The 1953 Packard 2-Door Convertible was one of the highest-priced cars of its day — and with good reason — Packard was one of the original and greatest of all the American brands. It has a beautiful Carolina Cream paint crested with Packard's classic chrome sculpted swan hood ornament.

The original price for this car was approximately $3,500.

Packard was one of the industry's pioneers, having built its very first cars as early as 1899. They went on to build some of the world's finest cars ever, surviving two world wars, numerous recessions, and one great depression until eventually, as any true enthusiast will attest, the last real Packards were finally built in 1956. After that time, the cars were no longer built in the legendary Detroit plant and the decline had sadly begun.

Until 1956, these cars bristled with the latest in modern appointments and had few rivals in the luxury market making owning one only for the very privileged elite.

1939 Chevy Master Deluxe Sedan Resto-Mod

The Chevrolet Master and Master Deluxe are American passenger vehicles manufactured by Chevrolet between 1933 and 1942 to replace the 1933 Master Eagle. It was the more expensive model in the Chevrolet range at the time. Starting with this generation, all GM cars shared a corporate appearance because of the Art and Color Section headed by Harley Earl.

This version of the 1939 Master Deluxe has anything but a corporate appearance. This resto-mod custom features modern technology and comfort with the styling of a '30s classic. In addition to a modern drive train, some of the contemporary touches include air conditioning, a custom leather interior, and keyless entry.

1948 Buick Super Convertible

The Buick Super is a full-sized automobile produced by Buick from 1940 through the 1958 model years, with a brief hiatus from 1943 through 1945. The first generation shared the longer wheelbase with the top-level Roadmaster while offering the smaller displacement engine from the Buick Special. The Super prioritized passenger comfort over engine performance and was replaced by the Riviera in 1963.

For several years, it was called the "Buick Eight" or "Super Eight" due to the engravement on the grille while all Buicks since 1931 were all installed with the Buick straight-8 engine with varying engine displacements. Combining big Roadmaster room with an economical Special engine continued to make the Super an American favorite.

New wider and lower bodies were offered, and "Airfoil" front fenders that flowed into the lines of the rear fenders were introduced on convertibles and Sedanet Fastback models. The Super had new front fender trim featuring parallel chrome strips.

My family had a Buick of this vintage. As I recall, it seems my great-grandfather bought a new Buick every other year. Instead of trading in the old one, he would offer it to the extended family at a great price. And that was how we got ours. The main memory my sisters and I had was that it was a big one.