Take a stroll back in time to the 1962 New York Auto Show and you’ll come across a roadster that would invariably change the course of automotive history, as we know it.

That car was the Ford->ke31-powered Shelby Cobra->ke2263 and almost half a century after its historical debut in New York, a special edition ‘50th Anniversary’ model was introduced at Barrett-Jackson a few days ago.

The rolling chassis models, which are using the CSX8000 chassis number, are being touted as continuation cars that will be limited to only 50 units, a not-so-subtle ode to the iconic car’s age.

"Fifty years after its introduction, the Shelby Cobra is still an international symbol of high performance," said John Luft, president of Shelby American.

“Half a century later, the Cobra remains one of the most coveted cars in the world,” he adds.

Despite being a rolling chassis model, we don’t expect all 50 models to be unaccounted for soon. Sure, it doesn’t have a drivetrain, but it’s a Shelby Cobra. And a special edition one at that. These type of cars don’t sit on dealerships too long.

UPDATE 02/02/2011: Shelby American has announced that all 50 units of the 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra Street Car have been sold just 48 hours after the official introduction: "The strong demand for these cars proves that the Shelby Cobra is still as desirable and sought after today as it was 50 years ago," said John Luft, president of Shelby American. "People who didn’t have the opportunity to buy one in the 1960s jumped at the chance to own one of these very special collector’s edition Shelbys. Although the entire factory allocation has been spoken for, a few of these anniversary cars are still available from our Shelby Cobra dealers who seized the opportunity and bought multiple cars."

UPDATE 01/23/12: Shelby has announced that the last unit of the 50th-anniversary Cobra will be raffled off at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona. For a chance at owning this bad boy, interested car enthusiasts have to buy a ticket - or hundreds of tickets - at a price of $25 each, or five for $100. The winner will be announced in January 2013. All proceeds will be donated to the Carroll Shelby Foundation. (Autoweek)

Details on the Shelby Cobra "50th Anniversary" after the jump.

2011 Shelby Cobra "50th Anniversary"

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2011 Shelby Cobra "50th Anniversary"
  • Engine/Motor: No engine, it is a rolling chassis
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior and Interior

Among the aesthetic features of the 50th Anniversary Cobra include a body made from either a Shelby hand laid fiberglass or aluminum frame with a “Shelby Black” paint finish, a set of Shelby Cobra anniversary side fender emblems, a chrome oval bumper, and a set of 15” chrome plated steel wire rims with modern performance radial tires.

For the interior, Shelby dressed up the special edition Cobra with Rosso high-quality leather interior trims on both the seats and the dash, a Wilton Wool carpeting, specially made ‘50th Anniversary’ floor and trunk mats, a choice of either Shelby or Stewart-Warner instrument panels, and a special serial number denoting the car is one of the 50 anniversary models.

Performance

Here’s where it gets a little tricky. As we’ve said, the 50th Anniversary Cobra is a rolling chassis model, which means that it only comes with a frame and body and doesn’t have a drivetrain. Normally, this would be weird, but with a car like a special edition Cobra, it's awesome that owners can have free reign on what kind of drivetrain they’d want to install under the hood of this baby.

Pricing

Depending on what kind of body you want, the 50th Anniversary Cobra rolling chassis will set you back $69,995 for the fiberglass version or if you want it working the aluminum body, you’ll need to shell more than double - $134,995 – for the chance to do so.

Competition

Hard to find a competitor for this one because it’s a rolling chassis, which means that drivetrain specs will be entirely up to you. Still, a car that’s legendary as a Shelby Cobra – even if it’s a 50th anniversary continuation car – really has no peer.

Suffice to say, there are iconic cars in history and then there are ICONIC cars in history. The Shelby Cobra has a lifetime membership on the more prestigious latter group.