A rare 1965 Shelby Cobra Factory Stage III 289 Dragon Snake is up for auction.

Only six rare Shelby Cobras will be offered at Mecum's January 6-15 auction in Kissimmee, Florida.

The car is a 1965 Shelby Cobra Factory Stage III 289 Dragon Snake, originally built by Shelby for drag racing and was part of Mecum's 2019 Stephen Juliano Legacy Sale. The car failed to meet its reserve and is now back on the auction circuit.

The Dragon Snake Cobra is one of the rarest competition Cobras produced. Built exclusively for drag racing, only seven or eight were assembled, and only six were powered by Ford's 289 4.7-liter V-8. This one, chassis number CSX2427, is an even rarer Factory Stage III car

with a Weber carb and 4-speed manual transmission.

It was ordered by brothers Don and Mike Reimer of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the exterior was specially ordered yellow to match the Thunderbird tow vehicle; the Gettysburg Ford dealer invoice, dated August 3, 1964, shows $8,695 plus $305 price with a destination charge added.

The Reimer brothers competed in several drag races in 1965, with Mike behind the wheel and Don managing the team. According to the listing, they were regulars at the famous York U.S. 30 Drag-O-Way that year.

After the season, Mike had to return to college, and the car was put up for sale and advertised in the December 1965 issue of Car and Driver magazine. The asking price was $4,650. The car had several subsequent buyers, and in 1967, after the crash, it was painted Candy Apple Red. More paint followed until Giuliano purchased the car in 2007. Giuliano restored the car to its original condition and consulted with the original owner, Mike Reimer, to make the restoration as accurate as possible.