Auto enthusiasts got a treat when the Mecum Indianapolis 2019 Spring Classic auction revved into action. In total, 1,000 vintage cars were sold over the six-day event, with three near-mint ’60s Shelby Cobras – the rump of the estate of Steven Juliano, a New York night club impresario and classic car collector – commanding top billing and collectively selling for over US$7 million.

All created by Carroll Shelby, the celebrated American car designer, whose works spanned such iconic models as the AC One and the Shelby Mustang, the star billing went to a 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Roadster. One of just 27 such roadsters ever made, its all-original parts, factory-delivered Goodwood tires and an odometer reading of just 10,760 miles saw it fetch US$2.86 million.

Coming in a close second was a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster. Lauded as one of the best-maintained original Cobras still in existence, it sold for truly impressive US$2.42 million. Rounding out the list was a 1964-built 289 Roadster with its attention-grabbing Ford Rangoon Red livery. One of the most customisable designs of its day and the only one of its kind built specifically for road use, it went under the hammer for a very creditable US$1.76 million.