The car had been comprehensively race-prepped and Dick Neil and the car, now christened ‘The Hairy Canary’, proved to be a quite a formidable pairing. He won races, in Hawaii and on the mainland US, with the car until the early 1970s when he sold it to another racer, who continued to campaign the car to some notable success.
It passed through several owners’ hands over the following years, and lost its distinctive but not subtle paintwork along the way, but in early 2003 it was bought by seasoned Cobra enthusiast Bill Bridges.
Described as a restoration project, Bridges spent time and money ensuing the car was put back to its original condition. This was the first time that CSX2151 had returned to the UK since its manufacture, but painstaking restoration was carried out – which included reinstating the famous colour and its name on its rear.