Shelby is celebrating the company's 50th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, the performance gurus rolled out the very first Cobra ever constructed.

Assembled by Carol Shelby himself, the roadster is the very first pairing of an AC Ace and Ford V8 engine. Shelby first opted to slide a 221 cubic-inch eight-cylinder under the hood before later switching to a 260 cube engine tuned to around 260 horsepower. He beefed up components like the chassis tubes, spindles, rear differential and springs to build a car capable of handling the uptick in power.

Flash forward 50 years, and the CSX2000 looks surprisingly good (View full gallery). Gentle tears on the seats, a well-worn shifter and flawed paint lend the impression that this beast is in perfectly unmolested condition. Consider us in love. Currently, the first in a long line of snakes is valued at around US$20 million, though Shelby himself says he has no intention of selling the vehicle any time soon. We can't blame the guy.

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Drew Phillips / AOL