Jacques Villeneuve will try to tame the Hairy Canary at the Revival

It’s a highly storied example, too. The Hairy Canary, as it’s known, is a highly original Cobra with a long racing pedigree. Its first owner was Richard ‘Dick’ J Neil Jnr. whose previous Cobra had frustrated him with several breakdowns on the road trip across the United States.

Carroll Shelby recognised his enthusiasm and offered to part-exchange his troublesome car for a new model, and he consequently took delivery of chassis CSX2151. It has the distinction of being the first Cobra with the then-new rack and pinion steering allied to a 289 cubic inch Ford V8 engine.

The car was shipped to Neil’s home in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he continued to upgrade it for competition, and after a first successful outing Neil attracted sponsorship from Dynaglaze for his subsequent activities. That was when the car gained its yellow livery which led to its ‘Hairy Canary’ nickname.

Neil was a frequent entrant in races in Hawaii throughout 1963 and won that year’s Hawaiian Grand Prix against competition that included Bob Holbert and Ken Miles. The car and driver combination was making a name for itself, with a second in class finish in 1964 and a first in 1965. The following year, Neil set a lap record at the Hawaii Raceway Park with the Hairy Canary that stood well into the following decade.

A move to British Columbia in 1965 saw Neil continue to race in local club events and SCCA races until he eventually sold the car in 1971. Garry Houser was the new owner, breaking several lap records with the car until he moved it on in 1974. The next owner, Ray Cooke, painted the car white and continued to compete in North West states.

In 1985, the car’s competitive streak came to an end. New owner Bill Connell of Ohio did a lot of research into the car’s history but it remained dormant in his garage for a long period.

Bill Bridges then bought the car in 2003 and it returned to the UK for the first time since being exported forty years prior. It was returned to its original specification, and the iconic yellow Hairy Canary livery was restored as part of the work. All the details are there, down to the makeshift bungee cord that secures the boot lid. 

Since its reincarnation in this century, the Hairy Canary has made several appearances at the Goodwood Revival, and in 2025 we can’t wait to see how the versatile Villeneuve takes to it when the flag drops for the RAC TT Celebration.

Tickets for the Goodwood Revival are limited! Saturday tickets have sold out, so secure your Friday and Sunday tickets to avoid missing out on the world's best historic motorsport event.

Photography by Pete Summers, Joe Harding, James Lynch, Toby Whales and Michal Pospisil.