The iconic Shelby Cobra — based on the British-built AC Ace roadster — first left Carroll Shelby’s shop in 1962 with a 4.3-liter, V-8 engine under its hood. It took the Cobra name only a few months to become famous and Carroll quickly turned to making it equally popular on the race track. Although the 4.7-liter version was unbeatable in the U.S. racing scene throughout 1964, Carroll also wanted the Cobra to become competitive in the FIA GT class, which was dominated by Ferrari back in the early 1960s. Thus the Cobra 427 was born, a roadster that featured wider fenders, fatter tires, an upgraded chassis and a massive, 7.0-liter, V-8 engine.
Notwithstanding the fact that it missed homologation for the 1965 racing season, the Cobra 427 went on to capture the SCCA’s covered "A Production" championship. A the same time, its road-legal version rocked the sports car world thanks to its amazingly powerful engine and reduced weight, which combined helped the Cobra obliterate most of its competitors. As the 427 turns 50 years old in January 2015, Shelby American is building 50 new examples, which are dubbed the 50th Anniversary Cobra 427, to commemorate the occasion and bring back the most powerful roadster of the 1960s. Read on for the full details.
Click past the jump to read more about the Shelby 50th Anniversary Cobra 427.
Shelby 50th Anniversary Cobra 427 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 31 December 2014 12:00 EST.
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