Shelby Cobra 427 - the American super sports car

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Shelby Cobra 427 - the American super sports car

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Created on May 20, 2019

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

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Motor Klassik

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Sports Car Graphic

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Archiv

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the body shape was based on the Competition version of the 289 Cobra

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the fastest sports car of its time

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the body is made of light metal

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - significantly beefier in appearance than its predecessor, the Cobra 289

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - not quite four meters long

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - a large opening ensures ventilation of the huge V8 engine

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - side exhaust pipes

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the two round rear lights on each side were replaced many years ago by earlier rectangular versions

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - significantly more space in the cockpit than its predecessor 289

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the thin wooden steering wheel wanted to be steered with a firm hand

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - airy and without crank windows

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - classic color combination - red-black

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the dashboard is covered

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - extensive instrumentation

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - gearshift from Hurst

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the seats were described at the time as very comfortable and sufficiently wide

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - with thin instruction manual

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the mighty V8 fills the engine compartment well

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the road version of the seven-liter V8 with 425 hp

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - two four-barrel downdraft carburetors fill the engine

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - almost a sacred number - chassis plate

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the snake on the bow

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - simple, functional design

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - reference to the seven-liter engine

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the Halibrand magnesium wheels were only supposed to be a temporary solution, but it remained so

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AC Cobra 289 (1963) - almost identical to the AC Ace, but with a wider track and modified wheel arches

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AC 289 Sports (1967) - the smaller Cobra was a beautiful sports car

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the powerful road version with the seven-liter V8 from Ford (without side exhaust pipes)

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AC Cobra 427 (1965) - 7 liter displacement and minimal weight

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the racing version, which was available for just over USD 9000, benefited from lightweight construction

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1965) - Competition Version

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1965) - view-through drawing

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1966) - the V8 with a displacement of seven liters and two carburetors on board produced around 425 hp

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Shelby Cobra 427 (1965) - on the cover of Sports Car Graphic

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Shelby Cobra 427 (CSX 3276 on the cover of Motor Klassik in 1987)

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Summary

425 or even 485 hp on just over 1.1 tons, this resulted in a power-to-weight ratio that even newer sports cars from Ferrari to Lamborghini did not achieve even years after the Shelby Cobra 427 was launched. The performance was simply unrivaled, yet the sports car was not a bestseller. Today, the few genuine vehicles are sought after and correspondingly expensive. This report looks back to the 1960s, when an almost unbeatable super sports car was created in the USA that nobody wanted to buy.

This article contains the following chapters

Step-by-step conversion to the seven-liter Cobra
Ford engineers at work
425 to 485 hp
Perhaps the first hyper sports car
(Almost) suitable for everyday use
Rarity
One of a few - CSX 3276
Further information

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Even with the 4.7-liter engine, the Shelby Cobra from 1963 onwards had not lacked an excellent power-to-weight ratio. When the seven-liter version was presented in 1964, some people wondered how it was possible to handle so much power and torque in such a lightweight car, especially as the original Cobra had not exactly demonstrated driving characteristics suitable for housewives. With the Cobra 289, the Shelby racing team had a vehicle in its hands that enabled experienced drivers to compete for overall victories in racing. Technically, the Cobra 289 was based on the AC Ace, with a Ford V8 engine providing propulsion.

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