#accobra

A powerful British sportscar icon, known for its legendary engine.

Shelby Cobra 289

Shelby Cobra 289

Two legendary American cars are inextricably linked with the personality of Carroll Shelby: the Cobra and the Mustang.

Carroll Shelby, who retired from his racing career in 1959, decided to start making cars. He has long dreamed of building a powerful sports car with an American V8 engine. While racing at Le Mans, he found a suitable prototype - the British AC Ace roadster. Shelby approached AC with the project, and they agreed to provide their chassis, but on the condition that the American finds a suitable power unit. Carroll first approached Chevrolet but was turned down. Then he met with the vice president of Ford Lee Iacocca, who supported the idea of ​​creating a competitor for the Corvette.

Design Shelby Cobra 289

In October 1961, Shelby agreed to supply the Ace chassis and bodies to the United States. Relying on a heavier and more powerful engine, the company had to strengthen the frame, suspension, rear axle, enlarge the radiator and equip all wheels with disc brakes - the original had “drums” at the back. On February 2, 1962, the first roadster, later named Cobra, arrived at a workshop in southern California. It took Shelby and an assistant less than eight hours to breathe life into the Cobra by assembling the engine and transmission and taking the car for its first test drive.

Design Shelby Cobra 289

In April, the first Cobra, painted bright yellow, won over visitors to the New York Auto Show. Potential buyers were convinced that the business was booming. For this purpose, the only copy was repainted in a different color every time the next magazine undertook to test it.

Design Shelby Cobra 289

Then everything went like clockwork: AC sent its semi-finished products to California, where Shelby organized the final assembly. At the beginning of 1963, the production of similar machines for the European market began in England.

Design Shelby Cobra 289

At first, only the modified form of the front part of the body (a consequence of the increase in the radiator) hinted at the presence of an engine that was twice as powerful as that of the Ace. Later, ventilation grilles appeared on the sides of the front fenders. The first 75 cars received a 4.2-liter 250-horsepower engine. It was replaced by a 4.7 liter engine, which corresponded to 289 cubic meters. inches, hence the model name - Cobra 289. The new engine developed 271 hp. in the standard version, but could also issue 370 in the most charged sports performance.

Design Shelby Cobra 289

In the course of modernization, the car received a new suspension - transverse springs gave way to coil springs with shock absorbers, and a rack and pinion came to replace the worm steering gear.

Under the hood Shelby Cobra 289

The 289, referred to as the AC Cobra in England and the Ford Shelby Cobra in the US, was noisy and difficult to drive. But fast - I walked at 220 km / h. At the time, it was the most dynamic production car on the planet. According to Sports Car Graphic magazine, the model featured "explosive acceleration" - 3.9 seconds. up to 96 km / h. This fact was honored to be entered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Interior Shelby Cobra 289

In 1965, the 427 MkII, whose already 7-liter (427 cu in.) Ford Galaxie engine developed 345 hp, was fitted with correspondingly wider tires. So we had to noticeably "inflate" the fenders, which only added to the attractiveness of the already irresistible body. The speed of the second generation Cobra increased to 260 km / h.

Design Shelby Cobra 289

Production of the "real" Cobra ended in 1968 after the release of 1,137 copies. The strongest charisma of the car has caused countless imitations in the form of replicas.

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Shelby Cobra 289 (CSX 2048) '1963

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AC Cobra Le Mans

AC Cobra Le Mans

The history of this legendary car begins in 1956, when the American racer Carroll Shelby had the idea to create the fastest sports car in the world, and he came up with the name Cobra. In 1959, Shelby retired from motorsport and began to think about how to turn his dream into reality. He drew attention to the British AC Ace roadster, which successfully performed at Le Mans. The car attracted him with its muscular aluminum body on a space frame, as well as a light tubular chassis designed by John Tojeiro.

Design AC Cobra Le Mans

AC Cobra Le Mans

In 1961, Shelby asked AC Cars to build a model with a V8 engine. AC accepted the offer, but with the proviso that Shelby would find a suitable motor. The former racer first approached Chevrolet, but was refused. Then he began partnering with Ford, who needed a sports car that could rival the Chevrolet Corvette.

Design AC Cobra Le Mans

AC Cobra Le Mans

When Bristol stopped making engines, the Harlock brothers redesigned the front end of the AC Ace to fit the 2.6-liter 6-cylinder from the Ford Zephyr. Replacing this engine with a V8 was not difficult: all that was required was a new differential and a reinforced rear suspension.

Under the hood AC Cobra Le Mans

AC Cobra Le Mans

The first 75 Shelby Cobras were powered by the Ford Windsor 260 HiPo (High-Performance) engine from the Ford Fairlane. In the factory setting with a 4-barrel Holley carburetor, this powerplant produced 260 hp, and in a racing setup with four Weber carburettors it produced 335 hp.

Interior AC Cobra Le Mans

AC Cobra Le Mans

The Cobra prototype was shown at the 1962 New York Auto Show. Shelby immediately received many orders and began mass production. The chassis and bodywork were manufactured in the UK and the engines were installed in the USA. The cars were sold through Ford dealers. A total of 126 Cobra Mk I were produced: 75 with a Ford Windsor 260 engine and 51 with a more powerful Ford Windsor 289.

Interior AC Cobra Le Mans

AC Cobra Le Mans

At the same time, Ford's main competitor, General Motors, was hard at work on the Corvette Sting Ray, which was to debut in 1962 at the Riverside 3-Hour Race. Coincidentally, Shelby Cobra also entered the same race for the first time, but Sting Ray won the race. The following season, Shelby took part in the first American Manufacturers' Championship and won six races out of seven, proving his superiority over Ferrari and Chevrolet.

AC Cobra Le Mans (MkI) '1963

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