You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[67since67]

Originally Posted by LT1vette

Lee .. This is so true I think for a car guy! I can remember the neighbors cars in my area, don't know their name.
I also remember some of my Grade 3-5 teachers cars. Later in high school you knew which teacher was "cool" on what they were driving... Mustang fast back, Olds 442 or the stodgy Ford Galaxie 4 door ( school principle) with a 289....

Yup, same here, going back to my earliest memories. Memories of cars of course!!

[Lee Stewart]

Dragon Snake (1963)

The Dragon Snake is among the rarest and most sought-after of all Cobra models. Shelby knew drag racing was hugely popular in the USA, so he came up with a package to make the Cobra an ideal competition car in National Hot Rod Association events. The pack included improved Koni shock absorbers, Goodyear slick tyres, a different rear differential for improved acceleration, and air scoop on the bonnet. The battery was moved behind the passenger seat for more weight over the rear wheels and a roll bar was installed.

The engines came with alloy cylinder heads and the internals were carefully balanced. Shelby produced six factory 289 Dragon Snakes and a sole 427 version, though several customers bought the pack to fit to their own cars.

[Lee Stewart]

Shelby Daytona Coupe (1964)

Carroll Shelby had won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959 with Roy Salvadori in an Aston Martin. Now, he wanted to win the event with his own car. Earlier racing Cobras had varied success, with the car’s aerodynamics holding it back from beating the slippery Ferrari 250 GTO. So, Shelby came up with the Daytona Coupe based on a standard chassis. Power came from a 385bhp version of the 289 engine and six cars were built.

At Le Mans in 1964, the Daytona Coupe ran well and won its GT class with Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant driving. They finished fourth overall in the race but an outright victory eluded Shelby.

[Lee Stewart]

Willment Cobra Coupe (1964)

When Carroll Shelby refused to sell a Daytona Coupe to British team owner John Willment, the Brit decided to build his own on a Cobra chassis he had lying spare. Willment had already run a Cobra, with the famous registration 39PE, so he knew the standard car was not sufficiently aerodynamic.

Using drawings from Shelby, the Willment car looked very similar the Daytona Coupe but it had a lower roof. Other differences were the Willment car used Lucas electrical components and Girling brakes. It was finished in Willment’s favoured red with white stripes and it ran well in various endurance races, but it never made it to Le Mans.

[Lee Stewart]

A-98 Le Mans Coupe (1964)

While Shelby was working on his coupe to race at Le Mans, AC Cars in Britain were also developing their own fastback to compete in the French classic. Called the A-98, it was a one-off project and qualified for the 1964 Le Mans race. It relied more on its better aerodynamics than the Daytona Coupe to match lap times as the British car made do with 355bhp to the US rival’s 385bhp.

However, the biggest problem the A-98 faced was sabotage when someone stuffed newspaper into the fuel tank during the race. The car retired after seven hours, but one of its drivers, Jack Sears, became the only person to drive all three Cobra-based racing coupes.

[Lee Stewart]

390 Big Block Flip-Top (1964)

The 390 Big Block was the first dabble with larger engines for the Cobra. However, this 390ci (6.4-liter) motor was no normal V8. It was an all-aluminium engine borrowed from Ford’s NASCAR program and had flip-open bodywork to make it easier to get at the mechanical components front and back. This earned it the nickname ‘Flip-Top’.

It made its debut at Sebring with Ken Miles at the wheel. The talented British driver declared the car almost undriveable. This didn’t stop Shelby from improving on the idea and Ken Sutton was enlisted to relocate the exhaust, brakes, suspension and engine. In this form, it left the competition trailing at its next outing at Nassau, but it retired soon after with brake problems.

[Lee Stewart]

Slalom Snake (1964)

Keen to show well in auto test competition, Shelby came up with the Slalom Snake to show the Cobra was about more than just straight-line speed. To improve the handling, the two Slalom cars built had Koni shock absorbers, front and rear anti-roll bars fitted, and Goodyear Blue Streak Sports Car Special tyres.

Both cars were finished in white with red stripes and red leather upholstery. They also had seat belts fitted, along with cooling ducts for the brakes and side exhausts to give better ground clearance on rougher autocross courses.

[Lee Stewart]

427 (1965)

The 427 of 1965 is the Mk3 Cobra and the one most people think of when contemplating the car. It’s bulging haunches and extended front wings, along with the optional side exit exhausts are the obvious clues to this model, but there are many other distinguishing features. Not least of these is the 427ci (7.0-liter) V8 big block motor that replaced the 289. With 425bhp, the 427 could hit 164mph and it was the fastest accelerating road car in the world with 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds.

Underneath, there was yet more to the revisions for the 427 with a new chassis, coil spring suspension all round, and a wider front air intake to feed cool air to the radiator. You could also order an S/C semi-competition model with 485bhp and 185mph top speed.

[Lee Stewart]

Willment Cobra 427 Ghia Coupe (1965)

After his experiment with a racing coupe based on a Cobra, John Willment turned his attention to a road car project. As the owner of the UK’s largest Ford dealership at the time, Willment was fortunate enough to have a 427 Cobra chassis handy. Fancying a road car, he married this rolling frame with the abandoned body of a Fiat 8V with coachwork by Ghia. This car was known as the Supersonic in Fiat form but became known as the Willment Cobra.

Power came from a Holman and Moody race-prepared 427 engine with twin four-barrel carburettors. Willment lost interest in the car before it was finished, but it was later completed and still exists today.

[Lee Stewart]

Ford XP Cobra (1965)

Also known as the Bordinat Cobra, the Ford XP Cobra was a one-off produced by Ford on a 427 chassis. The reason for this was Ford didn’t think a great deal of fit and finish of the cars built by Shelby and it wanted a car that would better chime with its mainstream models.

The XP Cobra followed the earlier Cougar II concept and was built by Ghia in Italy. It was a roadster with a removable hard-top and was shown to the public on a few occasions, but it then disappeared and rumour had it the chassis had been reskinned with a regular Cobra body.