May I Introduce...The Shelby Cobra

"Osiris - I can haz Euro spec?" (o51r15) 08/21/2013 at 15:09 • Filed to: May I Introduce

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Today's edition of May I Introduce is me being kind of selfish. The 1965 Shelby Cobra Mk III is easily one of my favorite cars of all time. I mean, look at it! It's beautiful! Also, I decided to do this weeks on the Cobra because I found one! In Anchorage, Alaska of all places! Unfortunately the owner of this Cobra wasn't around for me to ask a few questions and verify if this is a legit Shelby Cobra or a kit car. Either way, who wouldn't want one?

The Shelby Cobra initially was a joint venture between Carrol Shelby (obviously) and AC Cars. The Mk I Cobra was based off of AC Cars 1961 AC Ace-Bristol so named for Bristol straight-6 that AC Cars was putting into cars at the time. The Mk I was produced from 1962 to 1963.

The Mk II Cobra was produced from 1963 through 1965 and got a 4.7L V8 over the Mk I's 4.3L V8. Aesthetically, the Mk I and Mk II were pretty much identical. The only real difference was in the weight where the Mk I was 2,019 pounds (916 kg) and the Mk II was 2,315 pounds (1,050 kg).

Then there was the Mk III. My personal favorite. The engine's considered for the Mk III where the Stroker 289 and the Cammer 427. At the last second, Carrol Shelby decided to go with the 7.0L 427. You can imagine how much more oomph that had over the Mk II at only 40 pounds (18 kg) heavier.

Carrol Shelby wanted the Cobra to beat the Corvette. On 2 February 1963, that dream was realized at Riverside International. Dave Macdonald was the driver that recorded the Cobra's first ever victory against a field of Corvettes, Jaguars, Porsches and Maseratis.

Other versions of the car exist as well. There was the Dragonsnake which was designed for Drag racing. There was the Daytona Cobra Coupe in 1964 which was designed to improve the top speed on the Mulsanne straight during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There was also the Super Snake in 1966.

And now I will leave with something a little sad. In 2004, Ford unveiled a concept for a new version of the Cobra. While the front end makes the car look a little sad, I still wish they had gone through with it and produced it, even if only a limited production run. The concept had a 6.4L V10 with a 6-speed manual. Who wouldn't want that?

Photo's: My iPhone/Wikipedia

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 15:14

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Beautiful cars, and ungodly powerful. They must feel like jet engined go carts.

My bet is replica. A friend of mine taught me a trick, and I'm not sure if it's true - maybe someone can verify! The trick is to look for lugnuts. The true originals had the spin on single nut in the middle, no little normal lugnuts. The replicas have the lugnuts to match up to a more normal modern non-racing set up.

Am I right? Am I wrong? Tell me if I've lost all trust in my co-worker. You can also do the touch test to see if it's fiberglass but I do NOT recommend that without owner permission, cause that's just not cool.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 15:14

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Oh and that's one of my top 3 all time favorite concepts btw. I sincerely wish they had made it.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:20

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They are called "knock offs", as you knock off the nut with a rubber mallet.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:20

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I've never heard the lug nut theory before, but I do see what you mean with respect to touching. I got as close as I could without my 6'1" ass falling on top of it. But like I said, regardless of real vs replica, I wouldn't mind owning it!

Blondude > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 15:21

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Mmmm me gusta. And you'd be right in saying it's a replica. The side pipes are slightly off and the hood scoop is too tall. Plus the entire side profile seems stretched.

/ResidentCobraFanatic

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 08/21/2013 at 15:23

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I've heard that term before, I've also heard spinners because you obviously spin them on and off.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 15:23

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Nope neither would I! Even the kit cars are brutally fast and simply insane!

McMike > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:23

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Kit.

If it's a MK3 427 car, you can assume it's fake. I believe all the original Shelby 427 cars had a riveted on hood scoop.

The replica Halibrands (wheels) is another tip-off.

Not to say this is not a nice car. There are many, many good replicars out there. Shit, ol Carroll himself made a few in the 80s (CSX4000 series)

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Blondude 08/21/2013 at 15:24

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Resident Cobra Fanatic any truth to the theory in my post?

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Blondude 08/21/2013 at 15:24

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Yea, I can see that now especially with the other side profile you have. Either way, I wouldn't say no to a replica!

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:25

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yeah me too but at least by calling them knock off's people don't think you're referring to these...

Blondude > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:26

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As far as I'm aware you're right. The original Cobras had knock-off wheels (because racecar) so if you see lug nuts you can be pretty sure it's a replica. I have seen replicas with proper knock-offs so I wouldn't use that as a way of confirming it's a real Cobra though.

Blondude > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 15:27

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Heck, I'd almost prefer a replica. Then I can hoon as much as I want without worrying about destroying a priceless original.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:33

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And, at track speeds, you probably wouldn't even physically see the difference!

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Blondude 08/21/2013 at 15:35

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Damn true right there. If I had the money, original Mk III in the garage and replica on the track!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Blondude 08/21/2013 at 15:51

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interesting. So you can use it to classify a replica, just cant use knock offs to guarantee an original.

Blondude > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 15:51

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Yup, pretty much.

Rock Bottom > Blondude 08/21/2013 at 15:51

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"Life doesn't get exciting until you're threatening to crash a half-million dollar car." Quote from an original Cobra owner/racer.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Blondude 08/21/2013 at 15:57

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There's a 427 replica sitting in the lobby of my work right now, the classic car up there rotates every 6 months to a year, we had a 50's Lincoln Convertible before this.

Please excuse blurry picture:

Enginerrrrrrrrr > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 16:25

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I for one am hoping I can purchase one of these replicas in the near future. Love it.

Michael Delaney reaches down between his legs and eases the seat back > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 16:54

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No intro needed for the vast majority of folks here. More like bringing an old friend around!

Concur with the votes for replica. Blondude is spot on. Additionally, originals generally (all that I have seen) have the fender louvers painted body color, while many of the replicas do not. Lugnuts are always replica (never seen a real one with lugs), but there are many, many replicas with true knock-offs.

From what I've read, most of the team did not like 427 handling when compared to the 289FIA cars. IIRC, the 427 never won an FIA race. By the time it was released, most of the team had seats in the Daytona or even the early development of the GT40. Also, more importantly than Corvette, Shelby wanted to kick Ferrari's ass. He likely would have done so in 1964 had Enzo not cheated and had the 1964 Monza race cancelled, but was able to come back in '65 and finish the job.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Michael Delaney reaches down between his legs and eases the seat back 08/21/2013 at 17:04

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Nice! Things I did not know! Thanks for the addition and help finding out if this was Real or Replica.

Michael Delaney reaches down between his legs and eases the seat back > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 17:10

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Love to talk about the Cobras! Thanks for giving me an excuse. If you can find it, I highly recommend The Cobra-Ferrari Wars by Mike Schoen - it's the source of much of my Cobra racing knowledge.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Michael Delaney reaches down between his legs and eases the seat back 08/21/2013 at 17:19

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Looks like, in the '60's, everyone wanted Enzo to go down! Ford with their GT40, Shelby with the Cobra and I'm sure there are many others that I just haven't heard their story yet!

Michael Delaney reaches down between his legs and eases the seat back > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/21/2013 at 17:23

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Very true. Ferrari had been top dog for quite awhile at that point and spending so much time at the top had everyone gunning for him. It didn't help that he was a bit of a prickly fellow. If you've seen the movie Grand Prix, you'll know that sometimes, heck frequently, that prickliness was directed at his own drivers.

Blondude > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/21/2013 at 17:33

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Holy crap that's awesome.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Michael Delaney reaches down between his legs and eases the seat back 08/21/2013 at 17:53

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So I've heard. I guess he was an asshole to his staff and worse to his competition. Especially when he knew he could lose (like you said earlier with Monza).

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Blondude 08/22/2013 at 09:38

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It's a good way to start your day by walking by a big block cobra every day.

Remarkably-Average-Avalon > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 08/24/2013 at 02:06

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Shelby Cobras are like tits. Even if they're fake and everyone knows it, they can still be tons of fun.