King Cobra - The origin of the world’s most sought after car

[rshelby]

King Cobra
The origin of the world’s most sought after car
By Kevin Lynch

“Legend” might strike those familiar with the Shelby Cobra as a bit of an understatement. With only 1,011 in existence, the Cobra is one of the most sought after sports cars in the world; when they are sold, the asking price can tally a strong seven figures. Why the demand? The Cobra is capable of going from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Enough said.

The Cobra’s designer, Carroll Shelby, is a cross between Albert Einstein and Chuck Yeager. As a racecar driver, he set land speed records at Bonneville in 1954 for Austin Healey and won the 24-hour LeMans in 1959. By 1960, he was ready to turn his talents toward building a car that would drive faster, operate better and crush any other machine out there, from Ford to Ferrari.

Shelby’s first chassis, labeled the 260 Roadster, was air freighted without motor or transmission from the AC Cars factory of Thames Ditton, England in February of 1962. When it arrived at its first assembly garage in Venice, California, Shelby promptly dropped in a 260ci HiPo engine and Borg-Warner four-speed tranny, dubbed it “The Cobra,” then headed out to terrorize anyone in L.A. thickheaded enough to race him. A month later, the first production Cobra arrived at the New York Auto Show, where it wowed the automobile press and ignited the street racing youth of the time.

This will be one of, if not THE largest ever gathering of Shelbys and Cobras in one place. More than 50 Cobras are expected to be on hand for a giant drag race at the California Speedway. The event also includes a Shelby swap meet, Cobra competition, auctions, seminars and a formal banquet.
Success came rapidly to Shelby-American, the auto company Shelby’s creation spawned. In its first year of production, the Cobra was already racing overseas at LeMans and by 1963 the company had produced six of the most coveted of all Shelbys: The Daytona Coupe, a hard top model (all other Cobras are open cockpit). Ironically, none of the Coupes sold when they initially came off the assembly line, nor did they fetch any buyers even after winning LeMans and capturing the 1964 World Manufacturer’s Championship (beating out six-time winner Ferrari in a victory so resounding that the humiliated Italian carmaker opted out of the 1965 GT III FIA season).

Away from the racecourse, the neck-snapping street versions of the Cobra continued to develop. A prototype 427 Cobra was tested in England, and later in the States, before debuting in January of 1965. The 427, featuring what became the Cobra’s signature tube frame and aluminum body, was again the object of intense critical praise. It was also during this period that Shelby-American further cemented their ties with the Ford Motor Company, a relationship that would result in the design and production of the high-performance fastback Mustang.

Cobra production took place in a facility at the Los Angeles Airport, during which time the car went through a handful of engine incarnations before ceasing production in 1967. Due to numerous factors, among them the implementation of new Federal safety and emissions standards that the Cobra had no chance of meeting, the last 427 was built in March of 1967 (though they continued to sell until the few days before January 1, 1968, when the new laws went into effect). The Cobra inspired not only the so-called muscle cars of the late ’60s and ’70s, but also begot several generations of near look-alikes that relied on the Cobra’s original, 35-year-old body design (namely, the BMW Z8 and Dodge Viper).

So prestigious is the Cobra’s reputation that admiration for the car has gone beyond the large sums collectors pay to own them and into a realm one might describe as mystical. Cobra collectors, along with those who have produced their own replicas, obsessively track the life of every single Cobra ever made via online research registries and auto clubs. Indeed, the Cobra has spawned an entire subculture of Cobra devotees, many of whom travel around the country to Cobra conventions not unlike fans of Star Trek or the Grateful Dead.

The enduring legacy and wild demand for the Cobra has lead Carroll Shelby International, Inc. and AC Motor Holdings Ltd. to resume production of an updated Shelby AC model. In February of this year the first handcrafted aluminum Shelby AC Cobra body shell, produced at AC’s plant in Surrey, United Kingdom, was shipped to Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas for final assembly, fit and finish. The car went into full production this summer and retails for $39,995 – a staggeringly low price for your own personal rocketship.

Want to see the Cobra up close?
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Cobra Racing Events:

July 9:
Marina AutoX, Marina
Nor Cal Shelby Club

July 29-31:
San Jose Grand Prix, San Jose San José Grand Prix

August 19-21:
Monterey Historics, Monterey Welcome to the Monterey Historic

August 27-28:
Infineon CART series, Sonoma Infineon Raceway

Cobra Car Shows:

June 25-26:
Concours d’Elegance, Palo Alto
Palo Alto Concours D'Elegance

July 24:
Pony’s and Snakes, Danville Bay Area Mustang Association

July 14, 28 and August 11, 25:
Hot Summer Nights Car Shows, Danville
Town of Danville :: Home

Cobra Conventions

June 30-July 3
Shelby American Automobile Club, Fontana Welcome to SAAC.com
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For more information about Shelby Cobras in our area, visit the websites of the NorCal Shelby Club Nor Cal Shelby Club or the Bay Area Cobra Club Bay Area Cobra Club. For a complete list of upcoming Bay Area Cobra-related events, including live Cobra racing times, visit baccevents.com.
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