In the mid 1960's, AC Cobra 427 captured the heart and imagination of the world. It happened because Cobra had been following the recipe for the performance car to be successful.
The recipe was simply squeezing the biggest and most powerful engine into a small frame that could carry out the power. The makers of Cobra also made it come with an elegant design and attractive body with a car roof that can be opened to make your cruise more fun.
The AC caught everybody's attention in 1953 at London Motor Show. The fact that it was one of post war sport cars in Britain with supporting chassis and attractive body made it much admired by everyone.
In 1962, Carol Shelby was impressed by AC's performance and saw a potential in it, so that he talked AC to fit the Ford V-8 engine into the AC body. Fitting the 260 Cu in 4.4 lt lightweight engine was no problem at all, but the makers found difficulty in doubling up power output.
Later on, Shelby put a Ford 7-liter engine and revamped the chassis and suspension. The 4.7 version in 1964 is based on the this version. Cobra then won its first championship on the race track in 1965. The AC Cobra did not join international racing, but it was successful in American SCCA events. Shelby had found the very car that can beat Chevrolet Corvette.
It has been said as a rumor that Cobra was the reason of national speed limit regulation in UK. It was known that in 1964, Jack Sears and Peter Bolton reached 185 mph while testing Cobra on the M1 motorway in anticipation of 24th Le Mans race. However, the officials from UK denied this rumor, claiming that the main reason they created the regulation to limit the speed in highway is because of increasing death rate.
Cobra was by far the most perfect sport car ever made. It was fast with an immortal elegance despite its lacking in comfort features. These features made Cobra the best car ever.
Laquanda Martin is an avid fan of and routinely writes reviews on hot rods and classic cars.
You can see more of her articles here.
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