Origin: N/A
Engine: 8-Cylinder
Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
Carroll Shelby was a race car driver and American automotive designer. He is best known for his involvement in the creation of the Ford Mustang, but before the Mustang came the Cobra.
After retiring from racing in 1959, Shelby started his own car customization company. He had the idea to put a large V8 engine in a sports car for racing and reached out to British specialist automobile manufacturer AC Cars in 1961. They agreed to build the car if Shelby found the right engine. He first approached Chevrolet, but they said no. Ford was eager to get into the racing game though and provided Shelby with not just one, but two engines. Thus, the Shelby Cobra (known as the AC Cobra in the UK) was born.
The Ford Shelby Cobra Mark III, also known as the AC Cobra 427, was designed in cooperation with Ford in 1965. Standard models had a top speed of 164 mph while competition models had a top speed of 185 mph. Unfortunately, the car missed the approval date for the 1965 racing season and was not raced. Because of this setback, only 56 of the 100 planned cars were produced, with only 31 of those being changed over for street use. This also resulted in Ford and Shelby parting ways with AC Cars, making the Mark III the last of the Cobras and the rarest.
This Shelby Cobra is a replica built in 1989. It is one of two replicas in the car museum, the other being the 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK.