1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra

heroldius (65)in #cars • 6 years ago

Not long ago, I presented a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra sold in Paris last month for €775,625.
But I didn't resist when I saw this stunning 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra heading to auction through RM Sotheby's during its Amelia Island Sale. The asking price (between $US 3,000,000 and $US 4,000,000) is already very high but what beauty...

History of the Shelby 427 Cobra

The Shelby Cobra or AC Cobra in Europe, is sports car produced since 1962. It was the idea of the Texan Carroll Shelby who had gone racing in Europe in the 50's and wanted a combination of a Ford V8 engine with a European chassis from AC Ace. The first prototype was produced in 1962, AC Cars sent chassis without engine from England and the car was finished at the Shelby's facilities in California.

This model is one of 19 true production 427 competition Cobras with many successes on European tracks during the sixties. In 1965, Shelby wanted the Cobras to stay ahead the competition for the season. Ken Miles, sports car racing engineer, decided to have a larger and more powerful engine ; and thanks to Ford, they equipped the Shelby 427 Competition Cobra with 427 cu. inline OHV V-8 engine.

Specification

This Shelby 427 Competition Cobra has 427 cu. inline OHV V-8 engine with a single Holley carburetor producing 620 hp. Pure beast...

With its original aluminum body finished in black and white, its restoration by Legendary Motorcar was filmed during the television series Dream Car Garage (I can't find the show on Youtube, so if you find it, don't hesitate to post the links in comment).