Original Cobra: Shelby or AC?

[Dave Dax builder]

a8hex said:

Or perhaps better to resolve the difficulty by putting the names in alphabetical order.

AC Shelby Cobra

Just like Rolls Royce did.

They couldn't call them Royce Rolls as if would have sounded too much like the shop in Corry. Lol.

[289 mk2]

The first AC Cobra was the 260 engined car.
It is distinguished from the Mk 2 by not having the cooling vents in the front wings or the 'lipped' wheel arches to accomodate the wider wire wheels. The 260 really looked more like an Ace with the V8 in situ. I know this because I used to own a Mk2 (289)
The coil sprung 289 was the Mk3 and used the same basic chassis and body panels as the 427 but was mostly still fittted in the UK with wire wheels,(looked a bit overbodied as a result), with larger arches, repositioned fuel filler etc etc.
The 427 would never have fitted in he 260 or Mk2 body...it was too wide.
There were also the FIA cars which visually were a sort of midway between the 289 and 427 in looks with flared arches to accomodate bigger wheels, no bumpers, quick lifts etc.
Quite a few of the 289's were raced with Hardtops Le Mans style.
Then of course there was the famous Daytona (fastbacks)
The 427 whilst very fast did not handle as well as the 289's so most of the success's came from this model

[aeropilot]

varsas said:

On the later coil sprung cars Shelby used his own plate, with no mention of AC.

There was....

All the cars, incl the 427 retained the AC scripted ally pedals, so even on the US market Shelby-American chassis plated cars, there was still a small 'bit' of AC

[aeropilot]

davepoth said:

varsas said:

Yeah, the 428 was a cheaper engine (about half the price, I believe). Yes, Shelby did put some in Cobra's, why? Supply problems with the rarer 427? To raise the profit margin? They used to call them the 'Special Police Interceptor' version...

16Vjay makes a good point about 'production'.

428 was a standard production engine IIRC, the 427 got to capacity with a bigger bore and shorter stroke, with much higher compression and was the basis of the "cammer" engine that was bunged in the GT40. I'd check more but obviously no wikipedia today.

Most 427 Cobra's left Shelby-American with 428 engines rather than the 427, certainley all the 'street' spec 427 Cobra had 428's fitted, unless the owner specifically ordered and paid for a 427.

The 427 was designed from the outset as a racing engine, whereas the later 428 was as you say, a production engine with a completely different block casting amongst other things. The 428 isn't a bad engine, and is in fact a better 'street' engine. One of the reasons (slong with cost) that Shelby chucked them in most of the 427 Cobras.

The 427 SOHC (the Cammer) was never bunged in the GT40, it was developed for NASCAR to compete with Chrysler HEMI, but instead NASCAR banned the Cammer.