Shelby AC Cobra : Classic Dream Car

November 7th, 2011 admin

The Shelby AC Cobra, also known as the Shelby Cobra, is an Anglo-American sports car that was produced during the 1960s

Like many British specialist manufacturers, AC Cars had been with the smooth, refined Bristol straight-6 engine in its small numbers, including its AC Ace 2-seater roadster. This is a hand-built body with a steel frame and aluminum body panels, which used English Wheeling Machine. The engine was a World War II design of BMW, which dates from the year 1960 as A. Bristol decided in 1961 to produce the engine to stop and instead used Chrysler 331 CID (5.4 L) V8 engines.

Although untrue, it is generally believed that AC was the source of power has no future, that the left and the American ex-racing driver Carroll Shelby, the company saved from bankruptcy. AC started with the 2.6-liter Ford Zephyr engine in his car. In September 1961, an airmail letter AC Shelby asked them to build him a car had been modified to a V8 engine to accept.

AC agreed, provided a suitable engine could be found. He first went to Chevrolet to see if they were to provide him with engines, but do not want the competition to add to the Corvette they said no. But Ford wanted a car that could compete with the Corvette and they happened to have a brand new thin wall small block engine, which can be used in this project. It was Ford 260 hipo ³ (4.2 L) engine – a new lightweight, thin wall cast small-block V8 tuned to high performance.

Shelby AC Cobra

In January 1962 mechanics at AC Cars in Thames Ditton, Surrey, the prototype chassis CSX0001 equipped with a 221ci Ford V8. After testing and change, engine and gearbox were removed and the chassis was air freighted to Shelby-on in Los Angeles February 2, 1962.

Shelby AC Cobra His team with a visit and an engine and transmission in less than eight hours in the Dean Moon’s shop in Santa Fe Springs, California, began road testing.
The production proved to be easy, since AC had already most of the changes for the small-block V8 that is necessary if the 2.6-liter Ford Zephyr engine, installed, including extensive review of the front end of the AC Ace’s .

Shelby AC Cobra The major change was the installation of a stronger differential of the increased engine power to control. A Salisbury 4HU unit with inboard disc brakes, was chosen to reduce unsprung weight instead of the old ENV unit. It was the same unit in the Jaguar E-type. The production version, the brakes were moved outboard motor inside to reduce costs. The only change to the front of the first Cobra from that of the AC Ace 2.6 was the steering, which had to be moved to the wider to the outside V8 clear.

Shelby AC Cobra Type

The first 1975 Cobra Mark I (including the prototype) were fitted with the 260 engine (4.2 L). The remaining 51 were Mark I model with a larger version of the Ford Windsor engine, 289 in ³ (4.7 L equipped) V8. Alan Turner completed at the end of 1962, AC chief engineer a major design change in the cars front end and steering rack could join, while still with transverse leaf springs. The new car production in the spring of 1963 and was named the Mark II, the rack was borrowed from the MGB while the new steering column came from the VW Beetle. Mark II of 528 cobras were the summer of 1965 (the last U.S. bound Mark II was manufactured in November 1964 produced).

In 1963 the leaf spring Cobra lost its supremacy in racing. Shelby tried fitting a larger Ford FE engine 390 in ³. Ken Miles drove and drove, the FE powered Mark II and pronounced the car was almost undrivable and called it “the stool.” A new chassis designed and named Mark III.

Shelby AC Cobra Design

The new car was designed in cooperation with Ford in Detroit. A new chassis was built using 4″ main chassis tubes (up from 3″) and coil spring suspension all around. The new car also had wide fenders and a larger radiator opening. It was powered by the “side oiler” Ford 427 engine (7.0 L) rated at 425 bhp (317 kW), which provided a top speed of 164 mph (262 km/h) in the standard model and 485 bhp (362 kW) with a top speed of 185 mph (298 km/h) in the competition model. Cobra Mark III production began on 1 January 1965; two prototypes had been sent to the United States in October 1964.

Cars were sent to the US as unpainted rolling chassis, and they were finished in Shelby’s workshop. Although an impressive automobile, the car was a financial failure and did not sell well. In fact to save cost, most AC Cobra 427s were actually fitted with Ford’s 428 in³ (7.0 L) engine, a long stroke, smaller bore, lower cost engine, intended for road use rather than racing.

It seems that a total of 300 Mark III cars were sent to Shelby in the USA during the years 1965 and 1966, including the competition version. 27 small block narrow fender version which were referred to as the AC 289 were sold in Europe. Unfortunately, The MK III missed homologation for the 1965 racing season and was not raced by the Shelby team. However, it was raced successfully by many privateers and went on to win races all the way into the 70s. Interestingly, 31 unsold competition cars were detuned and made road worthy and called S/C for semi-competition. Today, these are the rarest and the most valuable models and can sell for in excess of 1.5 million dollars.

 

The AC 427 (i.e. the Mark III) dimensions were: overall length of 14.583 feet (4.445 m), overall width of 5.583 ft (1.702 m), height (with its removable top in place) of 4.250 ft (1.295 m), turning circle of 34 ft (10.363 m), wheelbase of 8.00 feet (2.438 m), front track of 4.50 ft (1.372 m) and rear track of 4.417 ft (1.346 m). Its fuel tank held 18 imperial gallons and its empty weight was approximately 2,300 lb (1044 kg).

Shelby AC Cobra Racing Carrer

AC Cobras had an extensive racing career. Shelby wanted it to be a “Corvette-Beater” and at nearly 500 lb (227 kg) less than the Chevrolet Corvette, the lightweight car did just that. The Cobra was perhaps too successful as a performance car and reputedly contributed to the implementation of national speed limits in the United Kingdom. An AC Cobra Coupe was calculated to have done 186 mph (299 km/h) on the M1 motorway in 1964, driven by Jack Sears and Peter Bolton during shakedown tests prior to that year’s Le Mans 24h race. However, government officials have cited the increasing accident death rate in the early 1960s as the principal motivation, with the exploits of the AC Cars team merely highlighting the risk.

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