1966 AC Cobra 427

Ferrari Beater

In a bid to build a car that could beat Ferrari, Carroll Shelby rammed a V8 in a british built AC Ace. The very first of these Aces housed a 4260cc (260ci) V8, however, as the 427 suggests, later models squeezed a huge 427ci (7 litre) Ford V8.

Beefed up horsepower, Beefed up chassis

With 480 lb/ft of torque coarsing through it's veins the AC Cobra beefed up its chassis to cope. The combination of a huge V8 in the front of a relatively lightweight Brit even with a stronger chassis was still an animal around the race track. Coil Springs were also introduced to try to tame the power further, and with 410 bhp at 6000 rpm, 0 to 60mph in 4.2 seconds the suspension most definitely required an overhaul.

Timeless Looks

Over the years the timeless looks and format of the AC Cobra have been copied, with a plethora of Kit Car replicas now available. This is testament to the simplicity of the Cobra thinking of a huge engine in a lightweight open top car. The real charm of the car is the mix of muscle-bound, aggressive yet classic looks and V8 rawness that few marques have matched over the decades.

Summary

  Huge 7 litre V8 grunt, Open top V8 experience, Classic looks

  Taming the huge rear wheel power. Keeping warm in the winter.