History of 427ci Ford Cobras at Shelby American from Cobra through Super Coupe and GT40
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 เม.ย. 2020
- A short history of Shelby American's 427 Cobra, including the development prototype, the production prototype, the 427 works racer, and the abandoned 427 Supercoupe. This video identifies the people who made it happen -- Ray Geddes, Ken Miles, Bob Negstad, Phil Remington and Pete Brock, as well as the accountant who squelched the Supercoupe, and the "what if" question of the 427 Cobra Supercoupe vs. the Ford Mk II GT40. Also covered are the aluminum 427 Cobra replica and recreation cars.
For more info visit cobraferrariwars.com/427-cobr...
Full Photo Gallery here: coolcarvideo.com/427-cobra.html
#shelby #cobra #accobra #shelbycobra #427 #427cobra - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Thanks for your mention of the Super Coupe! As a 17 year old, I was one of the first "civilians" to see this beauty in August of 1965 on a tour of Shelby American at LAX . Got the picture to prove it!
WOW super cool, wish I could of use them in the video
Can you post the photo in this reply area?
How loud we’re they?
Very Good Can’t Beat Cobra’s Pipes!!!!
Excellent compellation & explanation of how it all evolved at Shelby American & Ford. Thank you so much! I must get the book!
Great job...Never get tired of hearing this stuff...I have all your books (of course).
Awesome, thank you!
Great recap of the Cobra saga. Loved it.
Great history lesson. This guy is a stuart of Shelby history.
So much information in such a short video, it's like actually having a one to one conversation with Michael.
Ask questions and I will try to answer. Pretty amazing how many replicas and kit cars the Cobra has occasioned.
We need to pass on this information to the young people who are interested in these special cars. Thanks for doing that.
Oh ya for sure, keep spreading the word!
I remember being at a celebration in strum Wisconsin ,the local ford dealer had a new cobra there to show it off ,when they drove it up and parked it out on the ball field ,the ground shook when he Reed it up.!!!!
Ya those engines pack a punch, good times.
Very nice....and I like the ME-108 in the background.
Ya he had fun stuff
Excellent video. Thank you so much
Thanks a lot, we try.
this movie is so cool, even just the thumbnail is spectac!
Thanks a lot!
Has to be the greatest muscle car of all time!
427 Cobra will be forever an icon and a legend.
Wonderful talk from a man who knows! I have loved the Cobra since when I was a schoolboy in England, 1962! I frequented the school's reading room which had motoring magazines and saw, to my astonishment the first road test report of an AC Cobra by John Bolster in the mag "Autocar|. This was a I think the 289 engined slab-side Cobra and probably not the one of the very first cars with a 260 mill. The performance was truly exciting as there was no other car to equal it at the time.
7 years later I almost bought a 289 from Glovers of Ripon, Yorkshire where I could trade my Lotus Cortina and pay off the rest on hire purchase at some amount per month which I could actually not afford. The car was offered at GBP 1300 can you believe! It had 30K miles on it and was one owner and pristine condition. The factor which killed the deal was that mandatory insurance for this (then) 23 year old, was going to cost as much as the car itself!
Much later in 1988 I started the build here in South Africa of a locally available kit of the 427 version and completed that in 1992 then ran it very satisfactorily and very reliably as my daily driver for the next 10 years, finally parting with it in 2002. The car used Jaguar XJ6 suspension, brakes etc and I installed a 302 Windsor with some mods for more power. 427 motors were and remain scarce here!
So the schoolboy finally got his dream car. As they say "All things come to those who wait" - and plan!
Stewart W>: a small point, but the term "slab-side" was never used in the 1960s by anyone. It was invented in the 1980s by an American kit car magazine writer, and this somewhat silly term seems to have caught on. I say "silly" because even though the earlier Cobras had less flaring than the big-block cars, there was nothing flat about those beautifully curved Ace panels. A slab is a totally flat surface.
@@philipshilling8665 You are quite correct there Philip. I only use the term as it has become a way to differentiate what most today think of as a "real" Cobra with the big arches, side pipes etc., from the first Cobras. I found the the original AC Ace, which I had seen on the road in England as a youngster, very attractive, especially with the massive performance bonus of the V8! In fact when I began to consider building from a kit there was a company in England offering a replica of the original, but costs to import to South Africa were prohibitive, and about that time the first kit offering came on the market here, so I ended up with the big arch Cobra, but omitted the race-equipment such as side-pipes, roll-over bars etc., which the SC had.
Thank you very much for sharing this story. Your video introduced me to the Super coupe which I knew nothing about. It is indeed a very interesting looking car.
It would be very, very interesting for your viewers if you could go a little more into the technical details behind the developments of the cars from year to year if you can.
Videos like yours and the stories you tell are invaluable for car enthusiasts going forward into the future. Thank you very much for sharing!
Very much enjoyed this. THank you.
Great video thanks
Wow what a collection 😍
Thank you sir, great video and amazing information.
Way cool! My mom's uncle owned CSX3031! I hope to see it in person one day! My dad drove it and always said it was nuts!
Wow that is cool
Pure gold!
My favorite of all time
Awesome and informative video.
Ya he knows a lot, his book is awesome too
Just imagine 0-100 and back to 0 in 13 seconds. Now imagine braking technology and bias ply tires form the 60's
ya, automotive craziness in a 60s
THANKS FOR A GREAT VIDEO!!
Most of the Cobra "replicas" here in England have Chevy motors in them! Some even are powered by the LS. Fortunately they have fiberglass bodies which as you know will melt when set on fire!
what an amazing story
What a great video and I can't believe that the Cobra Experience in Martinez California is only 20 minutes from my house. How did I not know this...?? Will need to visit ASAP!
Cool, the things we learn on youtube ;)
All my stuff is there, Andre Capella, [Gessner]
Love your presentation. Excellent information, thank you for keeping history alive. Just curious why Hi-tech, Superformance, cars were not mentioned during your review of kit cars, replicas, and copies. As I understand it, they worked with Shelby to produce his 4000 series Cobras. Again thank you for your book and this video!
Just wanted to cover the aluminum body recreations. Superformance is owned by a South Africa company called Hi-Tech and their Cobras are glass bodied with a frame different than the original 427. In the '80s and '90s there was a Tempe AZ company called Hi-Tech that made both glass and aluminum bodied 427 Cobras. My car was built by Tempe Hi-Tech when Tom D'Antonio ran the place. This company is no more.
@@cobraferrariwars you are not totally right on the H-tech company. “As of November 1st 2005 ownership of Superformance International Inc was transferred to a division of the Hillbank Automotive Group under the guidance of Lance Stander (CEO). Superformance LLC dba Shelby Distribution USA is the name of this division. Our primary business has remained in the distribution of the Superformance brand of products which include the MKIII, Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe and the new GT.
Lance is a self confessed "gear head" and has been involved in almost every aspect of the auto industry, from racing touring cars to managing auto dealerships. Hillbank the auto dealership in South Africa was founded in 1977 by Lance’s father Stan and in 1982 he joined the company adding auto salvage and imported USA vehicles to the portfolio along with 13 dealership branches. Hillbank South Africa (RT GROUP) is successfully managed by a highly motivated team of industry professionals with Lance still on the board of directors. In 1999 Lance moved to California and started Hillbank Motor Corporation a South Western Superformance dealership.
As it is Lance’s nature to expand, he engaged in discussions with Jim Price (Previous owner of Superformance Int. Inc.) regarding the purchase of the Corporation and Superformance LLC resulted. With the benefit of having owned and managed a Superformance Dealership Lance saw this as a tremendous opportunity not only for himself but the entire Superformance family.
Our goal is to take the already successful brand forward adding new products and obtaining better exposure. Ensuring this reality we will be expanding our dealer network to make our line more visible and available to a broader demographic and geographic area. We have also entered into negotiations with Shelby Automotive Inc. to build and management the distribution of the Shelby CSX-4000 series.”
@@Rogerdiddy What Hi-Tech Cobras are you asking about, the former owner of Superformance or the defunct Tempe Hi-Tech? I know close to nothing about the South African one. Does it still exist or is still part of the replicar industry?
@@cobraferrariwars hi, yes the South African company, Hi-tech still exists, and supplies Superformance with the MkIII replica Cobra, Daytona, and Ford GT 40 among other cars. It is a factory that at one time had close to 600 persons, producing replicas. Caroll Shelby and Jim Price became business associates at one point, and produced Shelby’s CSX-4000 cars built to Shelby’s specifications. They produced both aluminum and fiberglass cars, with fiberglass being the majority of the cars. Pete Brock worked with Jim Price to reproduce the Daytona Coupe built to Brock’s specifications. They now build the Daytona for Shelby. Hi-tech is owned by Jim Price. Lance Stander owns Superformance. I may not have gotten all this with 100 percent accuracy, but mostly correct I think. I think the Superformance Cobras have excellent quality and, even though they have square tubed frames, are very accurately replicated. Bob Bondurant is a supporter of their build quality I think. Shelby said the SPFs weren’t exact Cobras, but that they were some of the best in the replica market.
www.superformance.com/news-article/lance-stander-buys-superformance-international-inc
@@Rogerdiddy Thank you for covering this. Mike
The closest thing I ever got (and ever will) to driving a 427 Cobra was in a video game. I remember trying it out for the first time and mentally shitting my pants whenever the car took off like a rocket in the straightaways and out of corners. I reckon it's for the better that I leave my experience to just the virtual realm. I don't think I'll ever come even close to seeing, let alone drive a Cobra, be it a real deal or one of those fakes.
ya they are crazy
I was getting my Cobra repaired at a body shop in Redondo Beach, CA and the Super Coup was sitting in a corner of the shop for sale. This would have been about 1968-9. It was just a rolling chassis and the body was a bit rough.
All the CSX #s are in my hand writing with a elect pencil
wow that is so cool, wish we could do an interview with you too
Why is the New Zealand man called Jon Ohlsen never mentioned in the cobra discussions of the roadster and the Daytona. Jon was a loyal employee of Shelby. He was the person burned under the Daytona when petrol was splashed onto hot brakes. Jon was a personal friend and prior to his death he was asked to build two Daytona cars. Jon completed one . It was nut and bolt perfect.
Would love to see your other cars !
Hey, Here are Mike's other cars we did videos on:
Lone Star Cobra: th-cam.com/video/KHoSXexSfCM/w-d-xo.html
904 GTS: th-cam.com/video/Bch0PRJ38Is/w-d-xo.html
Daytona Coupe: th-cam.com/video/OPnxFe7WqZI/w-d-xo.html
And Custom Cobra: th-cam.com/video/KDlVjfh0kMk/w-d-xo.html
I was l10 yrs old. These cars were a pipe dream racing muscle car. Ahead of the cure. Just a blip in time.
Can't beat cobra's side pipes!!!
Music to our ears ;)
Wow,so the 66 427ci. Cobra was the 67 Cobra
Coup ? The 289ci's were still rear leaf spring cars ?
Titled as a 1967 makes them a 1967…many cars are constructed and released in the year previous to their actual title date (I understand your premise that SAI was done with the Cobra by end of 1966).
The 427 Coupe was an interesting exercise but assuming it would have been successful is a stretch whereas the GT40MkII winning LeMans in 1966 is a fact…same for Ford GTMkIV in 1967. You have to comprehend the true competition at the time which by then were all mid-engined. The mid-engined chassis with American V8 was also simultaneously becoming the winning combo in CanAm albeit with Lola then McLaren chassis with Chevy V8s. A front engined coupe with a big block no less in an endurance race would have been an outclassed dinosaur against the latest from Ferrari and Chaparral.
PS…I have a first edition of your book with the signatures of Shelby, Brock, Gurney, Bondurant, Remington, Sears, Agapiou, and many others in it…a prized possession that I used to carry with me at Monterey and Sears Point.
I think I heard somewhere once that there were some cars intended to be 427 cars that actually ended up with a 428 due to a shortage of 427s. Would have been some of the later units if true, I'm thinking.
Most of the street cars had the 428. The 427 was expensive to build. 428 kept the cost down.
But still very fast!
@@289cobra9 Ok so maybe that's what it was then. I get little details mixed up here and there lol
Why did the 390 in iron fall? A 396 ci FE with aluminum heads and water pump and the induction. The block cost so much less. I never understood why a .030 over 70s D4TE block is said to handle 800-900 hp. I just don’t understand.
before Pete Brock passed he said his final version of the super coupe was just about perfected but never raced... the huge difference he stated was handling; they had gotten to the point where the handling was so good/great, that it could run @ 200 mph all day w/ fewer gas changes/pit stops. The trade off in speed was far outweighed by the handling.
@TJ - I believe you are confusing Peter Brock, the Australian race driver with Peter Brock of the Shelby American organization. The Shelby American P. Brock is very much alive today. I met him at the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival in, I believe, 2016 and chatted briefly and got his autograph on the event poster. Peter Brock, the Australian racer, passed away in 2006. Once the initial lift problems with the Daytona Coupe were fixed, there were no handling problems at all. Shelby toyed with building an all aluminum 390 for the Daytona which would have easily exceeded 200mph but it was never finished. The late Bob Bondurant hit 197 mph at Le Mans in his #5 Daytona Coupe powered by the near 400 hp 289 with 4 Webers. The ass end of that "Super Coupe" was about the ugliest behind ever seen on a car. I for one am glad it was never made in numbers!
@@Loulovesspeed I meant the Pete from American Shelby and I apologize for believing he wasn't w/ us anymore... glad he is.
Didn't Kar Kraft do the job of stuffing the Boss 429 into the Mustang?
Like your neighborhood. Where is that?? Oh nice car as well
MY DREAM CAR. I CAN ONLY HOPE TO WIN THE JACKPOT, SO I CAN BUY ONE. :-(
What, I built the 427 Cobras, not the body or frame but all the 375 parts that made it run. I tested all 375 built, drove every one 30 minutes. 1st 1 was done April, 1965. I tested at Riverside. Book writers are morons none did research or asked me 1 thing. All my stuff is in the museum in Ca.
Sad but True!!
Notice there are no pictures or film on the building of the 427, I built the 1st 6 at Venice, then all the rest at the airport. He should have found out the real facts.
AC Cars wasn't involved, then? You must have known everybody at Shelby. What was the name of the guy who started at Shelby sometime in 1964 disassembling new '65 Mustangs for GT 350 conversion and retired about 30 years later as director of all Ford racing programs? That was some career.
@@dalecomer5951 Mustangs were not taken apart, some new things added or changed. Went from a $2200. car to a $4500. car. I drove 1 for a year, street raced, a lot of fun!! I knew most but don't remember now, I am 88. Thanks
What is the name of the Ford engineer who was sent to Old Blighty to work with AC Cars on the big-block Cobra redesign? The audio isn't that great and the enunciation could have been better. A caption on the photo would have been good too.
One of my best friends from h.s. and I tried to buy 427 S/C CSX 3032 off the showroom floor at Shelby High Performance Motors on Sepulveda Bl just south of LAX in June of 1966. We were both 19 yo. It was my friend's idea. He wasn't really into sports cars but he was a "Ford guy" and recognized the car's investment potential. I was skeptical but when I got a good look at it I was sold. The "sticker price" was $8495 and the sales tax and license fees would have been just over $400. The salesman, the young guy with short hair who always wore a suit on the job whose name is remembered by many Shelby enthusiasts, told us Shelby personally did not allow any price discounting but they could take care of the tax and license fees since "that came out of another account." Unfortunately my friend couldn't come up with his share of the cash.
The Ford engineer was Bob Negstad and his story is in the book. The salesman was Lew Spencer. Your friend was very perceptive. Is he still alive? Did his vision pay off in other areas of his life?
@@cobraferrariwars Thanks so much for the reply. For a couple of "kids," Lew Spencer treated us very respectfully during the several visits we made to the showroom. He told us the story of how the 427 S/C came about. A little different than the commonly accepted history. He also showed us the sales ledger to prove that only 100 chassis numbers had been allocated for Comp. and S/C cars so those would always be from a limited run and therefore more valuable. My friend was a Business and Accounting major at what is now Cal State Northridge. He had taken a class on investing in fine art and collectibles. He wanted to use one of the "creative financing" techniques he had learned about in the class. We were totally honest with Lew about what we were trying to do. I haven't been able to find any trace of my high school friend for many years. He has/had a somewhat unusual name and shouldn"t be that hard to find if he's still living especially since the creation of the www.
@@dalecomer5951 Dale: Thanks for "we were totally honest with Lew about what we were trying to do". That must have been a first for Lew Spencer! The guy who taught the class must have understood value. I have found that dollar value mimics society's mental or spiritual values, and the Cobra seems to have great mental/spiritual/psychic value with men today.
Nel registrare le valvole da esposizione 15 20 centesimi ero titubante nel girare la ruota cera 1 differenziale autobloccante ma non era a frizioni che forse non fuzinzionano via prova autobloccante su la ruota
Nice area this wouldn't be Arizona by chance? I've been through Arizona but I ain't seen any neighborhoods that looked that nice and I live in California if I could afford it I'd probably move if I could find something as nice as that. Would you mind sharing what area of Arizona that is if it's Arizona?
Arizona, Paradise Valley but we are experiencing plenty growth here and in many cities.
Thanks I just saw this@@cobraferrariwars
Paradise Valley, which is next to Scottsdale. Lived in SoCal 1958 to 1964. Soloed a Piper Tri Pacer in Palm Springs in 1962 when I was 16 years old.
I wonder what part of Arizona this is in??
Phoenix Metro
Pure Amercan Guts and know how kept them going. But that’s not all Mustang has gone to the American Route that it always has except now it leads not following the Cobra.
White headers and exhausts really look bad. I’d recommend chrome.
..funny how Britain crafted the roadster, for it’s raw driving experience. Light-weight and nimble.
In stark contrast over here in america, we made the nimble light weight roadster rip your face off w/ raw blistering speed.
No bugs stuck between the teeth here, rather they just knock your teeth right out. Haha
Seriously though…
windscreens are for girls. 😂
What Engine is in the Cobra in this video? Does Not sound like a 427FE Side oiler ? I have a "66 427 side oiler in my Cobra
And it sounds Much more radical than this one in the video .... This one sounds more like a 428 FE ... NO Solid lifters , No Cam overlap , No high compression sound ... So was Just curious , Beautiful Replica However : ) square Oil cooler scoop added .
Front fender flares are Really wide also .. Is this a replica of CSX3002? Using a 289 Body ( CSX 2702) with Modified fenders etc . Including a Dry sump system . The only 427 Raced by Shelby American . I"ve owned 2 Original 427s since the early 1970's : )
Thanks
Motor is CI 427FE side oiler with alum heads. We tried two different mufflers to quiet it down. I believe this muffler has an internal radial or corkscrew flow. It is quiet but that's what I want, due to my hearing damage. I try to do that if possible with performance vehicles. It is also easier on the neighbors.
@@cobraferrariwars
Hello Michael
Hey, I understand Totally!
Your engine just sounded kinda quiet , both my 427s are noisy by virtue :)
I have a chronic Hearing loss , so the sounds
Don't bother me much when I turn off my hearing aids ! Lol
Your car Looks Impressive
Very unusual body , but Excellent Replication indeed.A Rare sight 427Roadster.
Thanks for Replying
I hope you get Many More Years ahead to Enjoy it !
Best Regards
Walter ~
I purchased csx3225 with 9,000 miles on it in 1968 for $4,995. It came with the 428 police interceptor motor. It came with the same mechanical AA cam as the 427 and low riser 427 heads with a single ford carburetor. I added dual point distributor, Holley Carburetor, side exhaust and rain race tires. It turned 12.40 at 112 mph after those upgrades. I drove it as my every day car until 1973 adding 48,000 miles on it. It currently has 84,000 miles. Back in late 1960 or early 1970 I was getting my car worked on in a shop on Redondo Blvd in Inglewood or Hawthorne, CA. The Super Coupe was in a corner of the shop as a roller for sale, as I remember for $3,000.
@@rayshepherd2479
Hey Ray
Sounds Great
I bought CSX3227 in 1972
For 6500$ it also had a 428 intercepter, but I changed it out for a 427 side oiler .
I don't remember the 428 having mechanical lifters ,but it was a long time ago !
Nice to chat with you
You must be an old timer like me ! Lol 😄
Enjoy !
@@Wilett614 I also changed my car to a medium riser 427 side oiler somewhere around 1980. It really doesn't feel any quicker.
Make them faster...
No passenger roll bar needed. No woman has ever been seen in a kit car.
Wasn't that the Cobra they. Nicknamed flip cobra
Just sign me up..I will learn..
No mention of who built the 427 Cobra? It wasn't Shelby!
Well they refer to Shelby as the company not a person him self. But you you know more of the history and people involved we would love to do a interview with you too. The more knowledge we can share the better.
After reading your comment to me in the other video, I found this and was surprised to see that your name is not even mentioned once! Hopefully, CCV will do a video with you Mr Capella!
Will do our best to reach him
@@CoolCarVideo Where are you?
Le mans shelby lo obligaron a perder por una mentira tecnica aprovechando su confianza solo el gano a ferreri lastima que se venden kit car a inocentes compradores
Let me drive it. I have flowwed everything the made,I am faster,and weight less.
Gotta say, a little bit of self promotion and sour grapes.... just my opinion.
I'd rather have a real one instead of a crappy kit car any day.
Or you can Ls swap a Na Miata for under $20G.
Rednecks
Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars, trucks and busses including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing petrol stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime. "Bundesabgasbespaßungsverbotsverodnung" in German :-(((((
oh that sucks, I am all pro saving the earth but the classic car are not event in any way a main polluter so I don't get it. Also can you do a electric swap? Electric AC cobra would have been super fast ;)
@@CoolCarVideo Sadly China told most politicians that they wont do any business with underdeveloped countries that still allow CO2 emitting traffic, aircrafts or industry after 2030...I am sure USA and UK also will be forced by China to 100% electric traffic because today no industrialized country can afford sanctions by China....:-( China also banned all kind of synthetic fuels or hydrogen combustion. Because these are not energy efficient)
Well this going to be interesting 9 years. Hydrogen when done with water and solar at least is green. Then one from natural gas, not so much. Though Green is very expensive right now, but that does not mean that one day will not be cheaper.
It's all b.s. A huge scam by the so-called "former Soviet Union," now the new Soviet Union, to hobble the economies of the west.
Thank you very much for sharing this story. Your video introduced me to the Super coupe which I knew nothing about. It is indeed a very interesting looking car.
It would be very, very interesting for your viewers if you could go a little more into the technical details behind the developments of the cars from year to year if you can.
Videos like yours and the stories you tell are invaluable for car enthusiasts going forward into the future. Thank you very much for sharing!