The 427 Cobra

Unbelievable, how innocently it all started.

The Shelby AC Cobra 289 was already making a name for itself as a great racer in 1963, with enough power to suit the most enthusiastic of performance lovers.

Then one evening in the Shelby shops, in December of 1963, someone noticed a 427 ci NASCAR engine sitting in the corner, looked at the little Cobra racer, and wondered "What would happen if we put that thing into one of the Cobra chassis?"

One can almost picture the smiles around the shop, as images of that monster 427 powering a Cobra racer came to mind. The crew made some measurements, found the 427 would fit, and with a few "slight" modifications in that Cobra chassis, the first 427 Cobra racer was born.

After the prototype was tested, Shelby American driving legend Ken Miles had his first 427 competition Cobra, the forerunner of the production 427 Cobra that would become the undisputed King of the Road in the middle sixties.

When the 427 Cobra moved from being strictly a race car to being a production model, it was unlike most any car ever turned loose on the streets before. Not even employees of Shelby American were sure what to make of this new beast. Reportedly, many at the shops considered the 427 Cobras "lethal" and actually made bets on how long it would be before cars that were sold were either crashed or returned with a blown engine!

How hot was the production 427 Cobra? Car and Driver magazine raved about the car in road test results that were published in its November, 1965 issue.

C/D started by noting the claim of a few years earlier by the manufacturers of a British touring car who boasted it could go from 0-100 mph and then brake back to a complete stop in less than 25 seconds, setting a mark that other cars began to shoot for.

Several American cars were able to beat the 25-second barrier, some got it down to 20 seconds. C/D found that the production 427 Cobra could go 0-100-0 in only 14.5 seconds! With racing tires, Ken Miles had turned the trick in as little as 13.8 seconds, more than testifying to the Cobra's ability to accelerate and decelerate at unbelievable rates.

Car & Driver also gushed about the car's handling, noting that the all-independent suspension system made the 427 a "more civilized machine" than the original 289 Cobra. The magazine went on to compare the 427 Cobra to America's reigning street king and noted that "unlike the 427 Sting Ray, the Cobra has retained its identity as a raw-boned, wind-in-the-face sports car." C/D loved the 427 Cobra, and didn't try to hide it.

0-60 in 4.2 seconds...a standing quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 118 mph...a top speed of 165 mph. All straight off the dealer's lot!

Only 356 production 427 Cobras were ever built by Shelby American, and show condition examples are valued at well over $300,000 today - when you can find one. We looked up a 427 competition Cobra, and we take you for a ride in it...on My Classic Car!