Cool Cobra: American Horsepower, English Roadster
by Dan Burger

Cars often go through metamorphosis that take them from concept to early production models to redesigns throughout the car's production life. Sometimes there are improvements. Sometimes not. I'd say modifications along the way are always open to heated debate based on individual preferences.

Here's one of the most storied automobiles of all time — the Shelby Cobra. It sprang from the imagination of Carroll Shelby, who foresaw the potential of dropping small-block Ford V-8s into an English sports car called the AC Ace.

Our feature car, owned by Dave Painter of Evansville, Indiana, is a sweet example of how the unique American/British collaboration looked in its purest context. You have to admire its classic English appearance and how it differs from what we have all come to associate with the Cobra — that being the 427 version (and the aftermarket kits) with its more Americanized "Cobra on steroids" bulges and scoops.

Painter's Cobra — an early 289 model — is one of 655 small-block, leaf-spring versions (580 with the 289 engine and the first 75 with the 260). These figures include both the street versions and the full-race Cobras that Shelby produced. It's as authentic and original as they come. Painter's car is identical in every way with the Cobra tested in the September 1963 issue of Motor Trend. That article begins with a simple truth: "There's no doubt that the AC Cobra is strictly an enthusiast's machine." Painter would enthusiastically agree. "I love this car because its looks are more purely English in nature and it is more closely aligned to the AC Ace and the original Cobra roots," Painter says. "This car is a time capsule of 1963. There are real differences among the Cobras that are most noticeable when the early models are compared to the later models. I prefer the appearance of the early cars and this 289-car's performance is still exhilarating, though not up to what the later 427 cars could do."

The 289 engine is the same limited-edition unit that was a high-performance option for the 1963 Ford Fairlane. It featured a solid-lifter cam, four-barrel carburetor and an 11:1 compression ratio. In the Fairlane, this engine is visually different because of smooth Chrome valve covers instead of the aluminum "Cobra-Powered By Ford"-imprinted versions. Hi-po Fairlanes also used a chrome dipstick and chrome oil-filler neck cap.

In addition to the high-performance 289s Shelby shoe-horned into his Cobras, Painter estimates 500 Fairlanes were equipped with the engine between 1963 and 1967. It propelled the 1963 Motor Trend showroom-stock Cobra test car from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, to a quarter-mile speed of 104 (18.8 seconds) and to a top speed of 130 mph. A curb weight of 2350 pounds and a Motor Trend reported horsepower rating of 271 @ 6000 rpm provides a clue as why this little roadster could scoot.

Something else to think about is 312 lbs.-ft. Of torque @3400 rpm. If there were any good reasons to mash to brakes, the 12-inch, cast-iron, four-wheel disc brakes could stop the car in 128 feet from a speed of 60mph. The body design was already 10 years old by the time Ford power was squealing rear tires on what was formerly the AC Ace. When comparing the Ace and the original Cobra, only subtle body contour differences can be noted. Fortunately, there was little reason to mess with what was then a lovely roadster and has since been recognized as a classic design. This is a body that continues to impress automotive enthusiasts of all ages and interests. Each one was hand-formed (hammered and shaped on wooden bucks) from aluminum. No two are identical, which makes body panel interchangeability among Cobras in unlikely proposition.

Early production of the Cobras was marked with continual changes. The first 75 cars were fitted with the 260 cubic-inch Ford V-8. About 50 cars into the 289 production, rack-and- pinion steering replaced the original worm-and-sector design. Other performance-related changes included: wider wheels, and higher gear ratios (originally 3.54 and later 3.77). In addition, Lucas electric were replaced by Ford, larger radiators were implemented, Stewart Warner gauges replaced the Smith gauges, 6-inch wheels and side vents in the body replaced 5-1/2 inch wheels with no side vents, and hood and trunk emblems were redesigned from the original "Shelby AC Cobra" design to first a "flat head Cobra" and later the "standard Cobra" emblem. By the time 200 cars had been built, a level of standardization for the street cars had been more or less reached.

Painter's Cobra is equipped with Lucas headlights and taillights, Smith gauges and a rare Ford Rotunda tachometer. It also has the narrow fender flares and 5-1/2 inch wheels that lend a more English appearance to the car. He previously owned a 427-equipped car, but ha since gained an appreciation for the early models.

Where there was once a substantial disparity in the values of a 427 and a 289, Painter claims the gap has narrowed. Wild speculation at one time drove 427 prices to absurd levels and eventually the bottom fell out. The 289s, meanwhile, have developed a more consistent pattern of popularity.

Factory-installed options can distinguish one Cobra from the next. An owner with some extra cash and a penchant for shiny things could order chrome bumper guards, a chrome grille guard, chrome exhaust pipe tips and a chrome air cleaner.

Accessories also included: aluminum rocker arm covers, adjustable wind wings, tinted sun visors, Smiths heater, competition seat belts and an aluminum 4V intake manifold. An even longer list of racing options could be installed at the factory or ordered and installed later.

Painter has a copy of the invoice from Shelby American, Inc. (Dated Sept. 30, 1963) that details how this car was originally equipped. His car remains authentically equipped to this extent today, except for the original whitewall tires. (He does, however, have his car equipped with a 1963-vintage 6.50x15 Goodyear Blue Streaks.) He also has a set of the original chrome wire wheels and a set of the dark gray painted wire wheels that were on the cars when they were delivered from AC to Shelby. At the Shelby factory the dark gray wire wheels were either painted light gray or they were replaced with chrome wheels before they were shipped to the U.S.

The Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) has a remarkably detailed accounting of nearly all of the Shelby cars. A surprisingly high percentage have survived. Painter estimates it to be more than 90 percent.

The extent of documentation which proves the authenticity of his car and the fact that it has been so well preserved through the years combine to make painter's Cobra unique. Parts are all correctly coded and the mileage — just more then 43,000 miles — has been certified as accurate and authentic.