• With a Holman Moody 427 cubic inch V-8 engine and four-speed manual transmission, this Cobra is the pinnacle of 1960s American engineering.
• Cobra production was discontinued in December 1966, so it is one of the last of the breed.
• The 427 cars were better sorted than the narrow body cars, although both are highly desirable. This auction is on Bring a Trailer will be a must see for any Cobra fan. Ends November 14.
There’s an old joke: Question: How do you know if it’s a real cobra or a copy? A: This is a cue. One of the most beloved racing cars of the 1960s is also one of the most copied, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A well-tuned Cobra replica is something to blow away autumn cobwebs with V-8 thunder. But this is where the real deal begins.
Up for auction this week at Bring a Trailer—what, how car and driver appears part by Hearst Autos is an authentic 1966 Cobra 427 Mk III. Yes, that’s a 427, in cubic inches, about seven quarts of Ford side lube in a chassis that weighs just over 2,500 pounds. As my friend likes to say, it’s the Big Stove variant.
Bidding is at a very satisfying $950,000 with 10 days to go. But grab your popcorn, folks, because this is one of those auctions where the dollar value quickly surpasses “I could buy a house for that kind of money” and soars into “Is that or a P-51 Mustang” and in which hangar to put it?”
If Car and driver on the Cobra 427 road test in 1965, driving impressions included notes of more refined handling. There were a handful and a half of early cobras. “Everyone at Shelby is more than honest in admitting that the handling of the original Cobra was far less than optimal.” With a fully independent suspension, the Cobra 427 got that much power on the road.
And what a power it was. Running the quarter mile in just 12.2 seconds, this wide-shouldered machine was unmatched by anything other than, and perhaps even by, the big Corvettes. The Cobra could have been a more determined product, but it was still sharp and raspy. There’s a reason so many companies will sell you a photocopy of this 1960s performance icon.
The example for the Bring a Trailer auction is particularly delicious. Chassis number 3283, it left the Shelby American with a tamed 428-cubic-inch V-8, but received a performance upgrade almost immediately. Ford’s official racing contractor, Holman Moody, was selected to build the 427 cubic inch engine, equipped with twin four-barrel carburetors. With the exhaust out the back instead of the side, the driver can better hear the induction roar of fuel and air being sacrificed on the altar of speed.
It was returned to its original factory dark green shade in 2013, and this Cobra has a rugged elegance about it. The subtlety, of course, disappears the moment you fire up that big V-8, but the green-on-black paint pays homage to the original British A/C that gave birth to Cobras.
For the lucky auction winner with the deepest pockets, this car will provide an unparalleled driving experience. And if you’re outside on a sunny morning and that cobra darts past you, you might recognize it for what it is. Because statistics say that any Cobra you see is a copycat. But there are also real ones.
This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in a different format, or you may be able to find more information on their website.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41871777/1966-shelby-cobra-427-bring-a-trailer-auction/
