1965 Shelby 427 Continuation Series Cobra

heroldius (65)in #car • 6 years ago

This sunday (June 3rd), during its Greenwich Concours d'Élégance Auction, this gorgeous 1965 Shelby 427 Continuation Series will heading to auction through Bonhams for about US$ 100,000.

History of the Shelby Cobra

The Shelby Cobra, or AC Cobra in Europe, is classic sports car with a Ford V8 engine, produced since 1962. It was the idea of the Texan Carroll Shelby who had gone racing in Europe in the 50's and wanted a combination of a Ford V8 engine with a European chassis from AC Ace. The result was the Cobra.

The first prototype was produced in 1962, AC Cars sent chassis without engine from England and the car was finished at the Shelby's facilities in California. Carroll Shelby has a great team behind this project like Ken Miles (sports car racing engineer), Phil Remington (motorsports engineer), and Pete Brock (automotive designer). Great success with the victories at the Manufacturer's Championship consecutively in 1963, 1964, and 1965.

This model was from the personal collection of Carroll Shelby and was gifted to the 1999 Playmate of the year, Heather Kozar.

Technical specification

Its 428cc in-line OHV V8 engine with single 4-barrel carburetor produces 410 hp at 6,000 rpm. The Shelby Cobra can reach the 165 kmh in 8.8 sec with a top speed of 265 kmh. Only 1,000 Cobras of all types were built from 1962 to 1967, and only 356 of the 427 version (competition or street competition).