My dream has always been a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C.

But at $350K, a little steep.

So then several years back I considered a Cobra replica. Best at the time was an ERA 427 S/C with a 427 side oiler installed. About $60K.

Then Carroll Shelby announced he was getting back into the Cobra making business with the Shelby Cobra CSX4000 Series. Originally was supposed to be available with a 427 side oiler motor at $75K. This crept up to $80K. Then $90K. Then $100K. Now $125K. This is just too much for a car that you can argue is still not really a Cobra but a replica.

Then I began test driving Corvettes and 911s. Corvettes have great torque but they're put together like sh!t -- typical american car quality. Was about to buy an '89 911 Cabrio but someone bought it out from under me.

Friend reminded me how much I liked the S2000 at the '99 NY Auto Show. Re-read all the reviews in the car magazines (I never throw out old issues). The reviews, my great experience with my two other HMC cars (Legend and 3.2TL), plus my ride-of-a-lifetime with S2000 Owner who lives in the neighboring town, convinced me to go for the S2000.

Haven't regretted it for a second!

[This message has been edited by S2000 Driver (edited January 06, 2001).]

 

First , i was getting the Honda Integra TypeR , white with the red Recaro seats, Beautiful! But then , after considering some convertible looks , my option went to the 99

 

One of my former partners owns one. He traded a 289 for it in early 1966 and picked it up from Carroll Shelby. I've seen the bill of sale. Eat your heart out! $6,000 in 1966!

I've ridden in it.

I think the S2000 probably outhandles the original Cobra and I think their top speeds are similar because the Cobra gets light at 150 mph, but the Cobra probably beats the S2000 by two or THREE seconds, zero to 60 !

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Barry WY Silver/Black '01:
[B] One of my former partners owns one.

 

Yeah, love them cobra's... my dad drove a friend's hi-po 289 back in the 60's. He has another one who has a '70 Hemi Cuda convertible, bought new and still has only 8k miles. NICE.

 

Lamborghini Diablo Roadster, but my bank manager said "Huh, you can't even afford a Honda"

Boy did I show him!!

 

I was looking at a new 328Ci before the S2000 and I probably would have gotten it.

 

I think the original UK design is about 10 years older than that S2000 Driver. It's my understanding that Shelbey took the AC Cobra (originally ran a 4 cylinder Austin motor) and stuck a bloody huge V8 in it thus creating the massive power to weight ratio of the Shelbey Cobra.

 

2kturkey,

I can tell by your response you are either British or from the British Commonwealth!

To make a very long story short, in 1961 the Bristol Aeroplane Company of England was going out of business and as a result, AC Cars, Ltd., manufacturer of the the AC ACE was losing its engine supplier. In the United States, Ford had just unveiled a small, lightweight V8 engine. Carroll Shelby had the idea that this small block Ford V8 would probably fit between the frame rails and under the hood of the AC ACE. AC would be interested because they were wondering how they were going to keep building cars without engines and Ford was interested because they had just announced their ambitious "Total Performance" competition program -- the idea of a young, hard charging Ford executive named Lee Iacocca -- and mating their new V8 to a lightweight sportscar would quickly lend credibility to their new program.

A lot of people think that the first Cobras were simply AC ACEs with Ford 260 (later 289) cubic-inch engines and Borg Warner T-10 4-speed transmissions bolted to them, but in actual fact the original AC chassis and suspension were only starting points. Virtually everything had to be strengthened or redesigned to handle the Ford V8's additional horsepower. The AC Ace's 6-cylinder put out 135 horsepower. The street Cobra's V8 was rated at double that, and the racing versions produced almost triple!

The 427 Cobra design although somewhat similar in appearance to the 289 was really a completely new car designed by Shelby and Ford engineers. AC merely manufactured the chassis and body following Shelby's specifications and shipped them to Los Angeles for completion by Shelby.

AC's relationship to Shelby regarding the Cobra is similar to Pininfarina's relationship to Ferrari for many of their cars.

It wouldn't be appropriate to call a Ferrari F50 a Ferrari Pininfarina F50 nor would it be appropriate to call a Shelby Cobra a Shelby AC Cobra.

 

S2000 Driver

You've been talking here about a lot of cars, but you haven't said anything about the one below (shown with you standing next to it)