The Cobra is an Anglo-American sports car that has been in production intermittently since 1962. Fitted with a Ford engine, the Cobra was intended from the outset to be a “Corvette beater”, a goal it achieved in 1963. Due to the high cost, very few models of the Cobra were built. Racing car enthusiasts have instead focused on building and maintaining replicas with loving care and attention to detail. Finding a cobra replica for sale can be a big achievement for a sports car enthusiast.
A lightweight racing car
The Cobra was designed to be 500 pounds lighter than the Corvette. The prototype and first 75 Cobra Mark had a 260 cu in V8 Ford Windsor engine. Shelby Carroll achieved his goal early, when the Cobra with driver Dave MacDonald beat a field of Corvettes, Jaguars, Porsches, and Maseratis to win at Riverside International Raceway in 1963.
This was the Cobra’s first-ever victory and the first of many to come. Cobras are known for weighing much less than most racing cars and roadsters, which can weigh as much as 3,400 pounds. The Lightweight Cobra introduced at the 1990 Geneva Salon weighed only 2,360 pounds, with up to 370 hp at 5,750 rpm.
The legend of the Cobra
While the Stingray Corvette initiated the fixed roof line of Corvettes, the Cobra has retained the racing car build with a convertible roof and side curtains that would not have been out of place in a 1930s car. In 1964, the AC Cobra Coupe added to the legend by reaching a speed of 186 mph on a motorway in the UK.
However, despite the popularity of the Cobra, very limited numbers were produced. For example, only 538 models of the 1964 Mark II were built. Between 1962 and 1968, Carroll Shelby built only 654 small-block Cobras and around 350 big-block versions.
Cobra replicas for sale: the legend continues
Because of the limited number of vintage models available, road and track enthusiasts have turned to Cobra replicas. Cobra car kits contain everything needed for authentic replication, and come at every stage of completion, from just the chassis to the complete model. A cobra replica for sale has everything you would expect from a custom-built roadster, along with post-sales support and service.
For serious racing car enthusiasts, a cobra replica for sale can be the find of a lifetime.
