1965 Shelby 427 Cobra

The big block Shelby Cobra is considered by many to be the most iconic American sports car in history. When GM began to work on a new big block Corvette and Ferrari increased the power of the V12 powered GTO’s, Shelby and Ford Motor Company decided to shoehorn the mighty 427 FE motor into the Cobra.

Engine
The 427 FE engine became popular in the 1960s as the first power plant for the Big Block Cobra. Our 427 FE engines start with our Aluminum 427 block. Cast in California, these blocks are stronger and 40% lighter than the original cast iron blocks. We have plenty of configurations for you to choose from, ranging from 500-750 horsepower. These engines are the most popular choice for the Shelby CSX6000-series Cobras.

Interior
It’s a true Shelby that, when equipped with a proper Ford 427, delivers the performance expected of genuine American supercar. It can go from 0-60 MPH under four seconds and run a 12 second quarter mile in the hands of an experienced driver.

Independent Suspension
This cobra embraces the world’s first computer designed chassis with Dual A-arm, four wheel coil-over independent suspension. The roadster has improvements while staying true to its originality. New improvements also include a stronger steel frame, better alloys and better cooling and heating.

To fit the 427 into his Cobra, Carroll Shelby completely redesigned the frame, body and chassis. Shelby developed a new independent suspension, fortified the frame to handle the increase in torque and modified the body to fit bigger wheels and tires.

Think about what American cars you have loved throughout your life. It’s almost certain that the Cobra 427 was (or still is) in amongst your favorites. With rounded, flared arches, a gaping mouth and a scoop on the hood, and a pair of racing stripes traversing the (usually) gray paintwork, the baddest Cobra found its place in the history books from the moment it entered production. It was as loud as a pack of lions – if lions were ever to attack in packs – and more unruly than a teenager who’s going through a phase that’s “totally not a phase”. The first 50 cars made were Competition or Semi/Competition-spec while the other 260 copies built until late ’67 were tuned to be more street-oriented, although even this can be considered a stretch. That’s why probably no other car can boast with such a wide variety of replicas quite like the Cobra and, naturally, most try to copy the look of the Cobra 427.