In the early 60s, the English company AC Cars produced the 2-seater roadster AC Ace. Under the hood, he had an engine Bristol, developed even before World War II by BMW. But in 1961, Bristol ceased manufacturing and supplying its units and began working with Chrysler, using a 313-cc engine corporation. Roadsters AC Cars were left without engines. Upon learning of this, former racer Carroll Shelby suggested the company’s cooperation to start assembling roadsters in America and equip them with Ford Falcon’s powerful V8.
In early February 1962, the first roadster arrived in Los Angeles, and Shelby installed the 260th HiPo block from Ford and the 4-speed Borg-Warner gearbox in it and immediately went to test the new product. The name “Cobra” was born in a dream: “I woke up for a second and wrote down the “Cobra” in a notebook, which I always kept on the bedside table. I immediately realized that this name was exactly what was needed for the car. ” Shelby not only installed the engine but also upgraded the chassis to place a Ford transmission in a small roadster. A little later, the ex-rider managed to adapt to Cobra engine Windsor volume of 289 cubic inches and a capacity of 271 hp, which allows you to accelerate to 140 miles/hour. The same engine later used Shelby to build the Shelby GT350.
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