A Top Gear special from 1994: The AC Cobra Story presented by Quentin Willson. Compilation with: The Car's the Star, and an unknown 90's show episode about kit cars.
I'm not sure if old Quinton is correct at the beginning. AC, a British company, built the AC Ace. In 1961 the AC Ace 2.6 was developed with Ken Rudd and the engineers at AC using Ford's 2.6ltr, 6 cylinder engine. But it was Carroll Shelby who looked at the Ace and thought, _"Hmmm... I can stick an implausibly big V8 into this. Widen the bodywork to fit some huge, wide tyres and call it the Cobra!"_ And thank you Mr. Shelby for doing so. The AC Cobra's are simply *_gorgeous._* How dull the world would be without them ;-))...
My dad bought me a model of this car when i was young. I preferred the Lamborghini diablo he bought my brother😆 Took years for this to become one of my favourite cars. Fantastic car. An icon of the 60s
The first of the seven liter cars that they tried to race were so uncontrollable that Ken Miles called it "the Turd." Was it AutoCar magazine that said, "it's the world's easiest car to spin around the gear lever on a wet road"? And, "the only car in which we've run out of petro twice in less than ten miles." LOL.
In 1975 I was 14 & moved in with my Uncle, an actor who lived i the 90210 hills off of Coldwater canyon. He took me to his garage and showed me what I thought was an Austin Healey 3000 with a small block Chevy, he starts it up and puffs of dust were blowing here and there as it idled, the aluminum fenders had tiny bumps from pebbles hurling into the fender wells, I closed the door and he said dont slam it! open the latch then close it and latch it, the doors are flimsy thin aluminum. My Uncle let me take it out when I was 16! in 1977 I cruised it on Van Nuys blvd and nobody knew what it was and jousted with me, I just hit the pedal and it shot away! I am probably the only person who drove an AC Cobra at 16 , in the Beverly Hills Post Office section of Coldwater canyon I am sure I was. my uncle restored and preserved several notable vehicles, including a Mercury Woody Marmon Herington conversion made for Fotomat tycoon and Orthographer who drove it across the country taking pictures, it was custom with a 283 solid lifter vette engine and stainless steel ice box and water tank built in the roof was reinforced to stand on it. he restored 2 Chrysler Town & Country convertibles that were gorgeous!
A lot of British jealousy of USA in this video... keep mentioning Cobra deaths, but not MGA, Jaguar, MGB, Austin Healy, Triumph, TVR, Morgan deaths... when they simply fall apart...
Fun fact: The AC cobra had a 6 cylinder until the manufacturer of the 6 cylinder stopped making it. AC needed a new engine, Carol shelby liked cobras, Shelby took one to the US, Asked chevy for an engine, they said no because they didn't want a vette rival. Shelby went to ford and the shelby cobra was born.
Ive met Mr Shelby while next to his personal twin blower 427 cobra....that day he almost ran me over in his golf cart twice saying "ill get ya!" I said: "it would be my honor". RIP
@Art Vandelay it absolutely was true. It was at 25th anniv SAAC show in western MA. i also stood in long line to have my 66 press kit signed, cost $25. Was in a show that the history channel filmed there. I showed my black 86 competition prep SVO there
It was being tested for the Le Mans and was clocked at 185mph. I bet the bobbies in their Morris Minor chasing it thought, _"F**k this game! Let's go and get a cuppa tea! After all, it's not speeding, is it?"_
Not-right it was the Astons and E types doing their testing that brought it on and the cops were driving SP250's that they could keep up. I was in the trade then so know the truth as my car was an SP. No one did 180 on the M1.
In my opinion one of Bill's funniest comedy scenes is he describing the car as he cranked it up and drove it around the block and gave it back to Shelby and told him to take it back.
The AC Cobra was to racing what the P-51 was to fighter planes. British design and engineering combined with American can-do attitude and brawn. Mustang to Cobra to GT40. Teamwork. Throw in some Australian and New Zealand brass clankers and a Texas sized ego and you get myths and legends and GLORY.
A lot of B S, I built the 427 Cobra for Shelby, The 1st was built in April in Venice, Ca. by me, I built the 1st 6 by myself & than hired 4 guys to build the next 350. You never see any film of the building of 427s, I was over in the corner of another building by myself. Shelby did not give credit to anyone!
@@64fairlane305 to me the AC (or Kitcar variant) is a true cobra (the American borrowed variant at least, I know the original AC cars were different and british), not the new tech advanced super snake.
@@allanmcelroy9840 True. The confusion here is between the AC Cobra and The Shelby Cobra. Carrol Shelby is the man behind both of them, but AC was allowed to continue his first 289cui Ford Windsor project as long as they promised not to use Shelby`s name. The AC Cobra is just an old car with a lightweight V8 in it, as most British sports- & racecars was at that time. The Shelby Cobra 427cui is another animal, it might remind of an AC but it is a fullblooded racecar
Im in the minority but I so preferred the earlier Top Gear years over the later versions. Back then it had gravitas and not dumbed down to 3 middle aged blokes smashing cars up every episode.
I really wish there is more on YT,, it's presenting is uniquely dated,, like Barbara Woodhouse,, it's a scream,, but ,,,,, you're right, it's so much better than the copy/paste ,,, this looks old,, but it's not,, I bet TG goes back further ,,, when cars where cars ,, Elf stations were the pitstop of shire Hemingways and everything else was lemonade,, cue the music,,!!!
Yeah towards the end of the 3 blokes run they were pretty much just making silly mini movie skits with a loose car theme tied into it, great for ratings but i always prefered the road driving segments or when they went racing, and even then it was more entertainment rather than educational/informational.
There will never be another Shelby AC Cobra 427SC. It wasn't as much of a car as it was a purpose built statement to the racing world. And most older people from that generation will tell you- "There are three ways to commit suicide 1- Spit on Chuck Norris, 2- Have evidence on Hillary, or 3- Hit Top Speed in a 427SC.
@@chocodiledundee1 and as we say in America, video or it didn't happen. LOL J/k. Would definitely like to meet the man that put Chuck Norris to sleep if that really happened.
Back in the 90s I ran into Chuck in a Manhattan drugsrore about 3 am one morning. We were both waiting for prescriptions. I only remember two things about that: he was very short, and the bleachy-blonde with him was very tall.
@@64fairlane305 You don't know what you're talking about. Read it again. 0 to 100 and back to 0 again in well under 14 seconds. My 2017 Camaro SS 1LE can't do that. And your Fairlane sure as HELL won't, although I do like it.
@@eltonspurlock Yes, the Kz1000 was good, but the 750 triple 2 stk was ungodly fast! A friend had one. Handling sucked, brakes sucked, and (if the center piston didn't seize up) nothing could touch it in a straight line!
There is something to be said about the smooth lines of this car vs. the kit car looks of the ones with the hood scoop, side pipes, and roll bar. As far as the killer car goes, the case of the first one mentioned at 2:38 with the guy going off the cliff was a guy in Northern California who owned one of 2 Supersnakes (the other being the now-disgraced Bill Cosby); each cars had an automatic transmission and a twin-supercharged 427 engine. I believe it was rumored that he committed suicide. His car flew off the cliff into the Pacific Ocean and was recovered. It sat for years, and was recently restored and sold for a record umpteen millions at one of the auctions.
There were three. The one owned by Cosby is no more. But the one you referred to and one that belonged to Shelby himself. Which as you stated sold last year for $5.5M
@@davidtuttle7556 Yes, that is correct. There is a clip from an old Bill Cosby show from the 60s where he is taking a gal out on a date, and a Supersnake and a garbage truck are parked. Another guy hops in the Supersnake and Bill Cosby and his date hop in the trash truck. Someone mentioned in the comments that it was VIN# xxxxx and it was not Cosby's or Shelby's if I recall. I remember watching it after posting my comment. I forget the show, but here is the clip and VIN# ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TxjngHRI1ow.html
It’s an axe, crude but effective. My high school dream car. Rich classmate got a Corvette Stingray convertible for Christmas. I wanted a 427 Cobra to dust his ass. One sat on the local Ford dealers showroom for three years. Couldn’t give it away. I actually saw them run at Sebring in 1965, the beginning of the end. Never aerodynamic enough to win big time races then. Chaparral, GT-40, & Daytona coupe all beat them...but that sound...
I have just bought a book by John Bolster... i had no idea that he was such a shaker and mover. Note: 5:51 Supermarine Spitfire nonchalantly behind QW's shoulder whilst making the point.
the most masculine car ever made no question about it its the car most of us would love to have over n above any super slick super car on earth, If only they made a new cobra much wider more aerodynamic with suspension n breaks to much But keep the original masculine shape only bigger? come on guys it still be our dream car it just needs to handle like a lotus, who wants a Ferrari anyway when you can have a top handling COBRA?
@@mikeskidmore6754 Absolutely, 100% American and always in production since 1953 (except for the 83 retooling of course), can't wait for the mid-engine.
Your left foot would get 3rd degree burns if proper care was not taken, that appendage was only inches from the the glowing redness of the the header exaust
Don't try to sell the Ace as a Cobra all the suspension was replaced as well as the motor mounts. Carroll Shelby built a body from AC and designed this beast.
Dan B. American? Really. I agree with you. An American V8 is by far the best bang for the buck. And I do wish as an American we could claim the “ LET’S PUT A BIG EFFING V8 IN IT”!! The idea of putting a big motor in a little car is British. In the 20’s the LeMan’s winning car used this formula. The Americans just perfected it and made it possible for the common man to acquire one. The Europeans do not like Americans bringing cars to Europe and beating them. ESPECIALLY the FIA. But that is another lesson. Best of luck with your MGBGT. Sounds like a monster!
"A real 308 will cost 30 grand?" hahaha what!? not anymore! Funny how he thought he was saving money modifying a fake one which is now worth nothing and the real one has ramped up exponentially in value.
Like the Lotus was to America's Hennessy... Carol Shelby was to the cobra... the Classic British body style with her sexy lines and panache..yet exquisite horsepower through American muscle.. The perfect union!! To this day if you were to park a well built AC Cobra next to a Ferrari or Lamborghini or both people would gravitate and only notice the cobra
No doubt. There are well engineered kits out there but few people do them right. You get people building on a budget, they cut corners & build junk. A capable builder starting with a high end kit that's willing to spend the money can build a very nice "Cobra". They aren't originals but those built well are worthy tributes that will give you a feel for the original. Unfortunately, those are a small % of the kits out there. On a side note, the Cobra kits are the only replicas out there that aren't automatically cheesy. Nobody is trying to pawn them off as originals like a snot nosed kid that has a Fiero with a body kit sitting in front of a 1971 single wide mobile home. lol I think most people with Cobra kits are more car guys wanting a wild performance car. They aren't looking to fool anyone, they are looking for the experience of a Cobra. Originals are all but unobtainable and a well built, quality kit will get you close. Even if it is somewhat different, it's still a wild ride. Maybe I am wrong but in my mind, I put Cobra kits in a different class than other kit cars. I think the motivation of the owners is different. lol The results of their build may make people cringe but those few that are truly well done Cobra kits are desirable cars even when everyone knows it isn't real. It's different than a fake Ferrari or a fake Lambo. Are others with me on this?
@@shananagans5 Shelby CSX2000 was what we'd call a kit car today! Nobody is trying to pass off a modern kit as an original. It's simple math more people want a Cobra than Shelby ever made in fact Shelby never even made enough Cobras for every Ford dealer in America to get one when they were new.
Their once was a house in east London that sold for 7 thousand pounds in the 1960s, today it's worth 1 million pounds,nice car try bringing up a family up in it,all these people wishing they'd invested in a cobra instead brought a house,sell the house go buy a few
w41duvernay that one was one of two very special Cobra's built by shelby himself. Seem to remember them having close to 800BHP. Cosby sold it right away (at least that's what was said in the documentary - to scared to drive it). It funny that the Dodgers Viper was on same show. I always thought it was a homage to it. But reading a press release on De-Tomaso this year, it was their last r&d model that never got finished and as the original owner (cannot think of his name) lost a interest in the company, it was parked by it new owner with viper being made with a converted truck engine many years later by them
@@Legotyres Cosby; I took off one nite from my local bar, doing 80mph.... In reverse! And just because I'm black some cop wrote me a ticket!! I don't know if any body ever tried that, but reverse had same gear ratio as 1st, and winding it up, it could do 80! Crosby's snake came equipped with not one but 2 Paxton superchargers!! Oh, To be alive in the 60's
Quintin, just doesn't look so right in the Cobra. Looks as though he's sitting on it, not a part of it. Maybe the c obra siutes a smaller framed person, not sure?
Always has and always will be my dream car. God I hope that one day I have have a kid and he/she will make Sheldon Cooper look stupid. It’s my only chance.
2:37. Pure BS. Hits a wall at 120 MPH with 300 ft of skid marks. BS. Was the driver hitting the brakes and throttle at the same time? If so...serves him right. Too bad for the car.
A guy in my neighborhood has an original Shelby AC. It's a beautiful car. A driven car. Gets a lot of attention. Unfortunately I don't know the owner and have never been offered a ride. 3.8 seconds. Super cars have only been attaining that level of performance in recent years. There is nothing English about a Shelby Cobra AC. Remember the AC itself was stylized after the Ferrari 550 Barchetta, an Italian Pininfarina design through and through. And the Cobra never had electrical problems.
No, I must correct you. You are wrong, I am correct. The Englishman that you speak of but were unable to name is Portuguese born John Tojeiro, technically Portuguese not English. I'll take Mr. Tojeiro at his word when he tells me that the car was designed in the image of the 1949 Barchetta Tour, of Itailian Pininfarin lineage. Any thing else you're confused about?
I have a special 428 Super Cobra limited edition I have never seen a cobra run so fast in all my life my brother took it down the road stomped it like to Black Marsh all the way down the street flipped it over three times and told them I still got the motor and transmission in my garage and the rear end fastest Cobra I ever seen
Been in my family ever since I was 14 years old it has a special cam it's a special order Cobra it was run on the drag strip and one on the drag strip guys want a lot of trophies the engine is brand new and it is the original has a special cam in it special rear end
Isn't that a Shelby Cobra? AC made the Ace, which was slow. It took Shelby to make it fast, and Ford to make it handle. Thank you for the body goes to the UK, everything else? The U.S.A. of course.
Hmm. I thought the 7 liter originals were all built in the USA with British bodies. This video seems to say otherwise announcing it as a British car. Body maybe. At the least it was started in England and turned into a Cobra in the USA.
Your history of the cobra isnt completely right Body+chassis +suspension and brakes etc British and only engine is Yanky. & 7,ltr engine fitted in Cal early engines fitted ijn London So it is not an American car as most Yanks claim- as usual. Its like saying the Ferarri's had a Yank engine so they are an American car!
To be clear of course AC built to completion the old AC Aces and AC Cobras. Be proud of that. But the chasis and bodies sent to Shelby and built as AC Shelby Cobras were more than mere engine swaps. Shelby took AC bodies w/chasis to build the "Shelby's". What we in the states think of as Shelby Cobras. From a different perspective than yours. You're correct in what you state. @@kencook7953
I would rather have a Grand Sport Corvette. The Problem is that GM had 53% of USA auto sales and Uncle Sam was threatening to break them up and penalize them.. So GM executives figured they would stop supporting racing .. Meanwhile Zoros Arkov Duntov was going to build 200 Grand Sport Corvettes.. GM shut him down after building 5-7 of them . They ate Cobras for lunch too .. Aluminum bodied 360 Cubic Inch Vettes.. There is a Company Licensed to build replicas but they are at least $250,000.00
Shelby also put a big engine in to the Sunbeam Alpine sports car, and called it the Sunbeam Tiger, and the big engine shook the car to bits, and the Tiger died a death, nice work Carroll
Peter Brown Tiger died because Chrysler bought Sunbeam, didn’t have a V8 that would fit and was not willing to put a Ford engine in one of their cars. A Tiger sold for $90,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in 2019.
6:08 Typical british ignorance. Fords nascar 427 was not picked out of the Galaxie but a pure race engine. Versions of this engine was tuned down for use in sportscars like the Cobra & the GT40. The GT40`s engine promised 485hp at 6400rpms but would rev up tp 8000rpms, safe up to 7400rpms. Btw; Carrol Shelby allowed AC to continue making theyr tiny Cobras (compared to Shelby`s own Cobras) on one condition; they had to leave his name out of it.
It was used in the Galaxie in about 1961 or 1962 the Galaxie was the nascar you could also buy a Galaxie production car in 1965 or 1966 with a detuned 427 motor in it, rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/AM12/Amelia-Island/lots/r152-1962-ford-galaxie-427-nascar-tribute-stock-car/280586
@@subconscious.com_usa6691 The 427 was lanched in 1963 but my point is that the 427 delivered in a daily driver (top-oiler) was not the same engine used in racing. (sideoiler or 427R)
AC's owner, Charles Hurlock, was approached by Carroll Shelby to use a Ford V8 in the Ace chassis, producing the AC Cobra . The AC Cobra, sold as the Shelby Cobra in the United States, is an Anglo-American sports car .
The AC car was called the AC Ace. When Carroll Shelby shoehorned V8's into them they became known as Shelby Cobra's. You must have a problem with listening or comprehension.
Gavin Keaty the 88 was a completely different car. the partnership known as the AC Cobra sold in the UK, in America they were marketed as the Shelby Cobra. He was in fact correct. How do I know, because I have contacted AC factory, and asked them. Also, there were people who were around in the 60s that went to the AC showroom and saw the AC Cobra sign above the chassis before buying one. So, instead of saying stuff you know nothing about listen to people who do.
