Shelby Cobra 427 S/C (1964)

Model Detail

Brand: Yat Ming
Scale: 1:18
Colour: Blue with white stripes
Features: Opening Doors, Hood, Trunk; Adjustable Front Wheels; Workable Steering with Independent spring suspension for wheels

Car Information and Specifications

The roots of Cobra stem from the British-made Ace which was produced from 1954 to 1963 by AC. In 1961 Carol Shelby saw the potential in the design and decided to have AC throw a Ford V8 under the hood. Several prototypes were made by AC until production was finalized. In 1962 100 cars were sent to America for completion; the Cobra was born.

The first 256 (4.2 liter) Shelby Cobras combined the best elements of the AC Ace with the high torque Ford V8. Because the engine was pushed as far back as possible in the chassis, the Cobra with its fairly heavy engine, retained good handling characteristics. Also aiding in cornering speeds was the car's low weight and all-wheel independent suspension as designed by John Tojeiro for the Ace.

Soon after the first 100 cars were send from AC in England, Shelby opted for an even larger engine, specifically the 289. AC saw much potential in Shelby's work at this time and started to sell their own AC Cobra 289. By 1965 Shelby had taken the AC chassis to its limits, by installing the potent Ford 427.

The 'S/C' stood for 'Semi/Competition' Basically what was done was to take a competition car and give it the minimum requirements for legal road use. Each S/C still retained the majority of the competition cars features, right down to the roll bar. (This always had a rear facing brace on the 427 instead of the forward facing brace of the 289, although the prototype 427s had 289 type roll bars).

Due to the very limited numbers involved with the road going version of the 427, these cars have fetched anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000 US.