Apparently not. Ultimately the Cobra proved too expensive and too impractical compared with its European roadster counterparts, and interest dwindled quickly. The Cobra may only have arrived on the scene in 1961, but six years and three remodeled versions later production had ceased. Soon Shelby’s attention switched to Mustangs (in-between juggling Detroit relationships and aiding three Le Mans 24hrs victories for the epic GT40), and that seemingly was that.
Though time rarely heels all wounds, it can bring a new lease of life. Despite disappointing returns during what should have been its heyday, desirability for the AC nay Shelby Cobra today continues to be through the roof, helped immeasurably by the rarity of the breed.
Only two examples, for instance, of the 1966 Cobra 427 Super Snake were made, designed to be the ‘fastest, meanest car on the road’. Too true. With two superchargers clamped onto the V8, the Super Snake produced nearly double the horsepower of a standard Cobra. Small wonder that Shelby himself had earmarked one, and why one of the two was sold in 2007 to a private collector for $5.5million.
It may not have been the next big thing in the early-1960s, but with the Cobra, Caroll Shelby – whom the automotive world lost last week – left a legacy the strength of which nobody could have predicted.
