1966 Cobra

Carroll Shelby created the Cobra with the help and technical support of Ford, who liked the idea of offering a sports car that could win the World Manufacturer’s GT Championship dominated by Ferrari since its inception. So in 1962, Shelby establishes Shelby American in California. The first Cobra is launched at the '62 New York Auto Show. Equipped with the Ford 260 and later the 289 cubic-inch engines, the Cobra proved to be a success on racetracks worldwide: a winning mix of lightweight body, less than 1000kg, small dimensions and brute US power proved to be revolutionary. In 1964, Shelby started working on Shelby Cobra 427, an even more extreme version powered by a monstrous Ford big block 7 litre engine with around 450 bhp and over 600 Nm of torque. It was astonishingly fast even by today’s standards. The 0 to 60 mph time was just over 4 seconds In July ’65, the Cobra finally wins (in roadster and coupe form) the World Manufacturers’ GT Championship, as the team soundly defeated Ferrari. Shelby is the only US auto manufacturer to win the championship, before or since. Today, it still is one of most desirable sports cars for every car collector.