It was almost 50 years ago when the sports car world was changed forever by the Ford-powered Cobra being introduced at the 1962 New York Auto Show. Now Shelby American is marking the occasion with a limited edition offering of 50 continuation “street car” Cobras to celebrate that milestone. Each will be painted “Shelby black” with red leather interior, special badges, wire wheels and other items.

“Fifty years after its introduction, the Shelby Cobra is still an international symbol of high performance,” said John Luft, president of Shelby American. “Combining a robust, powerful American engine with a lightweight European chassis was brilliant. Half a century later, the Cobra remains one of the most coveted cars in the world. Shelby’s formula still resonates today and is followed by automakers worldwide.”

Built from 1962-1965, the CSX2000 series small block Cobra was born in Southern California when Shelby’s crew re-engineered the AC Ace to accept Ford’s new small block. Weighing only 916kg, the Cobra proved nimble, quick and reliable. The racing version dominated, culminating in the 1965 FIA World Championship.

In 1996, Carroll Shelby began manufacturing the small block “street version” Cobra once again. Today, the cars are component vehicles that can be fitted with a proper drive train by customers. Each car is built to order and delivered as a rolling chassis, less drive train, with a 1965 MSO. The 50th Anniversary Edition cars have some unique differences. (more…)