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Shelby Cobra bites back after 60 years
The Shelby Cobra is back in the UK after almost 60 years and it has a 700bhp bite.
Made famous as the fastest accelerating car in the world when new, the Shelby Cobra has been relaunched in the UK with the CSX10000 series. All of these brand-new cars will be recorded with the official Shelby Cobra Register so everyone knows it’s the real deal.
The UK is the first country in the world to get its hands on this latest incarnation of the iconic sports car that started life in 1962. It’s also been introduced to mark the centenary of the birth of company founder Carroll Shelby, who came up with the idea of cramming a V8 engine into the British sports car to create the Cobra.
Image credit: Clive Sutton
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Available in the UK exclusively through specialist company Clive Sutton, the updated Shelby Cobra looks the same as its 1960s ancestor. Under the snake skin, however, lies the latest Ford Coyote V8 engine. In standard form, this 5.0-litre motor generates a punchy 460bhp, but customers can opt for the full-house supercharged version with up to 700bhp.
A six-speed manual gearbox is used to cope with the power of the V8 motor and it will see off 0-60mph in less than four seconds. That makes the new Shelby Cobra even quicker off the mark than the original that held the title of the fastest accelerating road car for an amazing 20 years.
Helping to harness all of this power off the line and make it just as good in the corners are its Continental Extreme Contact Sport tyres. They come in suitably wide sizes to match the Cobra’s menacing looks, so there are 275/35ZR18 tyres at the front and broad 335/30ZR18s at the back. These high performance tyres are fitted to specially designed 18-inch alloy wheels that match the look of the original 15-inch Cobra wheels.
The interior also follows the style of the original Cobra with its simple dash and leather bucket-style seats. There is a touch of luxury with the diamond-stitched upholstery and customers can choose from a variety of colours to complement the exterior paint.
The Shelby Cobra CSX10000 will come with right-hand drive for UK buyers and prices start at £195,000. The question is, and with that price tag, will it live up to its history?