427 Shelby Cobra

427 Cobra with period correct 427 side oiler and matching dual quad Holley carbs.

Owning a 427 Cobra had been a dream of mine since I first read about, and later saw one in person as a young boy back in 1965. As I grew older and building hot rods became my hobby and later profession as an adult, it was on my “bucket list” to build, drive and own one. What you see here is the culmination of many years of planning, researching, building, driving and enjoying the most iconic hot rod ever built. The legendary 427 Cobra.

This is definitely not your ordinary Cobra replica. I researched and read many, many articles on the building and development of the original 427 Cobras. As a Shelby American club member I was able to get some first hand information from other club members and even a couple interesting tips from the man himself, Carroll Shelby, prior to his passing in 2012.

The visual presentation of this Cobra was inspired by Dave Smith (owner of Factory Five) and his personal Cobra. Very understated with no stripes and full bumpers and of course the classic knock off style wheels. But there the similarity ends as you’ll see when you read further.

The Internet is full of “427 cobras” (lower case “c” intentional) for sale. A lot of these have been hurriedly slapped together with the help of a Mustang donor car, and the build reflects it, and quite honestly remind me of carnival rides you see at the fairgrounds. I generally don’t knock anyone else’s work but these cobras are a dime a dozen. If you are looking for something with a much higher level of refinement please read on.

I wanted my dream Cobra 427 to pay tribute to the original as Shelby intended but also incorporate modern performance and safety features not available in 1965. I wanted to create the perfect blend of both old and new.

Now that I’ve explained a little bit of where I was going with this build and If you are still with me, this might be the one of a kind, higher end, perfect Cobra for you.

Lets start with the power plant. The heart of any Cobra build. After many months of searching I was able to find (and after much negotiation) buy, a period correct, genuine 427 side oiler, with, get this, dual quad Holleys. These are matching BJ, BK Holley carbs. Built and tuned as a set. But this is no ordinary 427 Side oiler. It has something extra. A 428 crank, creating a natural Ford stroker motor of around 450+ cubic inches! This vintage motor has so much torque, and with so little weight to move, it can be downright scary! It will literally take your breath away when you jump on it! However, it will also cruise nicely, and has very predictable street manners. It can be driven like your daily driver street car when asked.

Behind the 427 is a Quick Time bell-housing, a smooth dual diaphragm clutch and a TKO 600 5 speed with overdrive. Cruising at highway speeds, with a 3:08 gear out back, the RPMs are kept at a minimum. She loves to cruise.

The suspension consists of the optional upgraded, coil over Koni shocks, 4 wheel Cobra brakes, rack and pinion steering, an updated Factory Five 3 link rear suspension and an 8.8, with posi of course, Ford rear housing. With a vehicle this light a 9” housing with its extra weight was deemed unnecessary so the 8.8 was given the nod and has performed flawlessly.

There are so many more special and unique details to this build that space does not permit me to list them. I would be more than happy to discuss them in detail with any serious buyers who would like to call me. My name is Ray and I can be reached at 517 627 5145. Please leave a message and I will return your call.

Buyer is responsible for shipping.