Page "AC Cars" Paragraph 27

At the end of the 1964 racing season, the Cobra was being outclassed in sports car racing by Ferrari.

Carroll Shelby decided he needed a bigger engine.

A big block Ford FE series 390 V8 was installed in a Cobra and the result was scary-the car was virtually undrivable.

It was decided that a completely new chassis was needed.

With the combined help of Ford ’ s computers and the experience of the AC engineers, the new MKIII was born with main tubes instead of for the chassis, huge cross-braced shock towers and coil springs all around.

This, along with a bigger 427ci version of the FE, made the new AC Cobra MKIII an absolutely unbeatable race car.

Specifically, the engine that was installed in the car was Ford's famed 427 FE NASCAR " Side-Oiler " V8, a power-house engine developing in its mildest street version.

Unfortunately, the car missed homologation for the 1965 season and was not raced by the Shelby team.

However, it was raced successfully by many privateers and went on to win races all the way into the 1970s.

The AC 427 Cobra, although a commercial failure when in production, has now become one of the most sought-after and replicated automobiles ever.