The original Shelby Cobra was not what you would call a heavyweight as it tipped the scales at 1,088 kg (2,400 pounds) with the 427 cubic inch engine installed in the Mark III.
Fibreglass-bodied kit cars started popping up which shaved the weight down to just under 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds).
Now thanks to the folks from Classic Recreations, there is a carbon fibre Cobra body that comes in at just 40 kg (88 pounds). Unfortunately, we do not know the total weight of the finished product but the company does have permission from Shelby to build official CSX-numbered Cobra continuation cars.
It is officially called the Diamond Edition Carbon Fiber Shelby Cobra Race Car and while it’s clearly intended to be faster on track, nothing in the press release suggests that it will be road-legal.
“Carroll Shelby taught me the significance of pushing the envelope through innovation and passion,” said Jason Engel, founder and vice president of design and engineering at Classic Recreations “A dream of Carroll’s was always to place the highest horsepower engine possible in the lightest, most agile car imaginable and it is our honour to have met that challenge.”
To make the car more modern, it will do away with a tubular frame and use a completely new chassis. Powering the Cobra will be a third-gen Ford Coyote V8 which can pump out more than 800 horses (597 kW) when fitted with an optional supercharger. That is a lot for the rear to handle and even more for the driver to handle since the shifting duties fall to them via a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission.
This sounds like one very serious piece of kit and it is so it comes with a price tag to match right? That is correct. If you manage to secure one you are very lucky as only 10 are planned for production each with a starting price of $1.2 million.
Check out the gallery below of the gorgeous carbon fibre Cobra curves.
Source: Shelby