While there is a lot of buzz about Stock Cars coming to rFactor 2, many members in the community are waiting for some classic American Muscle. Image Space Incorporated has released a new preview, showing off the Shelby Cobra 427.
The Ford/Shelby AC Cobra was one of the first examples of American insanity embodied in a car. With it’s origins in an AC Ace chassis, Carroll Shelby approached Charles Hurlock (owner of AC) with an idea to put a Ford V8 in the car. The result was the Shelby Cobra Mk. I, fitted with a 260 cubic inch V8 (a slightly larger 289 cu in version was also released).
However, it is the Shelby Cobra Mk. III which is the craziest, and also the most famous. Carroll decided to drop a big block 427 ci V8 engine into his “Corvette Beater” (Fun Fact: To cut costs, a majority of “427 Shelby Cobras” actually were fitted with a 428 ci engine, to cut some costs). The car in standard specifications produced 425 horsepower, bringing the 2,355 lb car to a speed of 164 miles per hour. The competition-spec Cobra was boosted to 485 horsepower, which rocketed the car to a mind numbing 185 mph!
Sadly, at the time, America decided not to embrace the crazy brainchild of Carroll Shelby, and the car was a flop. The Mk. III also failed to meet the homologation standards for the FIA GT Season, preventing Shelby to compete with their rivals. Due to these circumstances, Ford decided to stop importing cars in 1967. Nowadays, the car is very popular among auto enthusiasts. An original Shelby Cobra 427 S/C could sell in prices upwards of $1.5 million!
The Shelby Cobra saw a variety of success in different forms of motorsport. The Cobra earned its title as “Corvette Beater” in 1963 at Riverside International Raceway in California. A hardtop coupe version, the Daytona, saw success in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12H of Sebring. Some Cobras were also constructed to drag specifications, which won multiple NHRA events as well.
No release date has been announced yet, but we should likely see the Cobra coming to rFactor 2 in the near future. Are you looking forward to getting some more American Muscle? Let us know in the comments!
another rf2 vs AC coming. *popcorn ready
I bet the moded version of AC will be better than this !
I seriously doubt that.
If this thing is anything like the Panoz, I’m sure we’ll have something to really look forward to. 😉
You can place the rear of that car wherever you want, as long as you’re not too greedy with the loud pedal. It’s how I imagine a powerful V8 car to drive, and I just think the Cobra’s going to be a wee bit more insane. 😛