Kyosho Essex Wire #91 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C 1/18

No discussion of Shelby Cobra history is complete without a detailed look at what is arguably the winningest Cobra of them all: the famed Essex Wire 1965 427 Competition Roadster.

Numbered CSX3009, the Essex Wire Cobra was the tip of the spear in a sweeping racing endeavor under the Ford Racing Team banner that also included a Shelby GT350R and two Ford GT40s and campaigns in SCCA A and B Production, the U.S. Road Racing Championship and FIA international competition.

CSX3009 was finished in Wimbledon White and equipped with FIA-style Halibrand wheels. As a full competition roadster, it incorporated the FE-block 427 CI side-oiler V-8 engine with a single Holley 4-barrel atop a magnesium intake manifold, 12.4:1 compression-ratio competition aluminum heads, unmuffled steel-tube side exhausts, remote engine and rear-end oil coolers, a Ford Toploader 4-speed manual transmission and a Salisbury limited-slip differential. As specified by sponsor Essex, the car was finished with a single wide Raven Black stripe with orange borders and “Essex Wire” in black letters on each door.

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The open body is typical of British sports cars from the 1960s and is equipped with a large-displacement American V8 engine. The AC Cobra is attractive for its massive style not found in modern cars and its dynamic driving that is not bound by electronic controls.

Replicas, called reproduction cars, are still being produced by more than 10 companies around the world, but the original was manufactured from 1962 to 1967 (until 1969 in the United States and Europe). The strongest version of the car is the AC Shelby Cobra 427. The engine is a 7-liter OHV with 425 PS in the standard version and 485 PS in the competition version for racing. The body has been thoroughly strengthened to handle that power. It has been boldly updated with a double wishbone suspension and front and rear over fenders that have increased the overall width by 175 mm.

The race did not meet the homologation deadline, and Shelby did not enter the works team, but the car's 0-60 time was in the 12-second range, and its snake dash with its tail swinging from side to side when starting captivated speed junkies around the world. The 427 S/C is a competition model that has been detuned for use on public roads and fitted with a front windshield, and is highly sought after around the world as a collector's item not only for its speed, but also for its rarity.