American Icon - 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra Icon. The word is perhaps overused. So much so that we had to look it up lest we lose sight of what it really means. Among the definitions: An object of uncritical devotion; a sign whose form suggests its meaning; a symbol. Synonyms include hero and idol. There might as well be a picture of a Shelby 427 Cobra right there on the pages of Merriam-Webster. Surely, its form suggests a whole lot of performance--something the Cobra delivers in spades.
When the 427 Cobra debuted in 1965, its 12-second quarter-mile times and zero-to-60 MPH sprint in the low four-second range re-wrote the production-car record books and kept it that way for nearly 30 years. By getting the magazines talking about the 427's zero-to-100-MPH-to-zero time in the mid-14s, Shelby helped establish a new performance benchmark that would be unbeatable for decades. It is no exaggeration to say that the 427 Cobra set the bar for performance upon which all subsequent cars were measured. 
The 427 Cobra came about after the Corvette boys trounced Shelby at the 1963 season-ending Nassau Speed Week in the Bahamas. Though the 289-powered Cobras (and related Daytona coupes) still had plenty of racing glory in the years to come, they were simply outgunned by the lightweight, 485-hp, 377-cu.in.-powered Corvette Grand Sports. Shelby Competition Director (and principal team driver) Ken Miles began experimenting with a 427-cu.in. engine in a highly modified leaf-spring 289, including racing it at Sebring in 1964. The result was a brutally fast--and loud--but ill-handling car. Still, it was clear to everyone at Shelby and Ford that a big-block Cobra was the next logical step if they wanted to stay competitive.
Shelby engineers quickly realized that the 289 Cobra's chassis was way out of its league with a powerful Ford FE engine block shoved between the frame rails. A major redesign was in order. Two Ford suspension engineers chipped in by working nights and weekends, using Ford's powerful computers--tools then unavailable to a small operation like Shelby American--to develop the new chassis. Though the wheelbase remained at 90 inches (to accommodate AC's tooling for the bodies), the uprated chassis ended up seven inches wider overall compared to the 289's ladder frame. The 427's backbone also used four-inch main chassis tubes versus the 289's three-inchers. And the big-block engine required more heat dissipation and thus a wider grille opening. 
Many owners of 428 cars dipped into the Shelby parts catalog and opted for upgraded manifolds and carburetors, such as the Shelby Sidewinder pictured here, with its offset carburetor position topped by a Holley four barrel. It often didn't stop there, with plenty of legit Cobras getting the side pipe and hood scoop treatment that made the S/C so iconic.
Owned by Billy Weaver, a motorcycle and automobile dealer from Greenville, South Carolina, the 427 Cobra pictured here still has the same engine it was delivered with, though a previous owner had it rebuilt to factory specs in 2002. Of course, it also features that upgraded intake and carburetor. Billy owns other Cobras, including a narrow-hip 427 and a highly original 289, along with a small collection of other vintage cars. But of all of the very special vehicles in his garage, the 428-powered Cobra gets the most use--and it's easy to understand why.
"It's just been so dependable," Billy says. "It runs cool. It never fails. Nothing ever breaks. It's just been a great car since I got it. I did a few things to it, just to get it sorted out." With his son Alexander, he has already done the four-day Copperstate 1000 that crisscrosses Arizona and has plans to take the Cobra there again. "We did the whole Copperstate last year," recalls Billy. "The first day out, we were going through the desert and the temperature was about 100 degrees, which probably put us at 120 or 130 inside that car and two days later it was 30 degrees and snowflakes were coming down. We never put the top up. We kept putting more clothes on. I would never put the top up unless it was just pouring down rain and that would be just to protect the leather seats. It's just not made to be driven with the top up." 
Even with the top up, the rudimentary roadster is hardly weatherproof. It has almost no creature comforts beyond some minimal padding on the seats, and virtually no crash protection beyond lap belts. Even the rough-and-tumble Hemi cars had doors with actual interior panels thicker than the Cobra's millimeter-and-change of aluminum. They had roll-up windows, too, and a top that actually kept out the weather and didn't require a contractor to raise and a chiropractor to help you get in the car once it was up.
With no power assist on the steering or brakes, the 427 Cobra is a burly car, with not even a roll bar or roll hoops above the seats, which only come up slightly higher than mid-back. This might be the last true, unfiltered automotive experience--the swan song of the unrestricted automotive age. Play the fool in this car and it will bite you hard.
Our photo session complete and with dusk rapidly turning to full-on night, Billy takes me out for a few miles. Billy spins the tires effortlessly in his long driveway, and while I don't participate in such tomfoolery, boy, do I want to. The crisp fall air is punctuated by the unmistakable roar of the worked-over 428. While the sound is pure, guttural and distinctive, it's not as overly loud as a car with side pipes would be. Instead, given the Cobra's no-frills state and lack of any acoustic insulation at all, the sound is simply everywhere. And, mighty almighty, did it go like stink. 
the throttle for the visceral thrills of hard acceleration and the roar of the 428. With the sun down, the old windshield difficult to see through and the weak headlights not helping much, I am leaning in closer to the glass in an attempt to see better through it.
The fast-ratio, un-boosted steering, though relatively tight when turning, suffers from a bit of play when just heading in a straight line. The wood-rimmed wheel, however, feels just right in the hands, much thinner than today's thick, padded rims. Though I never needed to use the un-assisted brakes at the limit, the Girling four-wheel discs felt progressive, while bringing the car to a halt. Want more braking power? Step harder on the pedal. It's that simple. There seemed to be plenty of braking for the small sports car.
The joy in this 428-powered Cobra is that its potent powerplant remains incredibly forgiving and peacefully subdued around town. Until you really get into the gas, it never calls attention to itself. Of course, the iconic Cobra doesn't need the howl of its engine to get attention.
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