You Can Build Your Own Shelby Cobra With This Factory Five Kit Car Tribute
After a heart condition forced Le Mans champion Carrol Shelby out of the driver's seat, the Texas native focused on designing a V8-powered sports car, and his determination and know-how brought forth the Shelby Cobra, one of the fastest production cars ever to burn rubber on public roads. The first edition of the Cobra had a 260 cubic inch small-block Ford motor under its curved hood, and hit the pavement in the U.S. in 1962.
Soon after, Shelby upgraded the engine to a 289 cubic inch V8, and that version dominated the SCCA A-Production and USRRC circuits — losing only one race in three years. By that point, Shelby had strengthened the Cobra's frame, flared the fenders, upgraded the suspension to coil springs, and dropped in a big-block 427 cubic-inch V8 motor.
The 427 Cobra could go from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds, and turn a quarter mile in about 12 seconds. Since 1995, Factory Five Racing in Wareham, Massachusetts has produced a kit replicating the 427 Cobra. Starting in 2014, the company has also offered a kit version of the "No. 14" 289 Cobra that Dave MacDonald drove to the 1964 USRRC Championship.
Everything but the wheels and drivetrain
The USRRC 289 replica kit sells for $21,990 at Factory Five's website, with a multitude of seating, suspension, and gauge upgrades that can add to that price.
The base kit includes a 4" round tube frame, body panels, doors, trunk, hood, bumpers, and all the hardware needed to assemble those pieces. The kit also includes complete front braking, steering, fuel delivery, exhaust, and cooling systems; as well as engine accessories, a wiring harness, dashboard, and period-authentic gauges and toggle switches.
DOT-approved exterior lighting, a windshield, and side mirrors are also included, as is a driver's side tubular roll bar. The kit also includes a 400-page installation manual and some of the adapters necessary to fit a Ford 289 or 302 cubic inch small-block V8 engine into your assembled Cobra.
You will have to provide an engine and transmission, rear end with brakes, wheels and tires, paint, battery, and a fuel pump to get your 289 Cobra kit on the road.