Not Ranked
Bandit you are correct in stating the AC was in fact a great car to start with! I've often wondered, seriously, had Shelby gone with another manufacturer would we have seen similiar results?
A fellow here in Hawaii puts 350 Chevys in the Austin Healeys. The frame on these cars is to weak for the high horse power 289's of yester year. The "live" axle wouldn't handle the power either. By the time his modifications are done, you basically have a "dragster". It would be a joke on a road course.
The AC was indeed an excellent choice. Beefier frame to start with, stronger rear than the Healey (all though NOT strong enough as they soon found out). But the basic AC package was QUITE robust and the IRS was light years ahead of the "other" cars that COULD have been chosen. Shelby DID have to make modifications shortly after the project started. By the time he was done with those mods (1967) you could hardly recognize the AC from what it "used to be".
Maybe Shelby "got lucky" AC was in a bad economic position? He could have done worse.
Question is: Could he have done BETTER (in 1961-62)? What "other car" might have been chosen close or equal to what the AC offered (which was a lot)?
Ernie
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