[Kputz]

I think you might be confusing the Cobra with something that Ford did. The Cobra was simply a way for Shelby to go racing and needed a motor to marry to an already existing car, hence Ford's limited participation, and the car's legendary horrible manners. The GS on the other hand would have been a factory effort and probably would have, hands down, been the better car, taking advantage of more extensive R & D. The GT40 on the other hand was more a factory effort and it showed.