How the Cobra's 90-in wheelbase compares to cars of today...

[SunDude]

One of the things that makes our beloved, high-powered Cobras so exciting -- and so potentially dangerous -- to drive is its incredibly short wheelbase of only 90 inches.

This got me thinking: What other cars on the market today have a wheelbase of 90 inches or less?

So I pulled out my product guide from the 2011 Canadian auto show and did a quick comparison of the Cobra vs 2011 model production vehicles (see below).

As it currently stands, there is only one car with a wheelbase shorter than the Cobra's: the tiny smart forTwo. Not even the little Fiat 500's is shorter ...although it's in the ballpark.

Cobra vs 2011 cars/trucks, wheelbase in inches

73.5 smart forTwo
90.0 Shelby Cobra
90.5 Lotus Elise
90.6 Fiat 500
91.7 Mazda MX-5 Miata
92.5 Porsche 911
92.6 Tesla Roadster
95.1 Porsche Boxster / Cayman
95.4 Jeep Wrangler
95.7 Mercedes-Benz SLK
95.9 Honda CR-Z
96.9 Toyota Yaris hatchback
97.1 MINI Cooper
97.2 Audi TT
97.6 Chevrolet Aveo
98.0 Ford Fiesta / Mazda2
98.4 Honda Fit
98.4 Hyundai Accent / Kia Rio
100.4 Nissan 370Z
105.7 Chevrolet Corvette

The cleverly packaged Scion iQ has a wheelbase of only 78.7 inches, but since its launch has been delayed to summer 2011, I didn't include it in the list above.