Chevy in a Cobra

[REAL 1]

Pebble Beach Concours takes one offs as entries?

A '58 would qualify for a '61 concours? Really?

How does he enter it in the '61 Concours when it has '62 drive train? Fascinating.

[AL427SBF]

Originally Posted by REAL 1

Pebble Beach Concours takes one offs as entries?

A '58 would qualify for a '61 concours? Really?

How does he enter it in the '61 Concours when it has '62 drive train? Fascinating.

Read it again, not the Mongoose. The point is he had a V8 powered (Olds) 1958 AC which he sold in '61, means it existed earlier than '61.
Back at ya, "Nice try though but no Cigar"

[REAL 1]

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

Read it again, not the Mongoose. The point is he had a V8 powered (Olds) 1958 AC which he sold in '61, means it existed earlier than '61.
Back at ya, "Nice try though but no Cigar"

First, doesn't say he sold it in '61.
Second, Pebble Beach wasn't inviting hot rods in '61 and it would not have been old enough in '61.
Third, you don't just enter a car at Pebble Beach. You are invited.
Fourth, AC had already been PRODUCING car with Ford power before this.
Fifth, Buick or Olds is not Chevy. Different Division of GM. This thread is "Chevy". Anyone out there with an Olds or Buick in their Replica?
Sixth, putting American power in foreign cars was not a novel idea even then.
Seventh, there is no proof anywhere this car or the "Mongoose" played any role in the creation or inspiration for the the Cobra.
Eighth, if it's on the net it must be true. This site is the epitome for that adage.

Did I forget anything.....? Oh yeah, back at ya...nice try..no cigar

[Thor maine]

Thank you Dr. Sheldon Cooper, now you can return your Star Wars sheets.

[AL427SBF]

Thor, glad you asked the question about the Mongoose, looks like their was a predecessor to it that is worthy of further digging.

CobraEd, great link with good info to pursue further, Pebble Beach is about an hour south, next trip that way I'll get with someone from historical records and find out what I can about Jerry Scheberries 1958 AC entry in the '61 Pebble Beach Concours.

Evan, oh never mind ...

[REAL 1]

Thor: You apparently watch too much TV. You should read more.
Suggested reading for you...
Start with the SAAC Registry.

[REAL 1]

Edit...oops

[REAL 1]

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

Thor, glad you asked the question about the Mongoose, looks like their was a predecessor to it that is worthy of further digging.

CobraEd, great link with good info to pursue further, Pebble Beach is about an hour south, next trip that way I'll get with someone from historical records and find out what I can about Jerry Scheberries 1958 AC entry in the '61 Pebble Beach Concours.

Evan, oh never mind ...

Yes get back to us with that info. Absolutely. See what info they have about it. This is your homework assignment.

[HealeyRick]

Originally Posted by REAL 1

History has been written and the facts are set in stone. All original Cobras were Ford powered and not a one was Chevy powered or even prototyped with Chevy power.

Technically true, there wasn't a "Cobra" until CS got involved, but Trevor Legate's "Cobra: The First 40 Years" states: "As early as 1957, a development Ace was fitted with a Chevy V8 unit but the weight penalty resulted in a number of problems such as understeer and the collapse of the front suspension" @ 29. Mr. Legate goes on in his chapter entitled "Missing Links" to describe BEX 327, an Ace that was shipped to the US in 1957 without a motor and was fitted stateside with a Corvette V8 as well as some very Cobra-like body mods. @ 32-35. Here's a link to the relevant portions of the book that include a number of pictures of BEX 327: Cobra: The First 40 Years - Trevor Legate - Google Books

Clearly, the idea of big American V8 in a little British car wasn't unique to Shelby nor to AC. The trick was getting everything mixed together with the right ingredients at the right time and this is what made the Cobra what it is. The Ace was one of the best handling British sports cars at the time (certainly better than the Austin-Healey that Shelby had first proposed to use) and the introduction of Ford's thin-wall V8 that was narrower and lighter than the Chevrolet made it a more attractive candidate for swapping into the Ace.

Give Shelby credit, though. He got Ford to give him the motors and got AC to give him the chassis. He came up with a great name and really had an instinct how to publicize the car.

[AL427SBF]

Yes, Shelby is to Cobra what Edison was to the Light Bulb.
Trevor Legate = Nikola Tesla

[rodneym]

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

Yes, Shelby is to Cobra what Edison was to the Light Bulb.
Trevor Legate = Nikola Tesla

Does the term, "fallacy of analogy" mean anything here?

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

Technically true, there wasn't a "Cobra" until CS got involved, but Trevor Legate's "Cobra: The First 40 Years" states: "As early as 1957, a development Ace was fitted with a Chevy V8 unit but the weight penalty resulted in a number of problems such as understeer and the collapse of the front suspension" @ 29. Mr. Legate goes on in his chapter entitled "Missing Links" to describe BEX 327, an Ace that was shipped to the US in 1957 without a motor and was fitted stateside with a Corvette V8 as well as some very Cobra-like body mods. @ 32-35. Here's a link to the relevant portions of the book that include a number of pictures of BEX 327: Cobra: The First 40 Years - Trevor Legate - Google Books

Clearly, the idea of big American V8 in a little British car wasn't unique to Shelby nor to AC. The trick was getting everything mixed together with the right ingredients at the right time and this is what made the Cobra what it is. The Ace was one of the best handling British sports cars at the time (certainly better than the Austin-Healey that Shelby had first proposed to use) and the introduction of Ford's thin-wall V8 that was narrower and lighter than the Chevrolet made it a more attractive candidate for swapping into the Ace.

Give Shelby credit, though. He got Ford to give him the motors and got AC to give him the chassis. He came up with a great name and really had an instinct how to publicize the car.

A little off topic but possibly of interest, George Harm original owner of the Dick Smith SC put a chevy in a 500 TR Ferrari in the late 50's. I made the mistake of racing him in my warmed over 57 Corvette and got my a$$ handed to me. Lots of people were stuffing small block chevy's into anything that was available in those days.

[AL427SBF]

So racing in the SCCA championship events in the USA from 1957 was a Chevrolet V8-engined AC Ace featuring stylish flared bodywork. AC were required to subtly re-design the Ace when it metamorphosed into the Cobra in 1962, but it was hardly a major problem; they had done something very similar some 5 years earlier. Naturally other SCCA racers would have seen this car in action and taken note.

I guess I don't need to take that trip to Pebble Beach after all

[OnyxRider]

I see you guys are keeping this thread rolling.

I thought I kept it simple for one member to understand.

Cobra- 1960's automobile produced by Carroll Shelby's Company.

By that definition a continuation cobra is not a Cobra.

Not sure what a continuation cobra is other than a continuation cobra. Everyone is throwing terms and definitions around...

It's not a reissue because it's not an exact copy.

So it must be a replica of a Cobra...yes a replica of that 1960's automobile by Shelby.

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by Cobra #3170

A little off topic but possibly of interest, George Harm original owner of the Dick Smith SC put a chevy in a 500 TR Ferrari in the late 50's. I made the mistake of racing him in my warmed over 57 Corvette and got my a$$ handed to me. Lots of people were stuffing small block chevy's into anything that was available in those days.

Hehehehe....George.

Course..."reverse engineering" happened on occasion. Imagine the poor basturds thinking they could beat Bill Harrah's Jeep going up the grade from Carson City.

[hobart23380]

Chevy in a Cobra? Hmmmm, just doesn't seem right?

[rodneym]

Originally Posted by OnyxRider

Cobra- 1960's automobile produced by Carroll Shelby's Company.

By that definition a continuation cobra is not a Cobra.

Not sure what a continuation cobra is other than a continuation cobra. Everyone is throwing terms and definitions around...

It's not a reissue because it's not an exact copy.

So it must be a replica of a Cobra...yes a replica of that 1960's automobile by Shelby.

Reissues don't have to be exact. Never seen it anywhere (instruments, watches, cars).
Whoever owns the name Cobra, can call whatever a Cobra.
SAAC had to get involved because of the newly built 'Cobras' (SAI and Autocraft, and Kirkham supplying SAI).
And a replica is an exact copy. Aside form being impossible, there's very few of those. Ever see a Pur Sang?
Aaand, some replicas are just as "original" as .... original 60's Cobras.

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by hobart23380

Chevy in a Cobra? Hmmmm, just doesn't seem right?

THIS thread caused you to post for second time since 2008?

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by OnyxRider

I see you guys are keeping this thread rolling.

I thought I kept it simple for one member to understand.

Cobra- 1960's automobile produced by Carroll Shelby's Company.

By that definition a continuation cobra is not a Cobra.

Not sure what a continuation cobra is other than a continuation cobra. Everyone is throwing terms and definitions around...

It's not a reissue because it's not an exact copy.

So it must be a replica of a Cobra...yes a replica of that 1960's automobile by Shelby.

How did we get back to this? I thought we moved on already.

[OnyxRider]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

How did we get back to this? I thought we moved on already.

Well by my definition Mr. Real One doesn't respect my definition of a Cobra. Doesn't fit into his parameters of what he owns. Hence his comment. Wish he would change his used name to RealContinuationOne. Hate to get into semantics now.