Cobra Precursors

[HealeyRick]

Here's a salmagundi of interesting stuff I've found in researching the history of V8s in Healeys:

MG related:







MG V8 beats a Vette:



Healey stuff

Max Balchowsky's 283 Chevy swap into a Healey 100 featured in Hot Rod magazine in June 1956







A big block Healey first done in 1957







AC stuff

From Trevor Legates "Cobra - The First 40 Years"

BEX 327 - ordered from AC and shipped to the US and fitted with a Corvette motor in 1957 with various body mods later seen on the Cobra:



Here's a link to the whole story, but it's best to access on Google Chrome for a translation.

http://www.cobracars.be/bex%****7.html

[Karl Bebout]

Whadda nifty nose on the Bex AC!

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

I thought V8 flatheads were somewhere around 239 cu in stock. A stroked 164 cu incher doesn't seem right.

Neat stories though. Thanks for posting.

[AL427SBF]

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

Here's a salmagundi of interesting stuff I've found in researching the history of V8s in Healeys: ...

AC stuff

From Trevor Legates "Cobra - The First 40 Years"

BEX 327 - ordered from AC and shipped to the US and fitted with a Corvette motor in 1957 with various body mods later seen on the Cobra:



...

In my best Sergeant Schultz impression very interesting.

In September 1961, American automotive designer Carroll Shelby wrote to AC asking if they would build him a car modified to accept a V8 engine. AC agreed, provided a suitable engine could be found. Shelby went to Chevrolet to see if they would provide him with engines, but not wanting to add competition to the Corvette they said no.
AC Cobra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edison and the light bulb comes to mind ...
Edison didn’t invent the light bulb, he improved upon the ideas of 22 other men who pioneered the light bulb before him. Edison simply figured out how to sell the light bulb.