Dragonsnakes
Dragonsnakes
To attempt to appropriately classify the various types of cars built by Shelby American, we break them into categories. Where the drag Cobras are concerned, the cars built as Dragonsnakes at Shelby American and raced by the factory are termed factory competition cars. These would include the worm-and-sector 2019 and the rack-and-pinion 2357.
The second category are the cars built by the factory as Dragonsnakes for private use. These fall into the factory-prepared-competition category, and would include 2248, 2427, 2472, and 3198.
The third category are the cars that were sold for street use but modified for drag racing by an early owner. We term them independent competition cars. They may or may not have used all of the factory modifications, and the parts to modify them were generally purchased "over the counter" either directly from Shelby American or a local Shelby dealer. Cars in this category would include 2093 and 3159
Ned Scudder, Cobra Registrar SAAC
In 1964, Carroll Shelby's A.C. Cobras dominated the American road racing scene. The Shelby American racing team and independent Cobras won every race they competed in. Shelby had intended the Cobras to be street cars and road racers. Ford wasn't interested in drag racing and therefore neither was Shelby American. Along the way, a few of Shelby's employees convinced him to furnish them a 289 Cobra to build a drag car. They called it the DragonSnake.
Cobras were ideal for modifying for the Strip. After all the whole car was a hybrid to start with. The all aluminium body was made at AC in England. The engineless AC's were shipped to the Shelby American in California to receive a Ford Hi-Po 289" - the first American factory to be in the engine swapping business. Prior to this time, if you wanted a V-8 powered sports car, you acquired a European car and put in your own American engine. The public loved the cars. The A.C. Cobra was an instant success. The drag racing public was accustomed to putting different, read that bigger, engines in cars for the drag strip.
Almost every time the DragonSnake raced, it broke records. The driver, Jere Kirkpatrick, also maintained the chassis. Ralph Falconer, Jr., was responsible for the engines. Together they dominated the A/SP class. Top speed in the quarter for the 289 powered Cobra was 116.27 MPH in 11.81 seconds.
The DragonSnake was modified for 1/4 mile racing. In the beginning the Cobra couldn't get traction even with a factory stock racing engine. All four wheels were independent, with springing by transverse semi-elliptic leaves. Weight transfer was the key to getting the right traction. Special drag strip Cure-Ride shocks with 50/50 control in the front and 90/10 in the rear that Up-Loc and Down-Loc on acceleration were installed. In order to maintain proper front end geometry during hard acceleration, the front springs were reformed down 2 1/2 " at the centreline and lengthened 5/16 " . The rear spring was lengthened .350" to prevent the axles from changing to a negative camber during acceleration. When the Cobra would leave the line, the body shifting backwards on the rear wheels causing the tops of the tires to lean inward, reducing the tire surface area in contact with the ground. Those were the only changes made to the body of the sports car model.
Falconer came up with four engine combinations. All ended up being offered as options on the Cobra roadster. The first stage I-D, was 271 HP 289". The same engine with two four barrel carbs, rated at 300 HP, was stage 2. Swapping the two fours for four Italian Weber carbs, jumped the horse power to 325, stage 3, III-D. Each engine was carefully prepared to meet AHRA and NHRA standards. The last stage, IV-D, had the Webers, a special acceleration camshaft with ported and polished heads. Rated at 380 HP, the IV-D Cobras could only be raced in the AHRA sports car class.
Using a 4.89:1 rear end, the III-D Shelby Cobra outran everything on the drag strip, even the fuel injected big block 'Vettes
CSX 2019
CSX2019, Red/black interior. Invoiced to Shelby American 10/1/62. Shipped to L.A. Designated on internal records as a "PR car," 2019 became the first Dragonsnake, campaigned in light blue metalflake with "Cobra" written in large yellow letters across both sides of the car. It featured a hood scoop, Nassau headers with a side exhaust that dumped by the collectors just behind the front wheels, 6" and 8" six-spoke Halibrands with three-eared knock-offs, a large Sun tach mounted on the cowl directly in front of the driver and had the flat section of the rear flares removed to allow room for M&H racing slicks. During the '63 season the car became a fixture on many drag strips and established a new F/SSP quarter-mile record of 12.81 secs @ 108.95 MPH, driven alernately by Tony Stoerr, Jere Kirkpatrick, and Randy Shaw under the direction of Leonard Parsons. (Following a spectator's remark that, "Heck, you don't need someone to drive this thing; all you need is someone to AIM it!" Parsons had painted on the doors, "Aimer-Tony Stoerr.") 2019 was rented to MGM Studios in Culver City between mid-July and mid-August, 1964, along with CSX2024 and 2038. Records indicate that it was used in a film (yet to be identified) with the number "98" affixed to it. MGM was billed a total of $495.00 for damage incurred to the car during filming. CSX2019 was retired as a factory drag car in the spring of '64, when its rack-and-pinion replacement, CSX2357, was ready. Having set AA/SP times in the 11.73 secs @ 119.20, 2019 was sold through Coventry Motors (Walnut Creek, CA) to Randy Berry (Indianapolis, IN) and air-freighted to him at a total cost of $5,909.00. Although advertised in Competition Press in 10/64 ("AHRA Nat'l Record Holder; 2-4's; hardtop; mags; metalflake blue; $6,300."), Berry continued to race the car successfully for the next three years. He then sold it in 1967 to Helmut Heindel (Rochester, NY). The car was pictured in the March '65 issue of American Rodding, p. 15; Shelby's Wildlife, p. 61 the Shelby American Guide, 1st edition, p 24; 2nd edition, pp 13, 29 and 43; the Marque, vol 2 p. 16; 1982 SAAC Registry, and Friedman's Shelby Cobra, p. 137. At last report, 2019 still wore its Metalflake Blue race paint and showed fewer than 9,000 miles on its odometer.
CSX 2357
CSX 2357. Princess Blue/black interior. Invoiced to Shelby American 3/5/64. Shipped to L.A. 3/10 aboard the "SS Brynje." At Shelby American, under work order #1071, CSX 2357 was built into the second "factory" Dragonsnake: Painted a heavily metalflaked Viking Blue, the car was modified with 7" spline-drive American wheels using 2-eared AC knockoffs. It carried 7.35 Goodyears at the front with 8" wide Bruce Caps molded to Goodyear casings at the rear; modified front and rear springs with Cure-Ride shocks (90/10 "uplock" front and 50/50 "downlock" rear) to improve weight transfer on acceleration; a 4.89 rear end; Belanger drag headers that dumped just under the front of the door; a chrome roll bar; hood scoop; modified distributor; scattershield; competition clutch and pressure plate; a Sun 4,000 - 8,000 rpm tach mounted on the cowl just inboard of the rear view mirror, and a hard top. With "Cobra Powered by Ford" lettering along the sides and a cartoon Cobra (snake) riding slicks and mag wheels, with "Dragonsnake" above it on each rear fender, the car ran a modified 289 with 2 Carter AFB's or Webers, depending upon the class entered. The rear flares had their outer, flat sections removed to accommodate the slicks, which was especially helpful upon initial takeoff, when the tail of the car squatted under acceleration. In early testing, driven by Jere Kirkpatrick, 2357 set new records at Fremont (CA) and Arlington (WA) in the NHRA A/Stock Sports class, with a best run of 11.81 sec. @116.27 MPH. The car was repainted a darker blue metallic for '65 and wore the numbers 666 on both doors. It was jointly sponsored by Shelby American and Hi-Performance Motors, the latter claiming space on the upper front fenders in 5" tall yellow letters. With driving chores divided between Kirkpatrick, Ed Terry and Don McCain, 2357 set AHRA and NHRA records in A/Sports, winning the '65 Winternationals in Phoenix in a duel with CSX 2248. In May of '65, the car was consigned to Bill Stroppe and offered for sale at $6,500. It went unsold until 6/30/65, at which time Shelby American invoiced it to Roy P. Crandall (Homer, NY) at a cost of $5,800. (FoMoCo's Special Vehicles Finance Department was simultaneously billed for the difference between the cost of the car, $8,184.00, and the selling price, or some $2,384.00.) After picking up the car at Performance Inc., (Long Beach, CA) Crandall continued to race it, painted Guardsman Blue with "Dragonsnake" lettered in cartoonish characters in yellow on both sides. At the rear, the original Americans were swapped for steel rims welded to the spline-drive hubs, which Crandall credited with bettering his e.t. by roughly 0.1 second. A fixture at local strips such as Tri-County Raceway and Cicero, NY for several years, Crandall was almost always top eliminator at the end of the day (or night). He recalled having to make up a new ID tag for the car on a trip to Canada, as the original AC cars tag was missing when he purchased it. Crandall sold 2357 in '70 to an individual (Friendsville, PA) roughly an hour south of him. By '72, the car had been resold to Jay P. Rodriguez (Bronx, NY), who had driven a friend's Cobra years earlier and never forgot the experience. Having bought the car without an engine, Rodriguez contacted the same Cobra friend, Hugh Corbett, and together they built and installed a standard 289 in 2357. Rodriguez later moved to the west coast, where, on a drive one day, he struck a rock in the road which disabled the car. He left it parked along the side of a fairly deserted road while he went to phone for assistance. He returned to find that a group of motorcycle crazies had rolled the Cobra down an embankment. The wrecked car was purchased by Corbett, (Chapin, SC) who had it shipped by rail to Atlanta and then trucked to SC. The damaged skin was cut into four sections and removed, but retained. As of '97, 2357 was due to be restored for Corbett by Drew Serb (Orinda, CA), as part of a package deal in which Serb acquired CSX 2154 and 2409 from Corbett. 2357 was pictured on the cover and pp. 46-48 of the 10/64 issue of Cars magazine; Car Craft, 11/64, pp.48-50; Custom Rodder, 11/64, pp. 50-52; and Hot Rod, 12/64, p.35; as well as in Friedman's Shelby Cobra, pp. 2-3, 138 (bottom), 139, 140, and 141 (left).
CSX 2248
2248. Princess Blue/red interior. Invoiced to Shelby American 11/29/63. Shipped to L.A. 12/11 about the "SS Ebre." 2240 was invoiced on 2/5/64 to Hans Schmidt (Williamsville, NY) as " 1 Cobra-Ford, chassis #CSX2248" ($5,995.00); with 1 electric fuel pump, #C4SA 9000-5 ($64); 1 scattershield, #C4SA 6392 ($84.50); 1 pair of racing headers ($110); 1 racing distributor ($41.50); vented valve covers ($19.73); regular valve covers (n/c); racing heads ($617.50); a hood scoop ($43.45); 4S transmission ($333.20); 4.26:1 rear end ($420); English tires (n/c); 2 M&H 7" 7.10 x 15" slicks ($190.80); 2 tubes ($20.36); and 2 dual 4V carburetor and manifold set($271.50), for a total of $8,211.54. The car was shipped air-collect to NY. Schmidt set up 2248 for AHRA A/Sports drag racing, running it during '64 in Princess Blue with a dark blue, small-window hardtop, a chrome roll bar, Belanger headers, 6" painted wires on the front, and 5-spoke American alloys with M & H slicks at the rear. Along with numerous class victories, Schmidt won the Winternationals (Daytona Beach, FL), the West Coast Regionals, and the "Big Go South" in '64. For '65, the car was repainted black with "El Cid" lettered in white on the front fenders. The car ran Webers or 2 - 4's, depending upon whether Schmidt was entering the car in A/Sports or B/Sports class. Eventually, the wire wheels gave way to 5-spoke Americans at the front as well as the rear. IN '65, Schmidt won the Arizona State Championships as well as the AHRA Winternations, achieving a 10.86 ET @ 124.36 MPH. In '67, the car was advertised through Schmidt's corporate entity, Jan-Cen Automotive (Depew, NY): " 1964 Cobra 'El Cid.' The fantastic world speed and elapsed time record holder AHRA. Set up and ready to race. Balanced and blueprinted 289 CID Ford with Webers and 2 - 4 bbls. Belanger headers, M & H 900 x 15 9-inch tires, 4 American mags, Crane cam and heads, Hurst shifter . . . $11,000 with trailer, $9,500 without." The car apparently did not sell and Schmidt removed the engine in '68 for use in a GT350 drag car. CSX2248 was stored in a warehouse in New York state that caught fire in '69. Although the Cobra was pulled out of the structure before the inferno destroyed it, the car suffered substantial damage and was left outside as a burned wreck until found and purchased by Calvin Sanders (Suffolk, VA) in '82. Since then, numerous new pieces have been acquired and a leisurely restoration begun.
CSX 2427
2427. Vineyard Green/black interior. Invoiced to Shelby American 4/27/64. Shipped to L.A. 5/6 aboard the "SS Dintledyk." 2427 was invoiced on 8/3/64 to Adams County Motors Corp. (Gettysburg, PA) as "1 Cobra-Ford, chassis #CSX2427, Racer ($8,695.00); plus freight charges ($305), for a total of $9,000.00. The car was ordered for, and sold to, John J. Reimer (Gettysburg, PA) as a Dragonsnake, painted in a special yellow that was intended to match the color of his Thunderbird tow car. Reimer, who was in his late teens at the time, raced the car successfully through the summer of '65 and then parked it, intending to go back to school. When his father learned that he was no longer actively campaigning the car, it was sold. The ad for it, placed in the 12/65 issue of Car and Driver, read much like the Shelby American Dragonsnake ad: "SELL - 1965 Cobra - built by Shelby American specially for drags, complete with special suspension system, drag shocks, modified springs, dyno tuned headers, mag wheels, chrome roll bar, Hurst shifter, M & H Racemaster slicks, 4.56 rear. $4,650.00 firm. Also will sell many extras: mag wheel and tire, new clutch and pressure plate, aluminum oil pan, Webers including many jets, trailer. Reason for selling, son returned to college." The car was purchased by Doug Casey (Chesterton, IN), but it is not known if he continued to race it. Dodge Olmsted (Arlington, VA) purchased 2427 on 7/14/66. After modifying the car for road-racing, Olmsted competed with 2427 in several SCCA events. He reportedly crashed the car in '67 and rebuilt it, repainting it Candy Apple Red. In 5/69, the car was sold to Harold Hammond (OH), who resold it, circa '72, to Howard Heath (Columbus, OH). At the time of Heath's purchase the car was yellow, with spline-drive rear wheels and a narrow-flare left front fender from an early car, which was likely replaced in '67. Heath moved to Canada, and repainted the car silver. Peter Klutte of the Shelby Shop (Ontario, CAN) [subsequently renamed Legendary Motorcars] acquired 2427 in '88. The car was dismantled, redi-stripped, and purchased "in boxes." Brought to SAAC-18 (Watkins Glen) 7/93, as a bare chassis/body, the car was completed for SAAC-20 (Atlanta) 7/95, repainted yellow with black upholstery, 5-spoke American wheels, a hood scoop and a chrome roll bar. The flat sections of the rear flares have been removed, which was customary on Dragonsnakes. 2427 won a silver award in the concours Cobra class at SAAC-20. It was advertised by Legendary Motorcars in the late summer of '95 as "One of two factory 289 Dragonsnake Cobras [sic]. Custom ordered yellow in color . . . 3,596 original miles, complete documented history since new . . . Factory Stage III with Webers . . . NHRA and SCCA race history . . . Perhaps the finest, rarest Cobra in the world." 2427 was available for purchase, according to the ad, along with a 427 Thunderbolt, only as a pair. It was purchased by Prova International (Raleigh, NC) in '96. It was pictured in the Shelby American, #64, p. 28; and Super Ford magazine, 3/96.
CSX 2472
CSX 2472. Bright Blue/black interior. Invoiced to Shelby American 6/10/64. Shipped to L.A. 6/23 aboard the "SS Potosi." Shelby American work order #15037 authorized the initial construction of "Cobra Team Race Car #2472," but the car was never completed. It was placed in storage in the fall of '64. In 1/65, Ed Hugas of Continental Cars (Pittsburgh, PA) indicated his desire to place an order for a "Stage II Dragonsnake," presumable to fulfill a customer request. Following a conversation between Hugas and Shelby American on how best to meet Hugas' needs, it was agreed that certain changes to the standard Stage II Dragonsnake specs would be acceptable. Accordingly, a memo from Al Dowd to Peyton Cramer, dated 1/26/65, noted that Hugas "would like to have this car prepared on the semi-finished race chassis that is in the warehouse." On 2/1/65, Al Dowd sent a work order to Jack Balch, of the Hi-Performance Motors shop, notifying him to "Pull the blue street chassis from the Hammond warehouse that we started to prepare for a race car and use that for the following specifications: 3.77 rear end; use Koni shocks instead of the race type; retain Stewart-Warner tachometer; install chrome roll bar; do not alter the fuel tank; install shoulder harnesses; substitute the 8-1/2 x 15 " mag wheels used on the drag cars. Install three 6 x 15" front mag wheels [1 spare]. Install standard 8.20 x 15 and 6.50 x 15 stock car special red dots rather than the specified drag tires. Install a Berry hardtop with the deluxe side curtains and modify the roll bar so the top will fit. Exterior color of the car should be British green. The engine will be standard specification Stage II for dragsters." Completed by early summer, with FIA Halibrands, 2.5" wide front / 4.5" wide rear factory flared fenders, a hood scoop, Belanger drag headers, and without "Powered by Ford" or Cobra badges of any kind, the finished car was invoiced on 6/11/65 to Ed Hugas, Continental Cars, 2690 W. Liberty Street, Pittsburgh, PA as "1 Cobra Chassis No. CSX2472, Drag Car" ($7,660.82); with a heater ($66.50); radio ($62.20); racing seat ($90); and freight ($320); for a total of $8,199.52. The car was delivered to PA via Shelby truck. Hugas sent Shelby American a check for $7,511.29 on 8/4/65, representing "payment in full for CSX2472," noting that certain items agreed to previously had been incorrectly charged, and deducting $688.23 for same. Among Hugas' complaints were the need to repaint the entire car; a leaking heater; uninstalled lights, bumperettes and chrome hardware; missing dot fasteners for the the tonneau (which was, itself, missing); and the fact that the car arrived without the Stage II dual-4V intake and carburation. Hugas noted that "this car in general was very dirty and needed quite a cleaning, over and above the normal pre-delivery cleanup." Shelby American accepted Hugas' legitimate complaints, with Sales Manager Dante Cardone candidly noting on an internal memo that "the paint was lifting on this unit before it left the plant - according to Benevides, it was far cheaper to have Hugas repaint it." F.E. Martin, the Shelby American Finance Manager concurred, observing in a note to Peyton Cramer and Dante Cardone, "This vehicle left our facilities in a deplorable condition - it will be far better to make an agreeable settlement with little static. This unit caused a great problem at Hi-Performance and Hugas waited very patiently." Hugas had 2472 repainted at the Tunnel Body Shop (Pittsburgh, PA) and handled other required repairs at the dealership. Once the car was satisfactory, it was sold to Russ Freed (Pittsburgh, PA) at a reported cost of $10,200, and was used as a street car. Freed sold 2472, with 5,200 miles on it, to J.J. Rodman (Glenshaw, PA), who added another 10,000 to the odometer before selling the car in '78 to David Caro (PA). Rodman repurchased 2472 in '86, as soon as Caro decided to sell. As of '93, the car showed just over 17,000 miles. As of '95, it retained its original equipment, including the race engine with numerous "FAV" (Ford Advanced Vehicles) markings, and bore the number 99 on white meatballs just ahead of the doors.
CSX 3198
DragonSnakes, as they were called, were high performance Cobras produced by Shelby American in the mid-sixties and could have been ordered through a Ford dealership. There were only a few ever produced so, if rare is a description for the group of them, the Haar Ford DragonSnake#CSX 3198 is by far the rarest of the rare. The reason is pretty simple. All the other Cobras were produced with either the new 260ci V/8 from Ford that would briefly show it’s face in the Sunbeam Tiger and the1964 ½ Mustang, or they were built with the more powerful 289 ci V/8. CSX 3198 was absolutely; positively the one and only Factory produced 427 DragonSnake Cobra ever. 427 cubic inches of gear spinning, tire smoking, high revving (7000 rpm) power ever put in a Cobra from Shelby in the ‘60’s. A heart stopping 505 horsepower’s worth of weekend fun. Per information from and copyrighted by The Shelby American Automobile Club, the gray primer #3198 invoiced to Shelby American on 11/18/65 (less an allowance for “no final paint coat”) and shipped to L.A. At Shelby American, work order #18091 “Build 427 Street Cobra CSX3198,” was opened on 1/14/66 and closed on 2/8/66. Early in 2/66, an order was received from Haar Motor Company (Worcester, MA) for a 427 Drag car and 3198 was selected to fill the order. A second work order, #15123, was opened on 2/1/66, headed “Chassis modifications for Cobra Drag Unit CSX3198 for Haar Motor Co.” The build sheet specified “Install Knoi shocks front & rear; install roll bar; install electric pumps; install road race exhaust system and leave stock mufflers in place; relocate batteries to rear of passenger seat; install air scoop (when engine is in chassis); relocate oil filter; install scattershield; install 4.54 ring and pinion; install tach on cowl.” Originally estimated at a cost under $1,000, the modifications on the work order actually totaled $2,173.98. CSX3198 was sent the Berry Plastics for installation of a hard top prior to being billed on Shelby invoice #A 2994, dated 4/7/66, to Haar Motor Company as CSX3198 Drag Unit Cobra, $10,000 (about $50,000 by today’s dollars), plus hard top and side curtains $275 and freight $340” for a total of $10,715. The car was trucked to Massachusetts. At Haar Ford, #3198 was painted a shade of Candy Apple Red that closely resembled a metallic cranberry, to be campaigned in NHRA drag racing. With 6.5” and 8.5” FIA Halibrands, “shorty” drag sidepipes, and the leading edge of the rear flares cut back to allow installation of wide M&H slicks. Haar’s performance service manager, Gus Zuiderma (Worcester, MA) drove the car in A/Sports with a best time of 10.38 secs. @ 138 mph and, using hi-rise tunnel port heads, in A/Sports/Modified with a best time of 10.02 @ 146 mph. When, in early 1967 Haar Ford decided to sell the car they provided the following: Race Results: The car held both ends of National Record, E.T. 10.86 seconds, 127 mph (A/SP, NHRA) ’66 Winternationals, Pomona, ’66 Summer Nationals (Indy), runner-up for top points street eliminator, Div.1, Has won A/SP class every time out, won street eliminator 50% of total attempts. Eventually Harr Ford put the car up for sale and the ad read "Original cost was $14,000. Will sacrifice. Contact Bill Fisher @! Harr Ford. 3198 was sold to a Mr. Bernstein (from Boston, Ma.) with a total of 498 miles on its odometer. It was reported that Bernstein, or a hired driver, continued to drag race the car as Hank's Bank in the Boston area, using a Corvette rear end and half-shafts. In late 1970 or early 1971, Sam Feinstein (Rydal, PA.) acquired 3198 in a trade for a '69 Cadillac convertible and $8 grand in cash. (the latter was to pay off the machine shop at which the car was being repaired.) Feinstein removed the race engine, which he acquired minus the tunnel-port heads, and installed the 427 center-oiler from Dragonsnake CSX3160. He then sold 3160 and drove 3198 for a time as his daily driver. In Nov. 1976, 3198 was advertised for sale: "Cobra 427 S.C. CSX3198, all original. Sam Feinstein personal street car - less than 1000 honest miles. Needs minor cosmetics. Mechanically perfect. $30,000, might accept trade. By January 1977, the price had dropped to $27,500 and the car was purchased by Les Newell (Meriden, CT), with the sunburst wheels, a roll bar, two tops and mileage under 2,000. John Halister (CT) purchased the Cobra in 1980 at a price of $57,000, and brought it with him when he subsequently moved to Florida. Tom Clark, of The Steering Wheel" (Ft. Lauderdale, FL.) bought 3198 in 1981 and sold it to Jim Kelsey (Key Largo, FL). Susan Brown (Hollywood, FL) owned the car from May of 1981 until March of 1987, when it was acquired by Larry Smith (FL). It was advertised late in the year as: "Stored eight years, all Dragonsnake options, only one known?" Bruce Daley (Phoenix, AZ) purchased it at the end of the year. [It might be noted that a green, fiberglass-bodied kit-car with a square-tubed chassis, claiming to be CSX3198, "rebuilt following a wreck," surfaced in Japan in 1991. Written up in a magazine. it's owner attempted to pass that car off as the real thing. Quick action on the part of Bill Murray (Longmont, CO) and the owner of the real 3198 brought a retraction from the publication and an acknowledgement that the Japan car was a fraud. The car finally made it’s way to the West Coast where Mr. Pack purchased the car in Monterey, California at a recent auction. To view a video, featureing some footage of CSX 3198, in Sam Pack's private collection, copy and paste this link. http://mysite.verizon.net/res909nt/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/0608.mov Link has been provided by "Joe Wicked" My thanks to Joe for this!
CSX 2093
Ed Hedrick - in his own words: "CSX 2093 ran in Stock Sports which competed in Street Eliminator. Based on Stock HP/Weight it could compete in three Stock Sport classes with the three engine combinations that Shelby filed with NHRA. All three used the stock Ford 289ci 271hp short block. In B/SP it had the Webers and the big heads rated at 325hp. In C/SP it had two Carter AFB's and the big heads rated at 300hp. In D/SP it had the stock 289ci 271hp.
In 1966 I ran it in B/SP the entire season. Won class at all the Nationals I attended. Was able to cure the rear end breakage by having the ring and pinion and posi spider gears annealed from the stock hardness of Rc60 to Rc50 at a heat treater in Philadelphia, thanks to Jere Stahl and Bill Jenkins. The Cobra already had the B/SP National Record (Costilow & Larson) and I can't remember if I reset it or not. Believe it was 11.23 or 11.21 @ 119 or 121mph. Can't find my records on it.
In 1967 I won class at all the National Events. Was Street Eliminator Champ in NHRA Div 1. Was NHRA World Points Champion (most points in NHRA competition). Ran the Cobra in all three classes. It already had the record in B/SP, set the record in C/SP with 11.51 @ 115mph. Never did get the two-carb AFB setup working properly. Just missed getting the record in D/SP as the Cobra was running in the 11.60's and with the record at 11.91 or 11.93, I was trying to bump it a couple of hundreth's and missed by .02 putting on the brakes. So, decided to take it to the Nationals at Indy in D/SP much to the sorrow of all the Corvettes. They were running in the high 11.80's and 11.90's - the Cobra in the 11.60's. Cobra won D/SP.
Sold the Cobra (much to my sorrow!) in January or February of '68 as NHRA had changed the rules for Stock Sports. The Cobra could now compete in only two classes and they legalized any camshaft in Stock Sports. Jere Stahl had told me they would change the rules if I ran the Cobra in all three classes."
CSX 3159
The year was 1967. Drag Racing was big back east. Clem Hope of Ridgefield, New Jersey with the help of Baldwin Motion Performance of New York took this 1966 Shelby Cobra to the top of the stock class - setting a national NASCAR record for speed: a 133 mph 10.30 quarter mile. The car became known as "King Cobra" and is the only Baldwin motion prepared 427 cobra. It is painted in its original livery - black body with gold hardtop.
CSX 7003
This new generation 7000 Series Dragon Snake, is owned by Rich A., a Club Cranky member. It is powered by a twin turbo charged 408, producing a reported 800 to 1100 hp., depending on boost.