Motorbooks International/MBI Publishing

Cobra - The First 40 Years

by  Trevor Legate

Reviewed By  Doug Hamilton, IPMS# 21985

MSRP: $50.00 When talking about sports cars and racing, the names Carroll Shelby, AC and Cobra are legendary. Very few discussions about sports cars don't include some reference to the Cobra. With a total production run of around 1000 units, this small car had an enormous impact that extends even to today. Given the numbers of kit produced Cobra's we see today, people still have a love affair with it. Published by Motorbooks/MBI Publishing Company, the hard covered book has 288 pages of text and photographs printed on very high quality paper. The size suggests a "Coffee table" type picture book, but the information inside is very much more in depth than a typical book of this variety. There are a number of previously unpublished photos of original and restored Cobras, and the high quantity pictures only enhance the well researched text. All photos are very clear, and the majority are in color. The story begins with a history of the AC Motor Company, an English car manufacturer that has roots that trace back to 1901. Entering cars in organized races was an early way to test designs, and sell cars, and AC was no different. After taking a break for what was then termed the Great War, AC developed an engine known as the Light Six, a six-cylinder gem which was efficient and had a head that could be removed without affecting the valve timing. Always on shaky financial footing, it continued its racing programs battling rivals Cooper-MG and Ferrari as war clouds were gathering over Europe. The coming of the war years saw AC gearing up for the war effort by manufacturing a wide range of diverse items such as rocket launchers, pumps, and the Fairly Swordfish. The end of the war brought a resurgence of sports car manufacture, and AC was in the mix again. Taking it's 1934 chassis, and upgrading the suspension and two liter engine, and new model known as the Two Liter Saloon was brought to market in 1947. This continued in production until 1952. Eventually, AC hit on a design known as the Ace that had many of the design elements that would become famous under the name Cobra. AC was a company that always had cash flow problems, a situation that continued to plague the company and eventually lead to the affiliation with Carroll Shelby. In an attempt to gain footing in the American market, AC decided to put an eight cylinder engine in its cars, which required beefing up the chassis and running gear to accommodate the larger engine. Chassis flexing due to torque became a major issue and many attempts to reduce these forces were undertaken by both the factory and private owners who raced the cars, with varying degrees of success. The idea of transplanting a huge American V-8 into a lightweight British sports car had been around for quite awhile, with names like Allard and Healy already having found out what the AC people were now learning. It'll work, but….. Carroll Shelby was a race driver. A successful race driver, who had tried to create a Chevy powered sports car. Internal politics at Chevrolet managed to scuttle the project before much work could be done on it, and before long, Shelby saw himself affiliated with the Ford Motor Company with the same goal, to build an American sports car to compete, and beat the greatest names in European sports car racing. In 1961, Shelby went to England where he went to work with AC. That pairing and Shelby's ties to Ford provided the right climate for the Cobra's birth. Over the years, the Cobra has seen a very wide range of power plants installed under its hood, and a few enhancements in its shape. The dedicated Cobra Daytona Coupe is perhaps one of the most recognizable shapes to ever turn a lap. Every version of the Cobra is well represented in the book, with the development involved in each is carefully detailed in the text. Also detailed is the continuing connection between Ford and Shelby. We all remember the big block Shelby Cobra Mustangs with the radical features from the late 1960's. These cars were American Muscle from the ground up, and successful on the track in their own right. The current state of AC Motors is also given a look. While not currently enjoying a race pedigree, they are still producing sports cars to a European audience. The book closes its look at the existing cars with a section show casing a few racers currently working the vintage race circuit. While not all are exactly stock, the photos show a wide range of modifications. These carry the most deviation from the original design, but are works of art and retain the basic Cobra lines. A brief section on mostly die cast models that grace the market closes the text section. The final section is a registry of surviving Cobras and who owns them. This is an impressive work by Mr. Legate. The text is very well researched and complete. The photos are used to illustrate the story to really good effect. This book is a very nice addition to any car enthusiast's library, and will appeal to Cobra fanatics as a must have edition. With the holidays approaching, I think this may be on a lot of wish lists. I really enjoyed reading it, and looking at the pictures, and I can highly recommend this book as a work of further study. While not aimed specifically at the modeler, its contents will aid in the construction of nearly any Cobra. My thanks to Motorbooks and IPMS/USA 1st Vice President John Noack for supplying this copy for review.

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