SHELBY AMERICAN - Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), unveiled the “Cammer Cobra” concept, a 427 SOHC V8 powered continuation Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, at the Carlisle Ford Nationals presented by Meguiar’s in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The “Cammer Cobra” follows Carroll Shelby’s initial vision for a racecar to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Each year, the Carlisle Pennsylvania
Fairgrounds hosts Ford fans from across the country and more than 3,200
vehicles on the National Parts Depot Showfield. In addition to the impressive
cars and crowds, the weekend includes displays, special themes and automotive
celebrities. The concept car was introduced during the three-day event.
“Carroll Shelby wanted to fit a massive Ford
big block engine into a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe for Le Mans in 1964,” said Gary Patterson, president of Shelby
American. “While many know that a one-off car was built with a 427 ‘wedge’ Ford
engine, that was not Carroll Shelby’s initial vision. He hoped to pair the
sleek aerodynamics of the Peter Brock designed body with the incredibly
powerful aluminum single overhead cam version of the FE motor. Since it was
impossible to obtain one of those rare engines in time for the race, Shelby
American installed the NASCAR version. Our concept car was built to realize
Carroll’s initial Cammer vision.”
Often called "Ford's greatest engine”, the
Single Overhead Cam (SOHC) V8, was based on Ford's 427ci side-oiler block. The
engine was intended to be Ford's two-valve, single-overhead-cam, high-rpm
answer to Chrysler's 426 Hemi for NASCAR in 1964.
“It is essentially a single-overhead-cam
conversion of Ford's 427 V8,” said Vince LaViolette, Shelby American Vice
President of Operations. “The heads were predominantly cast-iron, though later
aluminum ones were available, with a roller chain cam-drive. The block had
revised oiling and cross-bolted main bearing caps were added to handle the
increased rpm. The Ford 427 Cammer churned out 616 horsepower with a single
four-barrel carburetor and 657 horsepower with dual four-barrel set up. It was
one of the most powerful engines to come out of Detroit during the period.”
In 1964, Carroll Shelby tasked fabricator John
Ohlsen with lengthening the chassis of one of the six Daytona Coupes (CSX2286).
Shelby planned to replace the 289 c.i.d. Ford engine with the SOHC motor. The
experimental racecar was supposed to be Shelby’s “secret weapon” for the 1964
Le Mans race. However, it was impossible to secure the SOHC motor in time and a
reliable, high-performance NASCAR 427 was used instead. Weighing about 2,200
pounds with world class aerodynamics and the power of a big block, the car had
tremendous performance potential; it was thought capable of going 200+ miles
per hour at Le Mans.
However, the car did not make the race and
never ran a lap with the 427 SOHC when Shelby American returned it to small
block configuration.
“The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe program still
achieved great success without the big block and won its class at Le Mans in
1964,” said LaViolette. “The next year, Shelby American took the FIA World
Sports Car Championship with the Coupe and roadsters rolling over the
competition.”
The Craftsmen of Legendary GT of Pennsylvania
build continuation Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes for Shelby American. Each
aluminum Coupe incorporates safety and performance improvements without
sacrificing integrity, as they are built from original blueprints and
measurements.
Legendary GT founder Barry Smith was a close
friend of Carroll Shelby and is a major supporter of the Carroll Shelby
Foundation. He has always been fascinated with Shelby performance cars and his
collection features a variety of 1960s era Shelby American vehicles.
The continuation big block Shelby Daytona Coupe
follows the same specs as the Ohlsen modified racecar. It has an aluminum body
over a 3-inch lengthened chassis with a hood modified to accommodate the
aluminum 427 SOHC big block motor. The 650-horsepower engine is mated to a
period-correct 4-speed manual transmission. The car was assigned Shelby serial
number CSX2623 and will be documented in the official Shelby Registry.
The Carlisle Ford Nationals is celebrating
Shelby American’s 60th anniversary this year. Festivities include the concept
vehicle introduction, factory display and Team Shelby East Coast Grand
Nationals integration. Patterson introduced the Shelby concept car, surrounded
by Team Shelby members, at 3 PM ET on Friday, June 3. The event was open to the
media and public.
“This concept is a tribute to the Shelby Cobra
Daytona Coupe, one of the most celebrated cars in automotive history,” said Patterson.
“It answers the ‘what if’ question for everyone who shared Carroll’s dream and
will also gauge demand for a limited series of the vehicle. We plan to exhibit
the Cammer Concept throughout the year in celebration of our 60th anniversary.”
For more information about the Shelby
Continuation Daytona Coupes is available at Shelby.com.