Is this a good or bad thing?
We’re unsure what exactly spurred the creation of this digital rendering where the curvaceous shape of a Shelby Cobra was mixed with the looks of a Shelby GT500. At first glance, most enthusiasts who are also purists will say this is definitely gross, an egregious offense against the car gods which ought to be burned to the ground. Maybe that’s the case, but we’re sure at least some people will find this mixing of two legends at least interesting, especially considering no real cars were hurt in the process.
Speaking of legendary mashups, check out a Bandit Edition Ferrari F40 here.
Really, there are few cars which can rival the legendary status of the original Shelby Cobra. After being sidelined from racing because of a heart condition, Carroll Shelby decided to not only create an amazing race team, he wanted to build cool cars for enthusiasts to drive on the road. His idea of taking a British roadster and shoehorning a big American V8 under the hood seemed insanely stupid to many back in the day, but the man persisted.
The result was a roadster with tapered good looks and one hell of a bit nobody would expect at first glance. Not only were the Cobras a force to be reckoned with on the track, earning Shelby a golden reputation, they were a hit with true enthusiasts. Today, an original Cobra fetches huge money on the market or at an auction. And there are many continuation cars as people try to recreate that magical formula over and over.
As you already know, Shelby eventually was approached by Ford for a partnership. While that was played out dramatically and quite well in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari, enthusiasts have lauded the Shelby Mustangs for decades. Of course, the GT500 is the one most people want since it boasts big power and plenty of bravado.
It might seem natural to mix these two snakes for some interesting hybrid. But, the natures of the Cobra and GT500 are too disparate for this to really make sense. Sure, this is a fun design exercise, but it would never come close to working in the real world.
