[V8Healey]

Yes, you are correct. Old Yeller was a homebuilt car, chassis & all.

However, the Healey that Blachowski dropped a Chevy V8 into was very much a small, lightweight (1/2 aluminum body) British roadster. And he did it in early 1956, a year before Shelby drove his "Old Yeller" and nearly seven years before Shelby did the same thing with the AC.

There also was a little Italian car called the Siata that was built with Fiat running gear in the 1950's. A popular conversion for American Siata owners in the mid 1950's was to swap the drivetrain for an American V8.

I've talked to several people who performed similar conversions before Shelby decided to try it himself. Heck, one guy even built a big-block Oldsmobile-powered Healey in 1957...

Admittedly, Shelby took the idea and ran with it, having more success than anyone else.

What I'm trying to find out is what car & motor combos Shelby considered before he discovered AC & the Ford smallblock. There is almost nothing out there about his thought process & everything I have read makes it seem like he came up with the original concept himself.

Isn't there a more detailed version of the Cobra's origins out there in one of the many Cobra books?