Dave Despain on Assignment - The Shelby Legend

[mickmate]

The 427 Cobra as awesome as it is and as much as we love it didn't do much in racing. The 289 was the big acheiver there. The project was almost knackered as it came out of the stable just with the timing and overlap with other projects. The race and street cars were too expensive, they couldn't get parts like wheels, they had to dream up the fastest street legal road car gimmick to get them off cinder blocks and moving in the market. If I was him I wouldn't want to talk about the 427 much, talk about hindsight being 20/20.

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by mickmate

The 427 Cobra as awesome as it is and as much as we love it didn't do much in racing. The 289 was the big acheiver there. The project was almost knackered as it came out of the stable just with the timing and overlap with other projects. The race and street cars were too expensive, they couldn't get parts like wheels, they had to dream up the fastest street legal road car gimmick to get them off cinder blocks and moving in the market.

That's all well established, but the relative hoards of buyers and enthusiasts it took to fuel the Cobra replica industry and thus keep Shelby's name alive weren't motivated by the racing successes of the 289. It was the 427, in all its caricaturish, under achiever glory that captured the imagination of car enthusiasts across the globe. The 289 has a more limited connoisseur appeal among a smaller group of fans and cognoscenti.

If I was him I wouldn't want to talk about the 427 much, talk about hindsight being 20/20.

My point exactly. Unfortunately, through the efforts of invested parties, history is often edited and censored to reflect and pander to their special interests.