The Snake & The Stallion - best Cobra documentary ever

[Cobra Lite]

Now that is a good one!

Yes, Shelby is a salesman alright.

And as was mentioned, he was at the right time.

However, he was not the first person to race an AC with an American V8 in it. He was just trying to build a race car and knew a big torque V8 in a small light car had a chance. The video gives the impression that AC was about to go out of business and that he saved them. Uh, huh. Right. They had the design and craftsman who could build the car and were willing to sell the cars without the drivetrain. A great deal for both parties.

I have watched the DVD many times now (while I exercise!) and it is very well made. I recommend it but with reservation because it it so one sided. It is well said that history is written by the victors and this video lives up to that claim.

It is so much a tribute to "The Man" that I would suspect that he financed the program. It is like a biography paid for by the person written about. Nothing at all negative, everything presented in a way that, while true, is not the whole story, and by that leads to incorrect beliefs.

Reminds me of the movies where you see both the "his and her" views of the situation. In each person's mind they were correct, that they were in the right, and the other person was all wrong. Yet the way each of them believe they handled the situation is totally unrelated to reality. That is how the Snake and the Stallion video is.

Funny, I never thought of Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant as "California Hot Rodders". Nor the the engineers who modified the AC into a competitive car.

I did like that it was accurately shown that Shelby had very little, or really, nothing to do with the coupe design other than putting Pete Brock in charge.

However, the video ends with Shelby "Hanging up his hat". What a crock.

No mention of developing the next years car which was supposed to be quite different than it ended up becoming. I am sure the 390 Cobra with the longer wheelbase would have been a much better car. Also no mention of Shelby taking over the GT40's or that the famous 427 SC Cobra was just a way to sell the leftover unsellable cars after he had moved on to other projects. Nor that he had no interest in the Cobra since it was just a means to an end. Not until many years later when the cars started to increase in value. I do agree with the Dragon Lady that all those involved would feel those were the best of times. The 289 days that is, those days were gone before the 427 ever reached this side of the Atlantic. And long before Shelby started on his infamous course of suing anyone and everyone for anything he thought he could get away with. (like Harley Davidson trying to copyright the "sound" of the V-Twin engine. Like they were the first to build V-Twin engines???) Greed is ugly in any form.

So, buy a copy and enjoy it, but please, do not think it portrays an accurate well rounded picture of the car, the races, or "the man".

I wish there had been more race film footage and less repetitive interviews but so it goes. The cars are beautiful anyway.

A famous person surrounds himself with hard working and intelligent people to carry out his goals and he gets the credit for their success.

But a GREAT person surrounds himself with hard working and intelligent people to carry out his goals, but he credits those working with him with the success.