Two Engine failures from Southern Automotive

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by McD00

That's why the they call the 427 cobra the turd...it handles like like stirring a bucket of warm sh!t.....don't make me go there...

I believe the story goes something like this. Miles transplanted a FE into a 289 car, I believe different engines at different times, but the one most talked about is the all aluminum 390. He first raced the car I beieve in 1964, at the same race GM was introducing the GS vettes. Miles purposely dogged in the qualifying, and was positioned between two GS vettes at the start. After the first lap, he was about 40 car lengths ahead of the rest of the pack. There is a picture showing him coming upafter the first lap, I believe slowing down at the first corner at the end of the front straight, and in the distance you can make out a pack of cars at the beginning of the straight. What a great picture. The turd may have been ugly, but it was far faster than anything else at that time. I believe he was having suspension problems, and then maybe an engine problem where he had to slow down, and then dropped out of the race. The car was fast.

In 1965, whenever 427 cobra's , driven by amateur drivers, were raced side by side with team 289 cars, driven by professional drivers, the 427's always finished ahead of all the 289 cars. Not bad considering they were inferior cars driven by inferior drivers.

Originally Posted by Excaliber

The Mark II, 427 side oiler GT-40 won Le Mans FOUR years in a row!

Actually, I believe after a MK II won in 1966, MK IV won in 1967, both with 427's, the FIA changed the rules, limiting displacement ? 5 liters, and the GT40 than won both in 1968 and 1969 was powered by a small block. Nascar however still ran the FE's during these years.