Carroll Shelby Tribute thread. Be a part of it.

[marcocsx3121]

Being a stone car nut from high school on (class of 1957!), I knew all about Cobras from the first magazine test. My god, 0-60 in 4.2 seconds at a time when the quickest 'Vettes were in the high 6s! In spite of later learning that that particular 260 engine was a ringer, I was hooked.

The first Cobra that I saw in the flesh was a green 289 roadster that was parked in front of the BOQ (bachelor officers' quarters for you civilian types) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. It turned out that this particular car belonged to lieutenant Doug Champlin, of the Oklahoma oil Champlins. Later that year in the semi-organized drag races that were held at Ramstein air base, Doug and his Cobra soundly trounced all comers. The hook was set even deeper.

Fast forward to 1969: one divorce and a Sunbeam Tiger later, a 427 Cobra showed up for sale in the New York Times. Buying that car was the first joint decision that my new lady friend and I made. CSX 3121 is long gone, but that lady and I just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversay.

Thanks Carroll for providing one of the more enjoyable adventures of my life.