Shelby keeps the party going with a 50th anniversary 427 Cobra

By Stephen Edelstein Published December 31, 2014

Shelby American clearly isn’t content with just one 50th anniversary celebration for the legendary Cobra.

It may have passed the half-century mark almost three years ago, but Shelby is rolling out another special edition to commemorate its most famous creation.

This time, Shelby is observing the 50th anniversary of the 427 Cobra, arguably the meanest of the original Cobra models. Fittingly, just 50 examples will be sold.

Shelby already makes Cobra “continuation car” replicas, so this version looks like it’s been in a time capsule since 1965.

And, as far as Shelby is concerned, they will be “real” Cobras, with serial numbers in a sequence that stretches back to the very first car.

Each car gets 50th anniversary badging and a plaque denoting its place in the production run. Both aluminum and fiberglass bodies will be offered.

Go for the aluminum body, and Shelby will polish it to a mirror-like finish. It can also be painted in the classic Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White stripes scheme that’s become synonymous with Shelby – and used to be the national U.S. racing colors. Paint is the only option for the fiberglass body.

Underneath the classic bodywork, the 50th anniversary 427 Cobra will be mechanically similar to the original, with some concessions to modernity in materials and parts such as 21st century-spec brakes.

The 50th anniversary models start at $119,995 for a fiberglass body and $179,995 for aluminum, but that’s without an engine or transmission.

Orders open January 13 at 10:00 a.m. PST. Get your driving gloves and wallet ready.

Stephen Edelstein

Former Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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