These are 2 of the baddest cars of the 20th C IMO. WHich do you prefer & why ? Who has experienced both ? I got a ride in both, Loved it
I have never had a ride in either but I have raced against and watched a replica 427 Cobra TRY and get grip while going down the back straight. This was an alloy blocked very mean Cobra and it was all over the place with traction problems ... but it was still faster than everything else on the track Scary stuff Pete
If you would chose a F40 over a REAL original signed by Carrol Shelby, Shelby Cobra then you need to have your head looked at. F40 is an awsome car but come on...a 427 Shelby Cobra...Its a HUGE part of American racing history. And a F40 is just a rare Ferrari.
The Shelby would be ok if it were real, but honestly there are more than 20k kit cars out there. The F40 has had a longer and more successful career, the Cobra looks great in the garage and is not so special to look at anymore. the F40 at 17 years old, is still a better looking car. The 'real Cobra' is pretty rare, although Shelby himself was supposedly commiting fraud a few years back making chasis and leaving them outside to pretend they were 66's I'd say original Cobra with racing heritage over standard street F40. So it would have to be an exceptional Cobra for me to even look twice at it.
yeah, they are both beutifaul cars in their own right. Sure, the Cobra has its rightful spot in American Muscle Car history (well deserved), but the F40 has a very special spot in the automotive world, too. It bears the prancing horse, a legendary symbol on the road and the track. The F40 gave the name "supercar" a whole new meaning. And most importantly, and why it is so special IMO, is that it was the last car commisioned by Enzo Ferrari himself, a man who had contributed SO much to the world of racing, and who created the company that sets the standards to which other exotics are compared. I understand that an ORIGINAL Shelby Cobra may be worth more, and it is no doubt the most beutifaul AMERICAN car, and yadi yada, but, If I had the money to buy either of them, but not both, it would be the F40...no question about it.
If you have the cash to go for an F40, I say an F40 + 80ish for an Aluminum Kirkham Cobra......the best of both worlds (assuming you are a driver, not a collector). J
Cobra. Brutal acceleration. Amazing sound Snap in side curtains A soft top that makes erector sets look simple Leg burns from the side pipes on exit. Whats not to like? Oh yeah did I mention brutal acceleration? Cobra Got Torque? Erich
When I was a teenager, I was big time into downhill ski racing(this is where my passion for speed came from). For several summers I was fortunate enough to be able to train for several weeks on glaciers in Oregon or Montana. At the Montana camp we stayed in a lodge at about 7000' elevation and trained at about 11,000' elevation. The bus ride up the mountain took about 40 minutes and you could, from some spots see the whole road, a beautiful series of swithbacks, like you might find in the alps. One of the instructors, Andrl Molterer, an Olympic champion from Austria, had an original cobra. He was, of course, a total speed freak and very competitive in everything he did. He made this game where he would spot the bus an increasing amount of time each morning, then fire up the cobra and race us to the top. You could here him coming all the way up the hill, just a thrilling sound in the thin mountain air, the howl of the 427 as he charged up the mountain. I got to ride with him once and it scared the XXXX out of me. Awesome, in your face car, and one I would that I would love to own.
Wow, thats quite a tale! Brought a genuine smile to my face dreaming about it. Must have been quite a ride... Thats a hard choice. Probably the F40, I'd like to experience them both first as I'm sure the driving experience is drastically different!... but I think it's pretty safe to say I'd take the Ferrari. Anyways with around +300k bucks for toys I'd probably buy a 348 or 355 Challenge race car for fun, an 80's Bentley Turbo R for everyday and spend the rest on a +30 ft. offshore powerboat!
Thirty some odd years ago my best freind and I raced 427 Cobras in SCCA "A Production". We raced a full blown SC Cobra, the last 427 car made. It was hugely fast a drove like a two by four on wheels. The difference between that and the F40 (which my friend owns now) was the instantaneous power since it was normally aspirated. The F40 you have to watch the boost guage as much as the tach on it. If you lay into the throttle at too low an rpm, the car just sits there or about dies until the revs come up. There is a lot of turbo lag on it. Once the turbo kicks in, then you get excessive wheel hop. If one were to want to go the Cobra route now though, owning an original one would be a risky proposition since if you lunched the motor you would have a terrible time replacing it. The best one now out there that my friend and I have seen is the Continuation Cobra that comes from Poland. Gary
Shelby is building 289s & 427s again in Las Vegas. The Cobra was my fave car until i was in my early 20s when Ferraris took over. Shelby said the design is based on the 50s barchettas
William These are really VERY different. If you buy an original one buy the best NO STORIES one you can find and IMHO you'll never lose $. (Cobra) Engines are no problem. I have several original ones and TONS of spares as do others such as Lee Holman. I have 20K street miles on the 427 in my MK-IV which I rev to 7K with no problems. F40's are wonderfull as well but they don't have the same history as Cobra's which were the car's that beat F and won the mfg. title. (Not GT-40's). F40 are wonderfull in quite a different way. At that level it's what YOU want. Neither is better than the other.
Ooooooh man this is a tough one. But I'm gonna have to go with an original 427Cobra. That car is all business. As Napolis said it is the car that spanked Ferrari for the world championship back in the day. Even though the F40 is a beautiful car, the Cobra just has soooo much historic appeal tied to. Even to this very day an original 427 can STILL bang it out with the big boys, and even beat some of them. For the yeeeeears it held the 0-100-0 record. So for me is is the legendary 427 Cobra.
Gary, that must have been a blast. The original car is quite a handful. There is also a company in Montana making some really nicely designed cars, and good people too, John http://www.hdrcoupe.com/index.html
Here's a few shots from their venue in Vegas. A few guys build and maintain the cars. Incredible stuff. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
When you compare cars like this you must look at all the differences between them, not just raw power and speed. F40 = mid engine, turbo, carbon fibre 427 Cobra = front engine, non turbo, metal There are many differences too numerous to list here. What it really comes down to is WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE? WHAT TURNS YOUR CRANK? The only true test would be to drive both cars under the same conditions and make a comparasion based on the driving experience, after all isn't that what it is all about? The experience.
Toughy. Depends on the situation. I'd say: Garage/collectors car: Original 427 Cobra. Due to rarity and value, i'd almost be too afraid to take it out on the road. This car is easily my favorite car of all time. Street/weekend driver: F40. More modern, higher tech, more streetable i'd assume. Won't be passed off as a replica . One of my favorite cars of the last two decades. Race car: Cobra replica with a heavily modified 427ci v8. 600hp minimum. All out suspension. Strip/track terror.
F40 Real Cobras are great cars but so many replicas have diluted the car. Now if you are talking 427 Daytona Coupe that would be tough choice between them.
The original Daytona Coupes were 289's. The 427 Coupe was built up years later after the fact from a car that was never completed. A real Coupe begins a 5 million a bit more than an F40.
I know I'll get flamed...but Shelby is and will never be more than just a mustang tuner who got his name whored out to everything. That old man just wants to file suit on anyone under the sun these days. MM
