The 1967  Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake. There were only 2 of these  Super Snake Cobras built by Carroll Shelby. These 2 had twin Paxton Superchargers.

The normal built Shelby 427 Cobra without the Paxton Supercharger was just an absolute beast. And only about 50 units were made. Can you imagine the Super Snake?

It may have been one of the purest expressions of what automotive legend Carroll Shelby had in mind when he set out to build his own cars. Taking the lightweight roadster body from AC Cars and V8 engines from Ford, he mated the two to create the Cobra. Shortly thereafter, that little roadster was stuffed with Ford’s then-new 427 V8. Shelby figured this was the best way to beat Corvettes at the track. Very few units were built, and those that remain now fetch millions of dollars.

Carroll Shelby was known in the 1960s for building powerful sports cars. In the early 1960s the AC car company of Great Britain produced a light weight sports car called the Ace. AC had lost its engine supplier, so it had a car with no power plant. Carroll Shelby bought Ace bodies and installed the Ford V-8 engines into them and made a legend, called the Cobra, overnight. The first Cobra had a Ford 289-cubic inch engine. The first Shelby Cobra 427 prototype was made in 1963. Shelby Cobra 427s are rare and are coveted by modern collectors.

Engine

• Both Ford's 427- and 428-cubic inch, V-8 engines were installed in the Cobra 427. Both engines were made from cast iron and had five main bearings and a single camshaft. The 427 had a cylinder bore of 4.24 inches and a stroke of 3.87 inches. The compression ratio was 10.4:1. Fuel delivery was via a Holley four-barrel carburetor. The output for the 427 engine was 425 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 480 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm. The 428 engine had a cylinder bore of 4.13 inches and a stroke of 3.98 inches. The compression ratio was 10.5:1 and carburetion was by four, two-barrel Weber units. The output for the 428 was 390 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 475 foot-pounds of torque at 3,700 rpm.

Mechanical

• The Shelby Cobra 427 rode on a four-wheel independent suspension, rare for an American car in 1960s. All four corners of the car were supported by coil springs and upper- and lower-control arms. Slowing and stopping the car were four solid, un-vented disc brakes. The steering was rack and pinion. The transmission was a Ford top-loader, full-synchromeshed, four-speed manual.

Exterior Dimensions

The Shelby Cobra 427 was not a large car. At 156 inches long, it was shorter than the Ford Falcon, Ford's economy car. Overall width was 68 inches, while overall height with the soft top up was 49 inches. Ground clearance was 4.5 inches. The wheelbase was 90 inches while the front and rear tread width were 56 inches each. Dry weight was 2,350 lbs. and the fuel tank had an 18-gallon capacity.

Performance Figures

The Cobra 427 had a top speed of 165 miles per hour, while acceleration from a stop to 60 miles per hour took 4.2 seconds. Zero to 100 took 10.3 seconds. The standing quarter mile took 12.4 seconds. In normal driving the Cobra 427 returned 10 miles per gallon.

 Despite it’s streamlined, sports-car looks, the 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake had the pulse of American muscle coursing through its veins. And judging by the limited number of cars built for this particular model, it shouldn’t be surprising that the most powerful Shelby to ever be built still carries the title of being one of the rarest American muscle cars in history.

Carroll Shelby always wanted to have the fastest and meanest car on the road, and he set about doing it by introducing the Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake back in 1967. Limited to only two units – yep! two! - the Cobra 427 Super Snake was essentially a race car that was modified for use on the street and still holds acclaim as the most awesome of all the Cobras ever to be built. Not only was it powered by the Cobra’s top-of-the-line 427 cu. in. V8 Shelby engine, but to give it some extra juice, Shelby decided to add in a pair of Paxton superchargers to the mix, effectively doubling the output of the 427 Cobra to a mind-boggling 800 horsepower.

An American muscle car from the 60s that produces 800 horsepower. Really, that’s all you need to know about the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake.