shelby american announced wednesday it plans to build a limited run of extra-special cobra continuation race cars for the company's 60th anniversary. limited to just 10 examples, these cobras will have up to 800 horsepower and use a uniquely designed carbon fiber body that weighs just 88 pounds. yes, you read that correctly. 88 pounds.
the carbon cobra, dubbed the diamond edition, was developed in conjunction with classic recreations, the same texas-based shop that helped create the all-carbon gt500cr mustang re-creation released in 2021. that 88-pound measurement for the body includes the front and rear clips as well as the doors and the floor. the engine bay has been designed to accept a generation 3 coyote v-8 from ford performance, with space for a t56 magnum six-speed manual transmission to get power to the rear wheels. if you want all 800 horses, you'll have to option the available vmp supercharger kit. there are six-piston wilwood brakes front and rear to bring the carbon-wrapped missile on four wheels to a stop.
shelby says each diamond edition cobra will be assembled by "an elite team of designers and technicians" at classic recreations. it also promises the car will handle like a modern vehicle thanks to its incredible power-to-weight ratio. each example will receive a coveted csx serial number, running from csx4521 through csx4530, from shelby licensing.
"carroll shelby taught me the significance of pushing the envelope through innovation and passion," classic recreations founder jason engel said in a statement. "a dream of carroll's was always to place the highest-horsepower engine possible in the lightest, most agile car imaginable and it is our honor to have met that challenge."
cobras this special come at a price. the diamond edition starts at an incredible $1.2 million before options—roughly four times the price of the carbon-bodied gt500cr. considering the raw performance potential from this platform and the fact these are officially licensed cobras, we have no doubt they'll sell out in no time.
from: road & track