CARROLL SHELBY was a pioneer in the marriage of a British chassis and a powerful American V-8 engine. He proved that a man with big ideas could indeed challenge the giants in racing: Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche. His original car, the SHELBY 289 COBRA , immediately became a legend on the street and track. The 289FIA * COBRA was the most successful of those small block cars, creating quite a stir when they appeared at Daytona and Sebring in 1964. | With their flared fenders and cut-back doors, the FIA version become the next logical step in the development of the competition Cobra. Named after the official international sanctioning organization, the "FIA" was a street car converted to race, with compromises only to meet the letter of the rules. After thirty years, the original Shelby 289 Cobras have become collectors' items, with some of the FIA factory race cars worth more than $400,000! |
* The FIA was named after the F ederation Internationale de l'Automobile - the governing body for international racing. The cars were required to have full windscreens and reasonable interior and trunk room, which explains the dimples in the trunk! Our other small block variation, the E.R.A. USRRC , matches the FIA cars as they were raced in the S.C.C.A. racing series, without windshield. |