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1963 AC Cobra – Thunder Road
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Photo: Pete Austin
1960sAC CarsFeatured Editorials & ContentRoadcar ArticlesRoadcar FeaturesRoadcar ProfilesThe Cars

1963 AC Cobra – Thunder Road

 James Beckett
Photo: Pete Austin
Photo: Pete Austin

Legendary, iconic, brute and monster are all words that can be used to describe the world’s ultimate performance muscle car—the AC Cobra. Born out of an AC Ace back in 1962, the AC Cobra, under the direction of Carroll Shelby, quite literally blew the motorsport world apart. The car’s superb performance stunned opposition and onlookers alike, and its superb Ford V8 sound echoed around the racetracks of the world to thrill hundreds of thousands of spectators. Famous on-track, and equally successful off-track, the AC Cobra remains at the forefront of competition to this day.  This example of the mighty machine is a car that raced at Le Mans in 1963—the first year the Cobra visited La Sarthe—and this car is not only a race car, but is also eligible to take to the public highways as a road car! It showed that side of itself well in France’s famous Tour Auto competition,organized by Patrick Peter and his Peter Auto company, just short of 12 months ago, when in the hands of Carlos Monteverde and Gary Pearson it won the 2013 event.

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Brand (AC Cars)Brand (Shelby)Decade (1960s)Event (Tour Auto)Featured (Roadcar Feature)Profiles (Roadcar Profile)Profiles (The Cars)Race (24 Hours of Le Mans)

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James Beckett
Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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