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Cosby's Cobra

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Twosheds

Twosheds

Darth Vader
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I found the Road & Track article about the Cobra in Bill Cosby's story told on Leno's program. It's in the February '68 issue and is titled "Cobra to End All Cobras" because it is the last Cobra built. The subject car is actually the one built for Carroll Shelby but the article says:

"By the way, a duplicate of the car has been built for entertainer Bill Cosby. So you're twice as likely to see one of these monsters roaming about. Beware."

I guess in those days they had to say entertainer Bill Cosby. So readers would know whom you were talking about.

I've suffered Brain Fade since '68 and I was wrong about the turbochargers. The car has two Paxton superchargers. Shelby stated that the horsepower was "about 800". The 427 had two Holley 4V carbs.

The R&T writers agreed with Cosby on this:

"The engine does idle at 700 with the transmission engaged but not without audible protest. And holding the car against the torque converter goes from tough with the engine idling to well-nigh impossible with it revved up."

and:

"...we physically couldn't hold the car still with the brakes!"

The acceleration curve goes pretty much straight up. 0-60 mph took 3.8 seconds and 0-100 mph 7.9s. They didn't test top end, but estimated it to be 182 mph.

Wonder where these two cars are now?
 
twosheds, is it true that cosby found the car too much for him to handle and gave the car back to shelby? or am i thinking of another person?
 
Well, that's what Cosby told Leno that he did, but was that a fabrication for the punchline or fact?

Cosby's delivery of the story is hilarious, but the returning of the car line makes the whole routine.

My money is on Cosby returning the car. Someone else on the list probably knows for sure.
 
Cosbey goes thru the whole process of meeting with Shelby,ordering the car, waiting for the car, and receiving the car on the album "200 MPH".
Punchline coming!! Cosbey says to the driver who delivered the car "You take this car, it's all paid for, and you give it to George Wallace."
Very funny album. I recorded it onto CD from album.
Rick
 
As funny as the punchline was, and is, a sad comment on todays PC attitude.
If I were to say, "Take this car and give it to Jesse Jackson", I'd be branded as a bigot, and the ACLU would be camping on my lawn.
Jeff
 
From what I read and what is posted on wikipedia, Cosby gave it back to Shelby, where the car was sent to some dealership in San Francisco. It was sold to a guy named Tony Maxey, who lost control of it, went off a cliff, and was killed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_Cobra

Funny how times have changed, many cars are nearly that fast now and some are even faster. I recently drove a Noble and a Ariel Atom, both of which are quicker than that Cobra to 60 and 100, but of course their chassis' are better suited to that kind of performance than the Cobra was
 
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