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(All photos originally uploaded by buildcobra

It could be said that in many ways the Shelby AC 427 Cobra is much more appreciated today than it ever was during its introduction to the American muscle scene in the 1960’s. The Shelby 427 was designed out of a very simple equation:

Large Engine + Small European Roadster body = Hold onto your toupee!

The Cobra 427 was a very impressive vehicle back in those days, but it is even more impressive today. Part of the reason the modern enthusiast loves the Shelby 427 so much, is that we have been stuck in an era of multitudes of electronics, safety features, bells, and whistles for awhile now.

It is nice to actually sit in a vehicle that cuts out all that unnecessary stuff and brings it down to just the essentials. A seat, steering wheel, a few gauges, four wheels, and plenty of raw horsepower.

The 425 horsepower version of the Cobra was made up of a the awe-inspiring 427 cubic inch V-8, capable of achieving 0 to 60 times in 4.3 seconds, and top speeds of up to 165 mph. The 427 could also do 0 to 100 in a scant 8.8 seconds. If that wasn’t enough, the true enthusiast could order the S/C, which boosted the horsepower to 520.

Everything of beauty has at least one ugly cousin named Mildrid, and the Shelby 427 had its 428 cubic inch police interceptor package cleverly disguised as a 427. The 428 offered only 340 horsepower, could manage 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, and had a top speed of 140. We would see this very engine again in the infamous Shelby Mustang GT-500.

The funny thing about the 428, is most drivers back in the day had no concept of the difference between that one cubic inch and were happy all the same. There were few people who could really take full advantage of the Shelby Cobra’s 420 or 520 horsepower.

It may be hard to believe that such a classic beast could ever fall out of favor of the muscle car crowd, but the 427 Shelby didn’t have much of a rein during its first years of production. It died out rather early having only made just a few examples of itself. You would be hard pressed to find an original model of the Shelby AC 427 Cobra, and even if you did, you would have to hand out some serious cash to buy it.

Thankfully for us regular folks with moderately sized bank accounts, the popularity of the 427 Cobra has brought about the reproduction of replications of these beasts, allowing more people to relish the history of these beautiful automobiles. The best things in life are not always free, but at least with replicas they can be affordable.

If you have never had the pleasure of taking one of these out on an open highway, I highly recommend that you do. There are faster cars out there to be had… but none of them feels quite as fast as the Shelby AC 427 Cobra!

But this time around it has a hint of green to its nature!

Recently we reported on the new Audi TT-RS, which is a beautiful machine set to restore the image of the flailing Audi TT, which has always been thought to be… well, a little on the slow side over its ten years in existence. Within months of hearing the news of the ultra potent TT-RS, we hear now that Audi is now working to gain the attention of the treehugger crowd with a new green roadster.

The Audi TT 1.8 TFSI Roadster
In view of all the green splashing going on around the world these days, Audi has decided to add an alternative Audi TT to their lineup featuring their eco-friendly 1.8 liter TFSI. Now for those of you enthusiasts of Audi and Volkswagen, you will undoubtedly remember the popular bullet-proof versions of the 1.8T used only a few years ago.

Well, they are back, but this time instead of the 225 horsepower they once mustered breathing through a K04 turbo, they are being sacrificed to the Volkswagen K03, which will promise much better fuel economy. The K03 turbo-powered Audi TT will be capable of 160 horsepower (10 horsepower more than the old 1.8T New Beetles, and 40 horsepower more than the current 1.8 TFSI in the Audi A4), and will reach 0-60 in a little over 7-seconds (7.4 seconds to be exact).

Okay, so you won’t be able to win any races… unless it is an old Mustang V6 you are racing, but you sure are going to save a few mpg’s on gas. The new engine should bump the current 30 mpg 200 horsepower 2.0 liter, up to 34 mpg.

The 1.8 liter may fundamentally be the same of the old, but it has been completely redesigned to offer the most power for the smallest amount of engine displacement. The new 1.8 promises less vibration and humming with improved internals, better noise insulation, light weight materials, high pressure two-stage fuel injection, faster spooling turbocharger, and a redesigned (more efficient and lightweight) air-charge intercooler.

While enthusiasts might not be too exited about the 1.8 TFSI, you must remember that it is these base eco-models that pay the bills for the performance versions to stay in production!

Old Car Pictures, originally uploaded by Custom_Cab

This is a very interesting question and one that can get pretty heated, especially when you are telling a guy that the vehicle he is driving was marketed clearly for women. For instance, while there are certain circles of folks that will tell you that the Mazda Miata and the new Volkswagen Beetle were primarily built with the female buyer in mind, many guys like them too. They are small, cute, sporty, easy to drive, and one of them even has a flower vase for crying out loud.

But before we get into a debate what is considered to be feminine, there has really only been a hand full of vehicles which were specifically tailored to fit the female buying market. The Cadillac Eldorado Seville Baroness, Pontiac Pink Parisienne, Chevrolet Impala Martinique, and Dodge Le Femme. Of these, the Le Femme would have to be the favorite of mine.

It was back in the Spring of 1955 when the Dodge division of Chrysler had the grand idea to give the female market their very own option package for their base vehicle, known as the Dodge Royal Lancer. The Dodge Custom Royal Lancer Le Femme, as it became known, was a $145 option guaranteed to make any husband think twice about taking the wheel, especially out in public. The package came with two paint color choices, Sapphire white and Dusty Rose (basically pink).

The interior was given the same feminine treatment with pink upholstery and a nifty handbag designed to fit in the rear of the passenger seat, while maintaining perfect color coordination with the rest of the interior. The car was also customized with a matching pink raincoat, rain hat, and umbrella set. The marketing brochures for the La Femme read, “By Special Appointment to Her Majesty… the American Woman.”

With only 300 made and sold (50 still in existence), this is quite the collectors car as you could imagine. While Dodge claimed the package was quite popular after adopting it for a second year in 1956, they were definitely being a bit optimistic, as even though the population was a lot less back then, 300 sold is certainly not popular by any stretch of the imagination!