The original Shelby Cobra had a gilt-edged competition history, not just on road courses, but more obscurely, on the drag strip. That happened in the mid-1960s when our friend Bruce Larson, the Pennsylvania drag racing legend, took delivery of a drag-tuned Cobra that became known as the Dragonsnake, which he used to run through the sports-class drag categories that existed then. In 1966, Larson sold the fuchsia-painted Cobra to Ed Hedrick of Philadelphia, using it to win every NHRA race he entered, a total that came to include the U.S. Nationals and an NHRA national record. As part of the 100th anniversary of Carroll Shelby’s birth, this landmark Cobra is being re-created in extremely limited numbers.
Built under license from Shelby American, Pennsylvania-based Legendary GT Continuation Cars will produce a total of five copies of the original Dragonsnake. The first, unveiled by Larson at the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals, will replicate his purple Corvette eater, as shown above, only with some upgrades. The Dragonsnake will utilize aluminum bodywork with a color-matched Cobra hardtop, running on an original-configuration frame with 4-inch round main tubes. The chassis will also feature disc brakes and adjustable Penske shocks. Power comes from a Weber-fed 364-cu.in. Ford-sourced V-8 that the manufacturer says will produce 500 horsepower.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 