This is the second edition of the well-known and much loved book by Michael L Shoen. The Cobra-Ferrari Wars: 1963-1965, is the account of the battles, both on track and off, that raged between two great names, that of the established marque of Ferrari and the newcomer Cobra. Enzo Ferrari had made his name and his reputation the hard way, during the tough years just prior to World War II, and in the years immediately after. Within a few short years, his cars became very successful worldwide, and aspiring racing drivers clamoured to get behind the wheel of one of his cars.
Carroll Shelby on the other hand, didn’t start out in the motor business, let alone the racing business. But the lanky Texan’s interest in motorsport could not be suppressed and before long he was making a name for himself. Shelby won the Le Mans 24-Hour race in ’59, but he was soon to find out that a serious heart disease would bring his motorsport ambitions to a premature end. And so he turned his energies to the next best thing, fielding his own race team. The trouble was that the European cars had higher performing engines, stronger gearboxes and better suspensions. Shelby sought to change this balance by combining the best of the more affordable American muscle power with an ‘overseas’ chassis and suspension. And so was born the AC/Shelby Cobra.
