Originally built by Carroll Shelby in the 1960s, the Shelby Cobra is commonly associated with Ford power. And for good reason, because Carroll used a trio of FoMoCo powerplants at the time. What’s more, most continuation cars and unofficial replicas have also been fitted with Ford-made V8s for the sake of tradition. Some shops, however, have taken different and rather controversial paths. That’s right, some Cobras pack GM power.
Of course, I’m not talking about the 998 Cobras that rolled out of Shelby’s shop from 1962 to 1967. Those are simply too valuable to mess with. The Cobra you see here is most likely a replica, one of the tens of thousands that have been produced over the last decades. But this one is wilder than your regular Shelby because it packs a Chevrolet-made LT5 V8. Yup, it’s the supercharged mill that pumps a whopping 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet (969 Nm) of torque in the C7-generation Corvette ZR1.
And no, someone did not ruin a ‘Vette ZR1 to get the mill. Chevrolet offered the LT5 as a crate engine for a few years. The powerplant was discontinued in September 2021, a couple of years after the C7 was phased out, but many of these engines are still out there. And I’m pretty sure the Cobra you’re looking at is the first to get one. And here’s the cool thing about it: the folks over at Kaotic Speed also upgraded the mill for extra oomph.
There’s no info as to what they changed, but the LT5 now sends 825 horsepower and 760 pound-feet (1,030 Nm) of twist to the rear wheels. And that’s more than any Cobra built by Carroll Shelby, who created quite a few monsters. And I’m not talking about the Competition Cobra. Carroll also put together a drag-ready Dragon Snake and a supercharged monster called the Super Snake.
The latter was designed as the ultimate Cobra and features a 7.0-liter V8 topped by twin Paxton superchargers. The blown V8 was rumored to deliver 800 horsepower, which was downright insane back in the 1960s. Carroll built two of them and only one survived to this day. Shelby’s personal car for a few years, the Super Snake went under the hammer for a whopping $5 million in 2021.
Back to our LT5-swapped Cobra, it may not be as historically accurate, but it’s a more modern take on the Super Snake. It’s loaded with all sorts of custom-made parts, a modern suspension, and a digital display on the dashboard. More importantly, it’s incredibly loud and, according to our host, it’s quite scary to drive. That’s exactly what comedian Bill Cosby had to say about the Super Snake.
If you’re not familiar with the story, Cosby got the second Super Snake as a gift from Carroll himself. Frightened by the car’s enormous power, Cosby eventually gave it back to Carroll and recalled his experience in the famous “200 MPH” comedy routine. I have a feeling Bill would be just as terrified of this Cobra because it’s just as monstrous as the Super Snake. But you don’t have to take my word for it.