From the moment the Shelby AC 260 was first tested in February 1962, the car Shelby named ‘Cobra’ fulfilled a promise which made it nearly mythical. Light, extremely powerful, well balanced, and extraordinarily beautiful, the car proved that an excellent engine and an equal chassis could be designed on different continents for different purposes, and yet be combined to make a world-beater.
Although the chassis arrived from England with AC badges attached, the car was to be branded as a Shelby. On its first outing the car wore a hand-painted Shelby logo on its nose. Soon thereafter it was badged with a hand-polished aluminum ‘Shelby AC Cobra’ logo. Burnished aluminum: the stuff of fighter jets and racing cars. Automotive aficionados knew the Shelby name promised all-American performance on a global scale. ‘Cobra’ was a new name. It came to Shelby in a dream, and it would soon fill the dreams of every car-lover.