The 260 was the first of several Cobras which were derived by Carroll Shelby from the British made AC Ace. The idea was a simple one, take a lightweight sports car chassis, one designed to be powered by a 2 litre straight six engine, and drop in a full size Ford V8. The result was a massive power to weight ratio which endowed all Cobras with terrific performance. The first such engine was the Ford 260ci V8 (4.2 litres) which was used for the first run of cars made from 1962. In addition to the engine transplant, the AC Ace chassis was strengthened along with the transmission to take the extra power.
Later Cobras used a 289ci V8 (4.7 litres) and the ultimate version used a 427ci (7 litre) V8. The smaller engined cars looked similar to the humbler Ace on which they were based, but the 427 had widely flared wheelarches and Halibrand alloy wheels which greatly changed the look of the car overall.
This particular Cobra represents the very first one made in February 1962. Initially seen in an unpainted aluminium finish, the car was soon painted pearl yellow and sent to New York to be shown at the NY Motorshow in March 1962. Even without paint it looked terrific as it had a bright aluminium shine. Exoto also make models of this car in it*s unpainted state. Over the following months the same car was repainted several times in different shades which gave the impression that there were several test Cobras when in fact there was just one. The appearance at the NY show and subsequent press interest generated enough orders to put the car into production.
Exoto are the first to make a narrow body 1:18th scale Cobra. Previous Cobra models by ERTL, Kyosho and Yat Ming are of the wide body 427 version. This 260ci Cobra was one of the first releases in this new line by Exoto, which now includes a number of 260 Cobra race versions and the 289 Cobra roadcar. Race versions of the 289 Cobra are due later in 2004 (at the time of writing but they still haven*t gone on sale as of October 2005!).
Exoto have built a reputation for making the finest 1:18th scale model cars at any price, and this Cobra is no exception. Fine detail abounds, with real wire used in the replica wire wheels, an opening fuel filler cap, a highly detailed 260ci V8, a realistic boot lid support strut, great quality yellow paint and a fantastic interior complete with carpet, fabric seat belts and realistic feeling seats. I can*t really find fault with this model, some criticism has been directed at the old fashioned "dog leg" style door hinges, but as Exoto pointed out in their defense, the real car had "dog leg" door hinges too! This model scores an excellent 9/10 marks from me!
AC-Ace and AC-Bristol sportcars in England