MY FEEDLY

Paul Walker’s 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 FAM Is For Sale

This 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 is one of just two special “FAM” edition vehicles that were built, it was personally ordered by Carroll Shelby and it formerly belonged to the late actor Paul Walker of “The Fast and the Furious” movie franchise.

Walker was just as famous for his expansive collection of cars as for his breakthrough role in The Fast and the Furious films. His taste in cars was genuinely eclectic, and his collection included everything from classics right the way through to modern supercars.

The Shelby Cobra – A Speedrun

Shelby Cobras were famously invented by Shelby back in the early 1960s after he retired from a successful career as a race car driver due to a heart condition. He used the tried and tested recipe of dropping a powerful American V8 into a small, lightweight, and nimble European sports car – in this case the AC Ace from England.

Above Image: The distinctive wide body look of the 427 Cobra is hard to miss.

Initially the Cobras had a 260 cu. in. (4.3 litre) Ford V8 before switching to the 289 cu. in. (4.7 litre) Ford V8 also used in the Mustang. The final, and most lethal, version of the car used Ford 427 cu. in. (7.0 litre) V8 producing upwards of 485 hp at 6,000 rpm and 480 lb ft of torque at 3,700 rpm – all in a car weighing just ~2,300 lbs.

Despite the car’s fame less than 1,000 originals were built between 1961 and 1968, and just 343 of these were the fire breathing 427 cu. in. V8 variants.

Carroll Shelby always had a soft spot for the Cobra and demand for them remained high, so high that he made a few additional production runs of the model to help meet satiate the market.

One of these additional production runs took place in the late 1990s, 14 CSX1000 examples were made, and it was planned that 10 “FAM” cars would be built. As it transpired just two FAM cars would be made and this is one of them.

Above Image: The highly-modified Ford V8 fitted to this car produces 550 hp.

If you’re curious about the name, “FAM” is said to stand for “Ferrari’s ass is mine” a statement made by Carroll Shelby after his team lost the 1964 World Manufacturer’s Championship to the alleged shady maneuvers the Ferrari team engineered at the end of the season.

Shelby stayed true to his word, he returned to Le Mans with the might of the Ford Motor Company behind him and wiped the floor with Ferrari in 1966 and 1967 with the Ford GT40. The GT40 would go on to take additional wins in 1968 and 1969.

Paul Walker’s Shelby Cobra 427 FAM

With 550 hp on tap and a curb weight of approximately 2,300 lbs, this Shelby Cobra 427 FAM provides a driving experience like very few cars on earth.

Above Image: The side pipes have been known to burn unsuspecting car show attendees who get too close when the car is still warm.

Realistically only professional racing drivers would be able to fully utilize the car’s output, however Paul Walker’s high-level of ability behind the wheel has been well documented and he was a part-time racing driver himself when not on camera. Much like other stars like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Patrick Dempsey.

The 427 FAM has a hand-rolled aluminum body built by AC Cars, a one of a kind interior with FAM series gauges and badging, a matching-numbers Shelby 427 FE aluminum 550 HP V8 engine, and a Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual transmission.

Funnily enough the car has a Ferrari signature color combination of Rosso Corsa with a Tan leather interior, which I’m sure was no mistake, and it has 4-wheel independent suspension, Wilwood brakes with Shelby calipers, and Halibrand-style 15 inch pin drive wheels.

The car is due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in mid-March, if you’d like to read more about it you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post Paul Walker’s 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 FAM Is For Sale appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/paul-walker-shelby-cobra-427-fam/
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Iso Grifo 7 Litri – A Rare Italian GT Car Capable Of 186 MPH

The Iso Grifo 7 Litri was to be one of the fastest road-legal production cars of its time, with a claimed top speed of 186 mph.

The car was an extraordinary achievement from a company that had started out making refrigerators before developing their own line of small-capacity motor scooters and the Iso Isetta bubble car that would become a celebrity in its own right.

The team behind the development of the Iso Grifo was an all-star collection of some of Italy’s finest automotive mind.

Developing The Iso Grifo

The project was overseen by Renzo Rivolta, company founder and the man who had seen Iso’s rise from a maker of refrigerators to a globally respected sports car manufacturer. The engineering was done by Giotto Bizzarrini, the man who designed the Ferrari 250 GTO and had a hand in developing the Lamborghini V12 engine used in the Miura and many other Lamborghinis.

Above Image: The unusual hideaway headlights and the famous “penthouse” hood scoop would typically denote a Series II 7 Litri.

The styling was done by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, one of the greatest automobile designers of all time if not the greatest outright, and the man responsible for a remarkable array of cars from the Volkswagen Golf Mk1 to the DeLorean DMC-12 and the De Tomaso Mangusta.

Iso Autoveicoli founder Renzo Rivolta was a passionate but practical man, he knew he didn’t have the funds to develop his own engine capable of taking the fight to Lamborghini and Ferrari, so instead he did the same thing men like Carroll Shelby and Alejandro De Tomaso had done – he took reliable American V8s and used them instead.

The decision to use V8s from across the Atlantic made a lot of sense, and it provided automakers like Rivolta access to affordable engines and transmissions, and to an extensive parts catalogue. Skipping forward decades into the future to the modern day, and cars like the Iso Grifo 7 Litri are typically an order of magnitude less expensive to maintain than their rivals from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Iso Grifo – Specifications + Engines

Over the course of the 1965 to 1974 production run, the Iso Grifo was offered with four major engine choices depending on year, from the 327, 427, and 454 cu. in. V8s from Chevrolet to the 351 cu. in. V8 from Ford towards the end of the production run. The 427 cu. in. V8 was capable of an advertised minimum of 425 hp, an astonishing figure for the era.

Of these, the Iso Grifo 7 Litri was the most powerful, with either the 427 or 454 cu. in. V8 fitted – engines that were so large the car required a strengthened chassis, an enlarged engine bay with reinforced mounts, and an unusual hood with a “penthouse” top to allow the engine to fit.

In 1970 the Iso Grifo Series II was unveiled, this newer version featured a few changes – perhaps most notably the hideaway headlights which provide an easy way to identify Series II cars.

Above Image: The 427 cubic inch V8 was capable of over 400 hp, propelling the car to a claimed top speed of 186 mph.

Three transmission options were offered over the production run, a 4-speed BorgWarner manual on earlier cars and a 5-speed ZF manual on later cars, as well as a 3-speed automatic if you were so inclined. The factory claimed the 7 Litri could attain a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), however it’s not known if this has ever been tested.

The suspension and braking systems used weren’t unusual for the day, with double wishbones and coil springs up front and a De Dion axle and coil springs in the rear. Brakes were discs all around and the curb weight varied depending on model and engine chosen, falling within the range of 3,150 to 3,550 lbs (1,430 to 1,610 kgs).

By the end of production 413 Iso Grifos had been built, 330 Series I and 83 Series II cars, just 90 of them were the 7 Litri or “7 Liter” versions.

The 1969 Iso Grifo 7 Litri Series I Shown Here

The car you see here is an unusual 1969 Iso Grifo 7 Litri Series I, it’s unusual because it was sent back to the factory in-period to be upgraded to Series II specification including the hideaway headlights.

It was completely restored in 1989 and it’s listed as still presenting very well today, it has Bordeaux paintwork with the correct “7 Litri” badging on both b-pillars, and the large hood scoop known as the “penthouse” for obvious reasons.

The car is due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 22nd of January, it has no reserve and the estimate is $500,000 to $600,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post Iso Grifo 7 Litri – A Rare Italian GT Car Capable Of 186 MPH appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/iso-grifo-7-litri-car/
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Sergio Perez’s Ferrari 056 Formula 1 Exhaust – A Sculpture by Mike O’Connor

This unusual, almost alien-looking, sculpture is the work of Mike O’Connor. It started life In Maranello, Italy where it was manufactured by Ferrari as part of the Ferrari 056 engine that was used by both Scuderia Ferrari and Sauber (as an engine customer).

This particular exhaust was used by Sergio Perez in Monza at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix. Monza is famous for being a high-speed circuit so the Ferrari V8 with its 18,000 rpm red line would have sounded biblical echoing through the grandstands packed with tifosi.

Each of these sculptures is made by Mike O’Connor, the founder of the Fastest Club – an exclusive group of historic Formula 1 car owners who travel around the world with their cars to a number of F1 races each year and spend time on track putting their vehicles through their paces, allowing fans to see them in action and hear the collection of much loved V8 and V10s from years gone by.

Above Image: Each set of headers are joined at the manifold to create an unusual, symmetrical sculpture.

Mike owns a 2011 Sauber Ferrari (chassis #4) that was used by Sergio Perez in the 2011 season, though thankfully it isn’t the one he crashed at the Monaco Grand Prix that year. Fortunately for us, Mike also has an Art Degree, which led him to take the spare exhaust systems he had in storage and do something remarkable with them.

Each sculpture is created by taking a real Formula 1 exhaust and bolting each set of headers together to create a single, biological-looking piece which is then affixed to a base. The unusual appearance of each piece will be instantly familiar to any petrolhead, but non-car folks can be quite perplexed as to what they’re looking at and they make great conversation pieces as a result.

If you’d like to read more about them or buy your own you can click here to contact Mike directly.

Images Mike O’Connor

The post Sergio Perez’s Ferrari 056 Formula 1 Exhaust – A Sculpture by Mike O’Connor appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/formula-1-exhaust-sculpture/
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Lock Pick Training Kit – $40 USD

This Lock Pick Training Kit was developed to give people a quick and inexpensive entry into the world of competitive lock picking.

Although we often associate lock picking with burglars and other assorted thieves, the truth of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of locks that are picked are picked by locksmiths to let people back into their own homes or cars.

Most of us have had to call a locksmith at some ungodly hour because of lost keys, and we’ve all marvelled at how quickly they can do it, and how much money they earn for it.

Lock picking has been a popular pastime by non-criminals for hundreds of years, in fact King Louis XVI of France was a keen designer, picker, and manipulator of locks all the way back in the 1700s.

Today there’s an organised competitive world surrounding lock picking, it’s called “locksport” and tournaments are held right around the world.

The clear padlock you see here was specifically designed for training locksmiths and lock pickers, it has a clear acrylic case so you can see what’s happening inside, with brass and stainless steel internal mechanisms.

The kit comes with both the padlock and a series of five lock picking tools, specifically a tensioning wrench and four picks. Even if you don’t plan to start competing in the world of locksport, you never know when the ability to pick a lot is going to save you one of those expensive locksmith call-outs.

Visit The Store

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The Black Ghost: Street Racing Legend – 1970 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi Documentary

The Black Ghost: Street Racing Legend is a new documentary from the American Historic Vehicle Association about a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE ordered new by a man named Godfrey Qualls.

This triple black 426 Hemi would become a legend in the underground street racing scene in Detroit and only years later would people discover that the car was being raced by an off-duty cop.

Godfrey Qualls was a remarkable man by any measure, a Purple Heart veteran and then a Detroit police officer he had ordered his Challenger R/T SE in 1969 as a way of recapturing the excitement he had felt jumping out of planes as a paratrooper. The car certainly delivered.

Qualls remained a legend in the Detroit street racing scene for decades, though no one knew his name. He raced but kept his identity secret due to his day job on the force. It wasn’t until many years later when he called in some help to get the Challenger running again that people began to learn of his story, and the incredible history behind the car.

I won’t go into any further detail here as I don’t want to ruin the film, it runs 40 minutes in length and it’s already been seen by three quarters of a million people despite the fact it was only released a few days ago (at the time of writing).

If you’d like to visit the Historic Vehicle Association and read more about the important work they do you can click here.

Official Description:

The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE ordered new by Godfrey Qualls was a piece of legend on the streets of Detroit. Optioned in triple black with a 426 Hemi, it dominated street races throughout the 70s before disappearing for decades. Learn the full story behind this original survivor car, how it made its way back on to the streets, and having its story documented as a piece of America’s automotive history!

The post The Black Ghost: Street Racing Legend – 1970 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi Documentary appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/the-black-ghost-documentary/
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A Rare Factory-Red Jaguar D-Type – Britain’s Le Mans-Dominating Supercar

The Jaguar D-Type is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was a car designed using some cutting edge aircraft technology (in the 1950s) that would defeat all who came before it at Le Mans and forever change the way racing cars were built.

The Jaguar D-Type

The two men responsible for the D-Type were aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer and engineer William Heynes. Working with a small team they incorporated modern aerodynamic theory into the C-Type, D-Type, E-Type, and XJ13.

From a racing perspective the most famous of these cars is of course the D-Type thanks to its slew of wins at major races around the world including the now legendary three wins in a row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957.

William Heynes was the Jaguar Chief Engineer and Technical Director who had hired Malcolm Sayer in 1951. The two men first collaborated on the Jaguar C-Type before beginning work on the sports racing car that would change the world, developing some technologies that are still in use in racing cars to this day.

Above Image: The distinctive and highly aerodynamic shape of the D-Type helped some versions of the car reach top speeds close to 200 mph, an astonishing figure for the 1950s.

They designed the D-Type around a central monocoque tub, front and rear subframes were developed to hold the engine and suspension up front, and the fuel cell and rear suspension in the back. This design helped to both lower weight and increase rigidity.

They then designed what is considered one of the most beautiful car bodies of all time to envelope the monocoque and subframes, utilizing Sayer’s aircraft design experience from his time designing aircraft at the Bristol Aeroplane Company during the Second World War.

His remarkable understanding of high-speed aerodynamics resulted in the D-Type with its 3.4 litre straight-six being faster on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans than the Ferrari 375 Plus with its 5.0 litre V12.

The combination of handling and high-speed ability were hallmarks of the D-Type throughout its competition life in the mid to late 1950s, and they would see it win time and time again against fields of cars with larger and more powerful engines.

Above Image: The XK engine was tilted slightly for a lower hood line, resulting in a small asymmetrical bulge.

Jaguar withdrew from motorsport at the end of the 1956 season, leaving them with a number of D-Types on hand and nowhere to race them. The decision was made to convert many of them to Jaguar XKSS specification – essentially turning them from Le Mans-winning race cars to road-legal sports cars, they proved popular and the most famous XKSS owner was A-list American actor Steve McQueen.

Tragically in 1957 a fire broke out at Jaguar’s Browns Lane plant, destroying many D-Types awaiting conversion to XKSS specification. As a result just 16 examples were built and they’re now among the most collectible cars on earth.

Engineering and aerodynamics from the D-Type would strongly influence the Jaguar E-Type and set the design language for Jaguar going forward – even today the best selling Jaguar F-Type has strong Heynes/Sayer styling influences.

The Jaguar D-Type Shown Here

The Jaguar D-Type you see here is remarkable for a number of reasons, perhaps the most notable of which is its color – a highly unusual bright red rather than the more common British racing green.

Above Image: The XK engine is fitted to a front subframe that attaches directly to the central monocoque.

It’s believed that just two or three D-Types ever left the Jaguar factory painted red, one historian suggested it may have been to break into the Italian privateer racing market, though this may have been tongue in cheek.

The car was delivered new to Henlys of Manchester, England in 1955 where it remained unsold, it was finally bought by an automobile salesman by the name of Bernie Ecclestone (yes, that Bernie Ecclestone).

Ecclestone sold it to racer Peter Blond for £3,500, and he campaigned the car and took two wins at Snetterton, with race entries in period at Aintree, Silverstone, Oulton Park, and Goodwood.

Today the car has an unbroken history file and still carries its numbers-matching 3.4 litre Jaguar XK engine, as well as its distinctive red paint work and red leather interior.

It’s due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 22nd of January and you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.