2004 Shelby Cobra Concept V10 Sounds Like a Viper Killer

Nicknamed Project Daisy, this bad boy came out at the Detroit Auto Show of that year and was supposed to enter production. Ford was considering a modern version of the AC Cobra and the car was made with input from Carroll himself.

Unlike most concepts of that era, this is a working prototype with rear suspension and brakes. The chassis is from the GT, adapted to suit this front-engined application, while the gearbox sits at the back. The little Shelby is almost 2 feet shorter and has a 7-inch shorter wheelbase compared to the supercar.

And at the center of a custom chassis was an all-aluminum V10 engine. This 390 cubic inch (6.4-liter) unit produced 605 horsepower at 6,750 rpm and 501 lb-ft (679 Nm) of torque, which made it one of the most powerful engines Ford had built to that date. Thay said the car can hit 207 miles per hour (333 km/h), but needs to be limited to 100 mph (160 km/h) for safety.

In 2017, the Cobra concept was sold at auction to engineer Chris Theodore, who had an important part in its development. He also had a hand in the Dodge Viper, the Plymouth Prowler, and the 2004 Ford GT.

Theodore paid $825,000 for the concept, and if you think that's cheap, you're absolutely right. It's signed by Shelby and is one of the last cars the legend helped develop. If and when it's registered for road use, this bad boy could be worth three times as much, according to an expert on the matter (see the second video).

The video below shows the Cobra concept in action at the M1 Concourse. The V10 sounds godly, and the two-tone silver body perfectly captures the spirit of a 1960s classic without being a copy.