The 427 established a benchmark time of 14.5 seconds for the 0-100-0 run. Remarkable stuff

Engine: 6998cc
Power: 425bhp 
Acceleration: 0-100mph 8.8sec 
Manufactured: 1965-1967 
Number built: 343




Although the 289 had proven to be an unstoppable force in national racing, the opposition wasn’t standing still. And although GM had walked away from a direct confrontation with Shelby in 1964, the need for additional power heading into 1965 was still very much on the agenda.

The 427ci V8 was the favoured choice, following Ken Miles’ performance in a race car fitted with the big-block engine. A rapid development programme – assisted by Ford – ensued, and to enable the ‘side-oiler’ engine to fit, the car was widened and its wheelarches provocatively flared to accommodate the new Halibrand magnesium alloy wheels.

Also, the cooling intakes were enlarged, the transmission tunnel widened and the engine moved back in the chassis to maintain weight distribution. In the end, every component was upgraded to handle the additional power, although it wasn’t enough to tame the 425bhp’s hold over the chassis. It was more than enough to earn the car its MkIII moniker.
 
And although the 260 and 289 Cobras had established themselves as effective giant-killers, the sheer scale of the 427’s performance would become all too apparent when Chris Amon tested the factory prototype in October 1964. The 427 demolished 0-100mph in 8.8 seconds, and established a time of 14.5 seconds for the 0-100-0mph run. Remarkable in an era when the 70mph motorway limit represented a stern challenge for the average family car.

Having been designed for competition, the 427 was never homologated by the FIA, as AC hadn’t built the requisite 100 cars in time, and its awesome speed was never put to the test in front-line motor sport. Sales were slow, and in the end many were sold as S/C (semi-competition) road cars.

CSX3216 (above) is one such example. Shipped to Shelby in 1966, and originally sold the following year with a 428ci Police Interceptor engine, it was then converted to S/C specification in 1972. It covered a mere 16,000 miles before its current owner Chris Wilson bought it in 2006.

Why Chris loves his 427, toured Europe in it, and then gave it a thorough overhaul is best summed up by him. ‘It was the fastest, most extreme car on the planet and is the sum of one man’s vision. And consequently it possesses an almost accidental beauty and assaults the senses, and I can’t help having a grin a mile wide just looking it.’

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