1000-HP Carbon-Bodied Shelby Cobra Diamond Edition Will Debut At The Quail

Classic Recreations, the Dallas-based specialists behind classic carbon fiber-bodied muscle cars and trucks, is set to reveal the first of its Shelby Cobra Diamond Edition race cars at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, on August 19.

Designed as atribute to the late Carroll Shelby, the man behind the original Shelby Cobra, just ten examples of the Diamond Edition will be created at an eye-watering price of $1.2 million. The vehicle on display will give Quail attendees a rare look at the Cobra's design, such as the race-inspired chassis, cantilever suspension, CNC-machined aluminum components, and more.

Thecarbon fiber bodyweighs just 88 pounds, but Classic Recreations notes the assembled vehicle will weigh approximately 2,300 lbs - lighter than a modern-day Mazda MX-5 Miata. Powered by a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 sourced from theFord Mustang GT, the engine has been tuned to produce as much as 1,000 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque, a remarkable amount of muscle for such a light car.

As a result, the Diamond Edition can hustle to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds before reaching a top speed of 190 mph. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a Tremec-sourced six-speed manual gearbox. You'll find a cantilever suspension setup with state-of-the-art billet-machined parts underneath.

Stopping power comes from the Shelby Signature braking system with 14-inch rotors at the front and rear. As a track weapon, grip is essential. That's why the 18-inch three-piece Forgeline wheels are wrapped in 295/35 and 335/30 tires at the front and rear, respectively.

Jeff Stone, CEO at Classic Restorations, said the inspiration for the Diamond Edition came from one question: What car would Carroll [Shelby] build with today's technology? "Our team painstakingly recreated this one-of-a-kind vehicle to carry forward the legacy and vision of one of the world's greatest car builders."