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1963 Shelby Bordinat Cobra Concept

Two concept cars were built by Ford's styling department on the Cobra chassis in the mid-1960s. Both were designed by the head of Ford styling at the time, Eugene Bordinat, and one was dubbed the 'Bordinat Cobra' (a.k.a. the XP Cobra) and the other was a coupe called the 'Cougar II.' Both of these cars were never intended for production and the actual purpose is not known.

1963 Shelby Bordinat Cobra Concept photo
Roadster
Chassis #: CSX3001
View info and history
The Bordinat Cobra was powered by a 289 High-Performance engine backed by a C4 automatic transmission. Due to the low hood line, the engine was placed back in the engine bay. The body was from a new plastic material called Royalex, developed by U.S. Royal. It is believed that three bodies were created, but the whereabouts or existence of the other two are currently not known.

The Bordinat Cobra has the distinction of being the first coil-spring chassis Cobra.

Eventually, both concepts were donated to the Henry Ford Museum, which later donated them to the Detroit Historical Society. Without neither facility having space to publicly display, the cars were relocated to a storage warehouse in Detroit, Michigan. They were placed in plastic 'capsule' bags where they rested among many other significant automobiles, waiting for their opportunity to be rediscovered.

1963 Shelby Bordinat Cobra Concept photo
Roadster
Chassis #: CSX3001
View info and history
A Shelby enthusiast and retired Ford employee named Jeff Burgy went looking for the cars, and upon finding them, requested they be put on display for the SAAC 29 Convention (The 29th National Convention of the Shelby American Automobile Club). The enthusiasm for these vehicles prompted further outings, and in 2009 they were put on display at the Detroit Historical Museums. In 2012, they went on display at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Cobra.


by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020

1963 Shelby Bordinat Cobra Concept Vehicle Profiles

1963 Shelby Bordinat Cobra Concept vehicle information
Roadster

Designer: Eugene Bordinat
Chassis #: CSX3001

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