Spotted: The inspiration for the Shelby Cobra

Most car buffs are well acquainted with the legendary Shelby Cobra - the hairy-chested roadster created by the late Carroll Shelby. What many don’t know is that the inspiration for the Cobra was a British sports car called the AC Ace (reader Benjamin Faull spotted this one in England.) Shelby’s design philosophy was based on putting a big engine in a small car, and the Ace provided the perfect starting point. In 1962, Shelby ripped the six-cylinder motor out of an Ace and replaced it with a 260 cubic inch Ford V-8. Although the Cobra evolved extensively after that, culminating in the 427-cubic-inch roadster, you can still see its DNA in the Ace.

Mike Dougherty spotted this Japanese-market Daihatsu van at a Home Depot store in Toronto. Yes, those front and rear wheels really are close together, thanks to Japan’s oddball tax laws, which limit wheelbase for some vehicle categories. Mike talked to the Daihatsu’s owner, who told him that it has a turbocharged, three-cylinder motor and a top speed of 90 km/h. But the Daihatsu appears to be quite an over-achiever: the owner told Mike he’s loaded it with up to half a ton of cylinder blocks.

The GM pony cars of the late 70s veered toward the macho end of the scale. (You may remember Burt Reynolds’ infamous black Firebird from Smokey and the Bandit, for example…) I spotted this hardcore vintage Camaro in Toronto’s Kensington Market.

Based on anecdotal evidence, I believe that most owners of black 1970’s Camaros with hood scoops are men who favour Brut cologne. The chrome Playboy Bunny logo on this Camaro is consistent with my thesis.

The duality of human nature has been the subject of countless philosophical inquiries. And the owner of this Camaro has made his own commentary, with a chromed Bunny Angel one side of his machine, and a Devil Bunny on the other.

Hood-retainer pins like these were a common addition to 70’s muscle cars. These leather fringes appear to be a new addition.

If you lived through the 1970’s, you know they were a golden age for rust. Back then, few car makers used galvanized steel, and most didn’t bother sealing off interior panels and fold lines that could trap water and salt debris. This was planned obsolescence in its finest and most lucrative form: when your car rusted out, the company got to sell you a brand new one! But some owners hung on and lived with the decay, like the owner of this partially consumed Chevy. I spotted it in Calgary.

The Oldsmobile 4-4-2 is a muscle car legend. (The alphanumeric name denoted the 4-barrel carburetor, 4-speed manual shifter, and 2-pipe exhaust system.) I spotted this 442 in Calgary.

As white wine matches with fish and red wine with beef, so the vintage Oldsmobile 4-4-2 pairs with Black Sabbath.

You may be familiar with the strange vehicle trend known as “donking,” which focuses on stagecoach-size wheels with ultra low profile tires. I’m not sure if this Escalade qualifies as a Donk, but it’s definitely getting close. Steve Van Esch spotted it in Alberta.