The Healey Cobra That Never Was, But Should Have Been!

Way back in 1960, after being forced out of his life as a professional race car driver, having been diagnosed with a serious heart aliment, the indomitable Carroll Shelby wanted a way into the automotive manufacturing world.  And one of his first calls was to reach out across the pond, to his old British buddy, teammate, automotive engineer, designer and sports car manufacturer Donald Healey. 

Donald and Carroll had quite a lot of shared history, as although they were born 25 years apart, Donald born in 1898 and Carroll in 1923, and each coming from two very different countries, they both came out of working-class families. Donald’s dad being a small-town shop owner and Carroll’s dad being a postal worker. Each shared a lust for cars, which they developed in their early years, and both trained for and earned their Pilot Wings, Donald in WW1 and Carroll in WW2.

Further, once each of their respective military service periods came to an end, both Donald and Carroll soon found their way back to their first loves, the automobile, and soon after the race track, with both of them having had similarly remarkable success and international fame as professional race car drivers. As drivers, along with their many other individual racing successes, Donald won the illustrious Monte Carlo Rally in 1929 and 1931, while Carroll at the wheel of an Aston Martin won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959.

Donald near the end of WW2 went onto to start the Donald Healy Motor Company in England, and it wasn’t until 1962 when Carroll followed suit, again tracing Donald's path, by starting up Shelby America to co-manufacture the AC Cobra.

The Buddy Years

Through the 50’s Donald and Carroll became quick friends with Donald employing Carroll’s services as a ‘Professional Driver’ piloting a variety of Austin Healey Racers, including record setting events on the Bonneville Salt Flats and the last of the great road races, the Mexican, La Carrera Panamericana, where in both events Donald & Carroll were teammates sharing seat time in Healey's cars.  These were important World Class events that were run by Healey to build the brand and promote Healey's sports cars in America and internationally and his promotional planned worked.

As different as the two of them may have been, Shelby and Healey shared a unbridle desire to achieve their dreams, and a burning passion for motorsport. The commonality of their lives, and the shared similarities of their experiences, no doubt played a roll in the bond they would develop through the years. Shelby the clear junior of the two, no doubt learned a lot at the knee of Healey, as Healey had taken a successful run, long before Shelby, in the role of Auto Manufacturer. The lessons learned, the stories told, the connections made via this relationship with Donald Healey, with little doubt, pre-armed Shelby well for his next life chapter.

The Formation of Shelby's Cobra Dream

Like most good things Shelby’s racing career came to a quick end in 1960 when his serious heart ailments came to light. Alas, as the thinker, promotor and doer that Shelby was, it wasn’t long before he planned out his next adventure.  Racer, turned manufacturer and race team owner, again following along a familiar road earlier travelled by his buddy, Donald Healey.  

Now much like Donald in his earlier days, Carroll knew that he did not have the financial resources and the pool of talent to totally run his new show, as he, just like Donald before him, would need well financed, experienced auto industry partners, if he had any hope of success. 

Carroll Shelby had a dream, literally, and out of that dream came the Shelby Brand 'Cobra'. Shelby’s concept for success was the manufacture of a sports car that combined European heritage and road manners with potent, American V8 power.  This cross Atlantic automotive marriage  would offer drivers a then unmatched package of simplicity, reliability and world class performance, all at a price point the competition, European or American could not hope to match. Carroll knew that if he were given the chance, he could produce a car that was capable of beating the best in the world, on the street, and most importantly, for Shelby, on the Track.

To bring his planned 'Cobra' to fruition Shelby made a call to the one guy that he knew could help him make his dreams come true, a guy who had done it all before, a guy that was already manufacturing the exact small/light weight model perfect for the basis of Shelby’s dream Cobra... Donald Healey,  and his namesake sports car the Austin Healey. 

Now like near any California sports car enthusiast in the later 1950’s knew, this combination of Healey and American V8 Power was nothing new as this formula had been used, quite successfully already, by several local enthusiast garages and club racers. Shelby’s plan was simple, do near exactly what was already being down on the street, installing potent 283 & 327 Corvette V8 Engines and ancillary powertrain pieces into Healeys, but instead of aftermarket conversions, do it right, and do it professionally, during the vehicle's original production process.   Instead of the one offs, that the small shops were doing already, Shelby wanted to manufacturer these cars on a grander scale, both for financial profit and for eventual racing glory. All Shelby needed was that key partner, and Shelby was confident that Donald Healey was that guy! 

Well as we all are very aware today, Donald Healy and the Austin Healey’s co-manufacturer British Motor Corporation said NO, as did the scions at General Motors, who had no interest in sharing their Corvette engines, with the likes of Carroll Shelby. 

Shelby of course, being the head strong promotor, and man of action, that he was, barely paused for a breath before reaching deeper into his rolodex to share his plans with AC in England, as word on the street was that AC had just lost it's Engine Producer. A second call to Ford in America and of course the rest is glorious, AC Cobra history. 

The ‘Production’ Shelby/Healey/Corvette that could have been, but never was, lives on today in it’s original pre-production format, virtually just as Carroll Shelby had originally planned for his Production Cobra. The difference being that each of these now rare, 'In Era Modified', Healey-Corvettes were artfully hand crafted, back in the day by talented builders, racers, and sports car enthusiasts from this storied bygone era.

Doctor Snively's Healey -Corvette come direct to you out of this, never to be replicated, very special time &  place!