UK’s biggest celebration of power and speed, Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, will celebrate the AC Cobra’s 50th anniversary with high-speed action and a show.
On June 15-17, the Pageant will host the largest gathering of the iconic Anglo-American sports car in the UK this year at Cobras at the Castle. There will a special race category that will see the most famous Cobras, including one of only three Lightweight Cobras ever built, compete for top honors.
When introduced in 1962, the Mark I AC Cobra featured a 260-289 cubic-inch small-block Ford V8 engine, later upgraded by Carroll Shelby to a 427 cubic-inch big-block for the Mark II. Race-derived versions of the Cobra were dominant on both U.S. and international racing circuits.
The fearsome Shelby Daytona Coupe won the 12 Hours of Sebring GT class in 1964 and 1965 and finished fourth overall in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the GT class. Cobras and Daytona Coupes recorded victories across a number of other endurance events, often ahead of its main competitor, the Ferrari 250 GTO. The car also won the 1965 International Championship for GT Manufacturers (World Sports Car Championship), winning 8 out of 10 races.
Now in its fifth year, the Pageant of Power will take place on the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire, UK, June 15-17. For additional information, please visit, www.cpop.co.uk