1961 AC Cobra 260/289

Carroll Shelby’s big idea outsold the Ace it was based on, with most sold the US and none in the UK until 1964. The first 75 used 4.2-litre Ford V8s; those and the next 51 4.7 versions had cam-and-peg steering; after that it was much improved rack-and-pinion. Ace chassis was beefed up to cope but, with all that power, handling can be entertaining. Standard smallblock Cobras have flat faces to their flared arches, though there were 27 AC 289s (no Cobra in name) built from mid-1966 with the big-arched Cobra 427 bodyshell and coil-sprung chassis.

Information from Octane Magazine.