For more than five decades now, the classic AC Cobra, more commonly known as Shelby Cobra in the United States, has captured the imagination of many drivers and car enthusiasts alike, having earned its place in automotive history. Super powerful yet as light as a feather (or so to speak), the Cobra was never a car for the faint hearted.

Ford itself attempted to resurrect the Cobra with a concept in 2004 featuring a 6.4-liter V10 thumping out 605 horsepower, but it never came into fruition production-wise.

Today, Detroit native and industrial design student Daniel Couttolenc emailed us a new concept he made for a Shelby Cobra of the 21st century, a car that in our view, could offer Ford the halo sports car it’s been looking for ever since the death of the GT 40, placing it against the Corvette and even more so, the Chrysler Group’s SRT Viper.

“The project objective is to design a new Shelby Cobra. One that remains true to its racing DNA,” says Couttolenc. “Designed for the current racing enthusiast. The design needs to merge cohesively both; the original Shelby Cobra design cues and Ford´s current design language.”

The design blends the traditional styling elements and shapes of the classic Cobra with Ford’s new philosophy as portrayed in the Evos Concept.

Designer Daniel Couttolenc

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