One of the most well regarded and legendary sports cars, the Shelby Cobra has a history and a mystique few cars can hope to achieve. Conceived by Carroll Shelby, the Cobra was born from matching an AC Ace chassis with a small block (later big block) Ford V8. With a variety of original evolutions, official continuation cars, and a plethora of replicas, the Shelby Cobra is a market which requires a precise knowledge of what is desired in order to determine accurate value. The most notable variants were the 260, the 289, and the 427, each named for the displacement (in cubic inches) of it's Ford-sourced V8 engine. Although Shelby production of the Cobra ended in 1967, AC built a short run of AC-badged 289 Cobras until 1969. Due to the popularity of the model, Shelby American continues to build officially licensed Cobras as part of their Continuation Series, which includes the 427 Continuation (CSX4000, CSX6000), the 289 FIA Continuation (CSX7000), and the 289 Continuation (CSX8000).