MG BLUE OVAL

ADDING A FORD V-8 TO THIS MBG MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

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The art of stuffing hopped-up powerplants into underpowered compact cars is pretty much the basis for the establishment of the publication in front of you. HOT ROD has consistently promoted the theory that success in motorsport can be achieved by decreasing a car's mass while increasing its power output. That's Physics 101, people, and sometimes it's a lesson learned the hardest way possible. However, when it's done right and the build's firing on all cylinders, you're soon shredding pavement and livin' large, with years of heart-pumping bliss ahead of you.

Since the early ages of automotive production, enthusiasts have sought out cast-off, cheap, lightweight donor cars to bring back to life as street machines. The immense variety of vehicles available at any given time has helped fuel the classic car hobby and brought with it unlimited possibilities. Using that tried-and-true method of transplanting more horse-power into a waiting beneficiary project while keeping the excess “fat” to a minimum, performance has become a reality for many unwanted vehicles, and a second life has been given to cars once maligned for their lack of that all-important powertrain wow factor.

For the past 60-plus years, the Shelby Cobra has been the shining star of that amalgamation of premium power and alluring looks—an attractive yet petite British-bred AC roadster effectively customized by a successful American racer, the car reimagined and modified with a brawny U.S.-built Ford powerplant installed under its bonnet. The Cobra has gone on to achieve legendary status the world over, making mega-impact on the automotive market since its inception. It's been copied, imitated, and duplicated over the years in a series of successful clones and kit cars, and original surviving examples have gone on to demand seven-figure sums for the right of ownership.