1965 Ford Bordinat Cobra / Cobra XD

A two-passenger experimental sports car developed in the Corporate Projects Design Office at Ford Motor Company, the Bordinat Cobra is a “one-off” operable prototype tailored to the specifications of the 427 Cobra now in sports car competition.

The name is derived from its creator, Gene Bordinat, vice president— Design, and from the famous Ford-powered Shelby Cobra, which in 1965 became the first American-built car to win the World Manufacturer’s Championship.

Although designed to accommodate the Ford 427-cubic-inch-V-8 engine, the Bordinat Cobra is presently equipped with a high-performance 289-cubic-inch V-8 and a heavy-duty Fairlane automatic transmission. The vehicle has a lightweight Royalex (an ABS plastic) body and a zippered roof that can be removed in three sections and stored in the deck area.

The synthetic body material, with exceptional impact resistance and low tooling costs, is essentially a one-piece “skin.” The doors and louvered hood were formed as part of the body shell and, after the structural members had been added and bonded to the space frame, were cut out of the shell.

The basic frame consists of two longitudinal steel tubes four inches in diameter, with one three-inch and three four-inch cross members. A muffler runs through each siderail.

Retractable single headlights can be operated through a 180-degree vertical arc by means of a switch on the left side of the instrument panel. A single motor, rather than one for each headlight, assures exact synchronization of the headlight movement.

To supplement the cooling action of the normal engine fan, two thermostatically controlled fans can operate even when the ignition is off, to allow proper cooling at low speeds or when the car is parked.

Engine & performance:

Position: front

Type: V8

Capacity: 6997 cc

Dimensions:

Length: 4280 mm

Width: 1689 mm

Height: 1181 mm

Wheelbase: 2286 mm