New Shelby Cobra: Does it live up to the legend? | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat

The new Shelby Cobra CSX10000 is the first new Cobra to be listed in the Shelby Register since the 1960s. It’s been made available in the UK first, through Clive Sutton Cars in London and Hagerty has been behind the wheel. After seeing the larger (too large?) 18-inch wheels, Henry Catchpole was sceptical, but as soon as he heard it start up, he couldn’t help but smile at the sound from the side-exit exhausts. On the face of it, the engine isn’t anything particularly special - Ford’s 5-litre Coyote V8 has been in plenty of cars over the years - but it’s never sounded better than in this latest Cobra. It’s linked to a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox with a long, forward-leaning shifter that has a fabulous feel to it. With 460bhp and 420lb ft of torque to propel just 2400lb, performance is certainly fulsome enough to match the noise. However, while this looks like a Cobra, sounds like a Cobra and goes like a Cobra, it certainly isn’t as demanding to drive as an original Cobra. The power assisted steering means it’s a doddle to potter about at low speeds and the huge tyres - 275 section at the front and 335 section at the rear - ensure huge amounts of grip to give a sense of security even when you’re pressing deeper into the throttle’s travel (at least on dry roads). Of course, it’s all very well looking and sounding like a Cobra to the casual observer - there are plenty of replicas that do decent job of that - but what will the die-hard (festive nod) Shelby fans think of it? As luck would have it, Henry knows just such a person. Alan Faulkner has been restoring muscle cars for 40 years and what he doesn’t know about Shelbys probably wouldn’t fill the back of an envelope. So, we took the new Cobra CSX10000 along to see him and get his opinion (after having a poke around his wonderful workshop). We hope you enjoy this latest episode of The Driver’s Seat. If you would like to support the show and the channel, then a thumbs up, comment, share or sub would be hugely appreciated. And if you’d like to know more about the Hagerty Drivers Club then just click on this link: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club/ Presented in collaboration with Mobil 1. Clive Sutton: https://www.clivesutton.co.uk/ Alan Faulkner: https://www.dragonwheelsrestorations.co.uk/ #henrycatchpole #thedriversseat #neverstopdriving Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications! http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube Visit our website for an insurance quote, to join Hagerty Drivers Club, and for daily automotive news, cars stories, reviews, and opinion: https://www.hagerty.com Stay up to date by signing up for our email newsletters here: https://www.hagerty.com/media/newsletter/ Follow us on social media: Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Hagerty Instagram | https://instagram.com/Hagerty Twitter | https://twitter.com/Hagerty If you love cars, you belong with us. Hagerty Drivers Club is the world’s largest community for automotive enthusiasts. Members enjoy valuable automotive discounts, exclusive events and experiences, roadside service created specifically for collector vehicles, and a subscription to the bimonthly Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join Hagerty Drivers Club here: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club Like what you see? Watch our other series including: Redline Rebuilds | Time-lapse engine rebuilds from start to finish http://bit.ly/RedlineRebuild Barn Find Hunter | Tom Cotter searches the country for abandoned cars http://bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter Jason Cammisa on the Icons | The definitive car review https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaICONS Revelations | Untold Stories About Automotive Legends with Jason Cammisa https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaRevelations The Driver's Seat with Henry Catchpole https://bit.ly/HenryCatchpole Contact us: Suggestions and feedback - videoquestions@hagerty.com Press inquiries - press@hagerty.com Partnership requests - partnerships@hagerty.com

Added 31 Jul 2026