Celebrating America's Independence Day, we today take a look at three iconic V8-engined sports cars. Most famous of all is unquestionably the original AC Shelby Cobra. This particular car is the very first of the 100 cars built during 1962, powered by the 260 Ford V8. Used primarily for development and promotion purposes, it was retained by the late Carroll Shelby. The Cobra prototype has now been consigned by the Shelby Trust to the upcoming RM Sotheby's Monterey sale. No estimate has been given but we expect this priceless piece of American sports car racing history to become the most expensive Cobra ever sold at auction.
One of the Cobra's rivals was the Cheetah Chevrolet, designed and built by Bill Thomas. This very compact machine is built around a spaceframe chassis and usually features a small-block Chevrolet V8. Initially, Thomas planned to build 100 examples but a fire in the factory and a lack of buyers eventually saw the original run limited to 29 road and racing cars. Of these only 14 have survived. The featured example is more special than the others as it was re-engined in period by Bill Thomas himself with a very rare L88 big block engine. It then disappeared from sight in 1972 and has only very recently been unearthed and carefully restored.
Of all American racing series, the Canadian American Challenge Cup is one of the most revered and this year marks Can-Am's 50th anniversary. Cars of many shapes and sizes were raced between 1966 and 1974. Among them was the BRM P154 Chevrolet of 1970. This is one of only a handful of BRMs to be powered by a third-party engine. Following a comprehensive restoration, the ex-Pedro Rodriguez P154 was one of the stars at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Enjoy the links:

1962 AC Shelby Cobra Mk I 260 - Images, Specifications and Information

1970 BRM P154 Chevrolet - Images, Specifications and Information

1963 - 1964 Cheetah Chevrolet Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information