#front-mid engine

[morecarsthatnevermadeit]

So impressed was Ford’s director of styling, Gene Bordinat, with Vignale’s Cougar II that he wanted one of his own, and thus the XP Cobra was born in 1965. It used the first coil-sprung chassis Cobra and was powered by a 289ci High-Performance V8. The Bordinat Cobra was never intended to be anything other than a personal project and was used regularly by Gene Bordinat for at least a year.

[morecarsthatnevermadeit]

Long before Vignale became a high-end trim level for selected Ford models, Carrozzeria Vignale collaborated with Ford to create the Cougar II concept of 1963. It was based on a modified AC-Cobra tube frame chassis obtained from the newly created Carroll Shelby Enterprises in California. The high-performance 260ci V8 engine was mounted in a front-mid configuration to clear the low tapering hood but also providing improved weight distribution. If it was a proposal to compete with Chevrolet’s C2 Corvette, it never got the chance and remained a one-off.