Fieldbay / Auto Power Services / APS / Magnum Engineering

Magnum 427

About 60 years ago, Carroll Shelby was told he had a heart condition and couldn't race any more. So he set about changing history. The American sports cars of the time had tremendous power and speed, whereas the more svelt European cars could go round corners.

AC was struggling to find a suitable engine for its cars until Shelby hit them with an idea.

Such was the legend created, that about 25 years later a number of kit car manufactures started to produce replicas of the trans-Atlantic hybrid, the 427 Cobra and also 289 Cobra; and particularly here in the UK. One such company was Fieldbay, who developed a racing prototype and subsequently produced the Magnum 427 through Auto Power Services, under the direction of Mike Broad, and subsequently Magnum Engineering. The company was sold on when Mike retired and Magnum Engineering now seems to have ceased trading. The car was only sold in limited quantities but was highly regarded.

The Magnum 427 is arguably the most radical of the plethora of Cobra replicas that were and a still are available, only available with a full space frame chassis with rose-jointed suspension and a Kevlar reinforced body, the car was engineered to handle and perform. 

The Magnum 427 registry

Snuggled away in the bossom of the American Super Stock site, we're starting a Magnum 427 registry, we're compiling as much as we can on each car that has been built (or part-built), which will provide interest and a useful resource for past, present and future Magnum 427 owners. We're starting with some Googling. If you are a Magnum 427 Cobra replica owner, we'd love you to contribute, so please get  in touch. If you don't want certain details online about you or your car, just let us know.

During the forthcoming months, we'll be adding more information about the King of the Cobra Replicas.

So, to get the ball rolling, the car at the top of the page is the Magnum 427 prototype, built by Fieldbay. It has Jaguar running gear and a Rover V8 bored and stroked to 4.5 litre.