Big Horsepower Isn’t Everything

Mar 5, 2021 2 min read
Big Horsepower Isn’t Everything

Matt Farah would like to have a word with anyone who disagrees…


Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire thinks the perfect Shelby Cobras are the ones with a small block engine, not a 600-horsepower roadster weighing under 2,500 lbs. You might laugh at that notion since everyone knows the really powerful Cobras are the ones real men can handle. While it’s certainly a skill to successfully wrangle a car with more horsepower than is sensible, Farah argues they’re not nearly as enjoyable as the less-powerful options.

Learn why Matt Farah says the 2020 Shelby GT500 is the future of American muscle right here.

During the successful 90s TV show Home Improvement, Tim Allen would constantly go on about how every tool is better with “more power.” Some people tend to think the same way about cars, and it’s understandable. After all, it’s amazing to feel the rumble of an engine pushing ridiculous horsepower and that surge when you press on the accelerator. Plus, if you can keep the thing going in a straight line and do a clean launch, you get to brag to your friends about taming a beast most couldn’t handle.

image credit: YouTube

More specifically, in the video Farah shows off a Cinema Series Shelby Cobra from Superformance. The one he’s driving is Ken Miles’ 289 Cobra used in the racing scenes filmed at Willow Springs at the beginning of the movie. It’s a car anyone with the cash can buy now and Farah gives it a glowing recommendation.

To say the Cobra is underpowered would be inaccurate. After all, it’s not packing a Honda 4-cylinder under the hood. The 289 V8 is stroked to 331 cubic inches and is pushing 375-hp, plenty to get the little roadster moving in a hurry. Sure, it doesn’t look all muscular with the fat tires and the wire wheels might not be as appealing to some, but Farah argues the balance of the roadster more than makes up for all that. Check out his reasoning for why that is and make up your own mind whether he’s right or off his rocker.

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