The temptation with any muscle car from the 60’s is to tune them for as much power as humanly possible. We understand this as much as anyone. And lots of people will be impressed with your bravery for driving a 600 HP Cobra weighing under 2,500 pounds. But for those of us who have driven a lot of Cobras, we know the secret: the small block cars with the narrow bodies and skinny wheels are actually a lot more fun, because balance is a real thing.

Superformance, a well known purveyor of reproduction & continuation series Cobras and GT40’s, has just launched a “Cinema Series” of vehicles based on the cars they provided for the blockbuster film “Ford vs. Ferrari” and today we’re driving Ken Miles’ 289 Cobra featured in his SCCA racing scenes at Willow Springs! This Superformance 289 Shelby Cobra (the one you can actually buy) is exactly the same car as supplied to the film makers. It has a 289 V8 stroked out to 331 cubic inches, and making 375 HP. It has a 5-speed transmission, and weighs around 2,300 lbs. And it’s the best Cobra I’ve ever driven.

Hillbank USA, official Superformance distributor in California, provided the vehicle, insurance, and a tank of gas for this review.