(Written by William)
Whenever LEGO releases a new vehicle in its Icons line, I pay attention. Ever since I built the #10220 LEGO Volkswagen T1 Camper, I have found the sets to be a mix of fantastic building techniques and a rich sense of history. So, when I had the opportunity to choose some sets for review, the #10357 LEGO Icons Shelby Cobra 427 S/C was at the top of my list.
I know these sets range in price, with some going under $100; however, this particular model is one of the higher-priced in the series, at $159.99. This means you really need to be certain it is the right set for you before racing off to get it. So with that said, let’s take a look at what it offers and if it’s right for your collection.
LEGO ICONS SHELBY COBRA – FEATURES
Several features have become pretty standard in the LEGO Icons vehicles that we can also find here. The hood opens up to reveal a detailed motor, two opening doors, with a limit on how far they can open to retain realism. Then there is also working steering and an opening trunk.
As for extra accessories, the Shelby Cobra includes a buildable trophy (with a little minifigure roller skate on top to represent a racecar), and inside the vehicle, there is a fire extinguisher between the two seats. Finally, in the trunk, there is a toolbox filled with tools, in case the car needs some maintenance. (The trunk does seem purpose-built to hold just the toolbox and nothing else.)
There are also small touches that highlight the original owner, Carroll Shelby. The glove box has a signature of Shelby, which is a common thing he used to do with many of the Shelby Cobras. There is also a $100 bill on the dash. Story goes that he used to tape a $100 bill on the dash and challenged the passenger that if they could grab it before the car reached 60 miles per hour, they could keep it. People weren’t quite prepared for the amount of force they would be under as the car accelerated. Given the power of Shelby’s celebrity, it was one of the reasons why the Shelby Cobra even became famous. So, it is nice to see these little nods to the man behind the car.
LEGO ICONS SHELBY COBRA – BUILDING EXPERIENCE
As I mentioned before, the LEGO Icons vehicles usually offer a fantastic building experience, and this set lives up to the name. Not only does it have smart part usage, interesting connections, and sturdy design, but due to the curving nature of the car’s chassis, it almost feels like an art sculpture.
The set comes with a ridiculous amount of curved and sloped elements to help create the fine details of the car’s body. The design of the tilt for the nose and tail section of the car is a result of some very savvy building techniques. For instance, the front nose of the car is first clipped into two bars, which help it tilt down ever so slightly. Then, two lift-arms with long pins are pushed in from the sides to help lock the whole nose section in place.
The back end of the vehicle is even wilder. The sides of the back taper in. This means you build separate panels that then mount to the vehicle at strange angles. Some of these connections felt downright harrowing since I was never sure if what I was pressing on was truly stable. However, by the end, everything is extremely well reinforced.
On top of all the dicey connections of panels, the designers were using a robust number of slopes to sculpt the vehicle’s iconic shape. By the end, it felt as though LEGO designers found a way to elevate the building experience by being surprisingly innovative and creating a model that’s incredibly aesthetically pleasing.
LEGO ICONS SHELBY COBRA – BACKGROUND
Now we get to the section that the LEGO Icons vehicles really excel at, namely, answering why something is done in a certain way. The engineering of high-performance vehicles is a blend of art and science. Most decisions are designed for functionality, but this doesn’t stop big personalities from trying strange things.
As I mentioned before, Shelby was a celebrity in his time. Some of the first races he won were in a car that had half the power the other cars in the race had. He was a force of nature that loved the power behind the vehicles he raced. Unfortunately, his racing career was cut short by a heart condition, but instead of giving up, he turned to building the cars he loved to race.
Throughout his life, Shelby put his stamp on many iconic cars. He worked with Chevy and helped produce some of the prettiest Corvettes ever made. Then there were the various Shelby Cobras, including the 289 and 427 models, which then gave birth to Ford’s GT-40 series. After a break, he returned to work with Chrysler and brought about the Dodge Viper. Notice the snake’s name? That was a nod to his Cobra, which they couldn’t use for branding reasons, but they could use the name of another snake.
But how did the Cobra come about? Well, Shelby wanted to go fast. It just so happened that a British company, AC Cars, had been making lightweight chassis, but lost its contract with the company that supplied its motors. Shelby figured if he could put in a powerful motor like what Ford made, then he could make an insanely fast car, which he did.
The 289 version of the Shelby Cobra dominated the tracks in the early 1960s. However, they were outclassed by Ferrari on the European tracks in 1964. This did not sit well with Shelby. His answer was to use a bigger and more powerful motor. This did mean that the chassis would be redesigned to fit, and thus was born the model we have today.
One interesting fact is that the side pipes on the car that so many gearheads love weren’t initially designed to be that way. Turns out the 427 motor was so big that the exhaust pipes didn’t fit underneath the car. The solution was to put them on the outside, which is now a signature design for the Shelby Cobra.
Sadly, the 1965 Shelby Cobra was the end of Carroll’s involvement with Shelby America for decades. Ford had essentially been bankrolling Shelby America and wanted to shift gears to their GT series, in short, the Mustang. Shelby’s name would be used on many of Ford’s premier models, but Carroll and his original team weren’t really involved. Many of the reasons came from poor decisions in making the super coupe version of the Shelby Cobra, along with general fatigue and the death of the main test driver. Shelby would return to car manufacturing, but never at the same intensity as before.
To date, the Shelby Cobra is one of the most replicated vehicles in car history. It is, on one hand, a work of art, a testament to American engineering for sheer power for its time, and a symbol of how a small racing team could make economically one of the best vehicles in the world.
LEGO ICONS SHELBY COBRA – FINAL THOUGHTS
There is a quote from Shelby in the instructions that feels like it applies to this LEGO Icons set. When asked what car he liked the best, he replied, “The next one.” I think LEGO designers set an incredibly high bar for the building experience they pack into the LEGO Icons line, so it is astonishing when the next car I build feels like it is indeed better than the last. Personally, this car added a level of artistry I didn’t know I was missing when building the previous sets.
LEGO also kept the stickers down to a minimum, with only three in this model: the glove box with Shelby’s signature, a bit of the dash right next to the glove box, and the license plate. Everything else that has stripes or a cobra logo are all printed. This was probably one of the only issues I had with the previously released #10265 LEGO Ford Mustang; stickered racing stripes that just didn’t line up properly.
As for parts, this set is a treasure trove of interesting slopes. There are many left and right 4×1 slopes that either have a cut end or a rounded end to help with many of the long, narrow curves on this model. I especially like the bulbous quarter-round slopes that help round out the interior of the door edges. In the video below, I talk about the set in a bit more detail, then wrap up my thoughts.
All in all, this is an extremely satisfying build. Some sections will challenge builders in the best way possible. The price is indeed a touch high compared to previous models, but I don’t think anyone would feel disappointed with the end result. Fair warning, this might be the type of set that makes you want to go out and buy more LEGO Icons Vehicles, which can get expensive if you haven’t started a collection already. If you would like to check it out, it’s available at the LEGO Icons section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Icons vehicles? And what do you think of the Shelby Cobra? Feel free to share your thoughts and own reviews in the comment section below!
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