There's not much to be said that hasn't already been said about the Shelby Cobra. It's an icon. A legend. Hell, it's the subject of a Bill Cosby album. And now it can be your wallpaper.
Alright, truth be told, this isn't exactly a Shelby Cobra 427. It's a replica. But it's still got those gorgeous lines originally brewed up by the AC Ace on which the Cobra was founded, and as a wallpaper, that's good enough for me. Because it still looks damn good.
We tend to talk more about the cars than the photography, but Stuart, the photographer who was kind enough to send this shot in, explained a little bit of his process:
I live in the UK so these aren't all that common, so it's always nice to see it out.
The car is a AC Cobra DAX replica with a Ford 351 Windsor engine, Edelbrock Performer heads, Performer intake and cams. 4 barrel Holley carb (can't remember which model off the top of my head), Fully adjustable suspension. This thing has (to quote Dazed and Confused) some fuckin' muscle.
The photo was taken using a Canon 60D with a Canon 10-22mm lens. I had tried using the strip lighting but with limited results. So I decided to turn the lights out, set the camera to bulb with my remote shutter release and use a torch I had with a makeshift diffuser for a light source. I opened the shutter and walked with the torch above my head the length of the car.
I spent quite some time trying to get the white line on the shoulder of the car consistent as possible, that was the most challenging part of the whole deal.
This final image is of three photos blended together. One for the background, one for the car and one for the wheels, as lighting these while keeping the body lit from the top was near impossible with the tools I had at the time.
And that, friends, is how your wallpaper sausage is made. Lucky for me, I find that whole sort of thing fascinating, and it's a delicious sausage indeed.
Photo credit Stuart Mulraney. Used with permission. For more of his work, check out his Flickr page. For a desktop version, click here.
Weekend Wallpapers are featured on Saturdays. Got one you'd like us to run? Send it to ballaban@jalopnik.com with the subject "Weekend Wallpaper." Just make sure you have the rights to use it.
Your Ridiculously Awesome Shelby Cobra Wallpaper Is Here