Think of the Puritalia 427 Roadster as a modern day, Italian, Shelby Cobra. It is a car inspired by the original 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Convertible and is a fitting commemoration to the recently deceased motoring legend, Caroll Shelby. This Italian coach-built version will feature a carbon fibre composite body, riding atop an all-aluminium space frame chassis, with steel sub frames front and rear.

Forget about a hybrid or electric drivetrain powering the Puritalia. No, it will be powered by a 5.0-litre V8 producing 327 kW and 580 Nm of torque. That is the entry level version. If you’re looking for a bit more venom, the 5.0-litre V8 can be equipped with a supercharger that helps it develop 445 kW and 640 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to a 6-speed manual transmission, which sends power to the rear-wheels via a limited-slip differential. 20-inch alloy wheels at the rear and 19-inch units up front, are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero rubber and should provide enough grip, if only just.

There have been many Shelby Cobra kit cars over the years and there have even been attempts by Ford themselves to rekindle the Shelby Cobra magic. Like in 2004, with this Cobra Concept pictured below (being driven by the great man himself), which appeared around the time of the limited production run of Ford GTs.

According to the man behind the car, Paulo Parente, (the owner of an IT company in Naples), “My idea is to have a modern interpretation of the Cobra,… leaving all the pure driving experience, but at the same time making it more comfortable and, as we are an Italian company, more elegant. We decided to design and engineer the 427 simply because a similar car doesn’t exist,” says Parente.

No price has been suggested at this stage, but we guess it’s a case of, “if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it”. Puritalia say that deliveries to customers will begin by 2015.