Shelby Cobra. ‘65, but new.

Shelby AC Cobra, Powered by Ford

He is quite proud of his details. 
Some of you here, may know if he's right!

Continuation = replica = not genuine. Even if it's from Shelby.

Still, it's all the fun for a lot less than the real thing.

Updated?

All Cobras had rack and pinion steering and 4 wheel independent suspension.

I wonder if it's asymmetrical, like the originals

Some Cobra info: The first ones had worm-and-sector steering but, true, by the time the 427 came out, Shelby had moved to rack-and-pinion-steering. (This 1963 Cobra is billed as the last worm-and-sector example.)

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Must have been a change mid-run then. The '65 289 Cobra we restored had rack and pinion.

In reply to ShawnG :

Yeah, the switch came in 1963.

I grew up loving the excess of the 427 Cobras. And the Super Snake Bill Cosby talked about spinning out in. 
Since then, and all the replicas, I actually prefer the more understated 289 cars. 
 

At Fords 100th, I talked to a lady form CA that had, and drove, a all original 289 Cobra. Very cool lady! She had the same opinion on the continuation cars. A bit more "authentic" than the kit cars? Maybe. But it's definitely not a 1965 , and should not be billed as one!

Shelby and his people were great at keeping the "Brand" going  , and the continuation cars were a super  idea.

and then we have the Kirkham replicas  that were made in Poland , and the Daytona coupe replicas.....

In reply to californiamilleghia :

Personally, I was (and am) 100% in support of the continuation cars. Including sequential chassis numbers. But don't call it a 1965, 'cause it ain't! 
How many of those did Shelby build, btw?

Also, ad mentions all 427 versions of the FE (or implies) were Aluminum blocks. They were not. Were all the new ones even FE engines? I know most kits are not. 

Want to dive a little deeper into Cobra lore?

Some articles from our friends over at Classic Motorsports:

Genuine or replica, the only wrong Cobra is one that isn’t driven

Peter Brock defines what makes a "true" Shelby Cobra

Replica vs. Real: Superformance MKIII and the Shelby Cobra

A Legend Laid Bare: The Very First Shelby Cobra

I remember reading somewhere that Shelby made and stored a bunch of Cobra chassis. That way technically they could call them 65s. 

I was heavy into the replica community for almost 10 years.  Ugh...my view is a bit sour.

ShawnG said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Must have been a change mid-run then. The '65 289 Cobra we restored had rack and pinion.

The switch from steering box to rack and pinion happened right around the same time that they went from Simths gauges to Stewart Warner. So if you see one with SW gauges, it probably has rack and pinion too. 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

I was heavy into the replica community for almost 10 years.  Ugh...my view is a bit sour.

Can you explain more? 

In reply to P3PPY :

He piqued my curiosity, also!

I've never driven a 427 car.

I have driven a 289 AC Cobra.

I can't imagine how anyone would drive that car and think "this is great but it needs more".

Only a car salesman from Texas.

ShawnG said:

I've never driven a 427 car.

I have driven a 289 AC Cobra.

I can't imagine how anyone would drive that car and think "this is great but it needs more".

Only a car salesman from Texas.

 

My late father had a 289 Cobra in the late 60s/early 70s that he let me drive quite a few times. I've also driven a couple original 427 cobras back in the 70s owned by my dad's friends. The 289 was a more enjoyable car to drive. Lighter steering, hooked up better on the drag strip, less drama in accelerating out of a corner. I'm sure in the hands of a seasoned racer, the 427 would be faster, but on the street, the 289 was just right.

In reply to 128racecar :

Now THAT is a bad azz picture!!

Details?

 In my opinion, that is no more a "Cobra" than would be a Factory five built with similar bits. What that is, would be a mechanical tulip for people who like to speculate with things automotive. ie the guy selling it now.

03Panther said:

In reply to 128racecar :

Now THAT is a bad azz picture!!

Details?

My late father didn't trust the stock market, so he invested his retirement savings in cars. His investment criteria, as a former drag racer, was that faster was better when it came to investments. He thought he made a killing when he bought it for about $8K in the early 70s, and sold it for $300K+ in the early 2000s. He would have died had he know it would resell in 2012 for $2.8 million (well, he passed away in 2006, so it was for the best). We didn't drive it much, but it was an absolute rocket when we did. He had a hard time squirming into the driver's seat, so he let me pilot it a bunch of times. Incredibly easy to drive compared to the Cobra due to light steering, low effort clutch and brake pedal. Both were powered by 289 Fords, but were entertaining entirely different ways. 

In reply to 128racecar :

Your father basically kept pace with the stock market (which would have returned about $340K over the same period on his $8000 investment)

Yes, the guy after that cleaned up.  He outperformed the stock market by a factor of 62X. (Market from 2000- 2012 would have only returned about $40K on the $300,000 investment)

Here's the one I drove / restored.

https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/23425/lot/71/1965-shelby-cobra-289/

In reply to ShawnG :

That is a fantastically beautiful car. 

In reply to 03Panther :

It's blue with a white stripe and black interior now 

Owner wanted it that way. 

Fantastic car though. I was shocked by how light they are.