> I've got an old kit car magizine from about 94 or so and it has an
> article about the ghia cobra that was a concept/ show car in 1965 but
> was never built. Does anybody know anything about this car?
I've got some info at home about them. I think two were built.
They were not the Mercer Cobra. They were more like the Frua A.C.
428 (see
http://www.carsonline.com.au/AC_428_Frua_cabriolet.jpg).
Meant to be more of a Gran Turismo type car than a brutal sports
car like the 427 Cobra. I think Frua was built on a coil sprung
427 Cobra chassis with a 6" stretch but I'm not sure about the Ghia.
I think the Frua is a gorgeous automobile and if anything, the Ghia
was even prettier.
> My SAAC Cobra Registry shows CSX 5001 & CSX 5002 as prototype MK III
> cars bodied as convertibles for Shelby by Ghia, Italy 3/7/66 with
> 7 litre engine.
I think those are the cars in question. Shelby commissioned them in
1965. I vaguely recall that both chassis numbers turned up later with
427 Cobra bodies when the Shelby prices sky-rocketed. Does the
registry say anything about that. If true, it would be a tragedy.
I sure wish one of the replica manufacturers would duplicate the
Ghia or Frua body.
I'm surprised by how many Cobra afficianados have never heard of the
Frua, let alone the Ghia. With something like 29 convertibles and 58
fastback coupes comprising the total Frua A.C 428 production run between
1965 and 1973, they are considerably rarer than a 427 Cobra but go
largely unnoticed and sell for much less than a Shelby Cobra.
If a well-maintained Frua A.C. 428 became available after I've attended
to my garage space problem, I'd have to think long and hard about it in
lieu of a Cobra replica. Of course, I'd really like to have both ...
and a GT40 and a later Iso Grifo with 351C and ZF 5-speed. Anyway,
dreaming is a lot cheaper than actually purchasing.
Dan Jones
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