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Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX
Everyone on this site (whether they drive an original or fake Cobra) has their own specific idea of how they want their car to be prepared (or restored), be it for street, track or both. There is no right or wrong way. From what I see, most original Cobra owners don't give a rat's ass as to how these cars left LA when new. A Cobra is a Cobra (original), and can stand on their own anywhere.
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The majority of Cobras had modifications or optional original factory parts added early in the car's life, which was promoted by Shelby American, and that is the aura of what they were about... as such, a number of buyers want a car like they remember seeing growing up. In recent years a greater number of buyers strive for "as delivered" but in one respect removing all the comp parts and putting cars back to exactly how they left the factory can be considered creating something that didn't exist for the useful life of the car. The desireability of such comp features to some can be maximized to many hard core enthusiasts if all the parts are genuine original. That said, care should be given as any such deviations can often become a prime breeding ground for cancerous disregard for any originality and after decades of replacing things with whatever is readily available, you end up not being able to find any fine features of the original manufacturing uniqueness on the entire car. The best solution seems to be storing any "as delivered" items so they can be retrofitted down the road if desired and keeping everything factory original, whether comp or street.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX
I'm am quite surprised that SAAC has the build records and invoices for these originals, though. Even GM never kept complete records for the Corvette builds, leaving the enthusiast only the VIN and engine numbers to decode the car.
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Cobra invoices were usually not that detailed, but there are enough pictures of many cars when new, understanding of how chassis number ranges were configured and comments from prior owners to piece together the majority of their early attributes.