[Dangerous Doug]

A comment posted from the article author Mark Noack:

"Hi folks,

Sorry for the delay in joining the conversation here.

I'm going to admit upfront that I'm no expert at identifying vintage cars. Especially when they're charred to oblivion.

I got the idea that this car was an original Cobra from the owner. He told me his car in top condition would be worth around $800,000. Some officials chatting at scene were also saying it was an original.

There's still room for doubt here, so I put in a call to the owner to check on this. If he gets back, I'll post what he tells me.

Never a dull day in Mountain View!"

Owner's name appears to be John Aitken (from the comments).

Taking it pretty well in stride, though. I would have been crushed.

DD