[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by rsk289

Yes Dan, that's pretty much the case regarding UK suppliers - that's how I was lucky enough to find that the original manufacturer of the brass 1/4W size 3 wing nuts still exists (just) in Birmingham, and still had a dusty old boxful dating back to AC Cars original order from the 1920s.
It's interesting how sometimes this stuff does get remade. I have an early Land Rover (well, a '67) which used a particular heavy-duty vinyl in grey with a black grain pattern, known as 'elephant hide'. A specialist trimmer in the UK has started making a new version of this, which is a very good match. Unfortunately it's not cheap (he eventually sold me a roll of 5m for £250), and he's very reluctant to sell it loose at he makes complete trim panels to sell himself. I guess if the market's big enough...

Big point there Roger, "....if the market's big enough....". So far, the market for truly original specification parts and materials for Cobras and 427 Cobras has not been "big enough" to support recreating the small parts and materials Bills Of Materials and trying to sell the parts retail. I understand as a single small run of new parts of most types might take ten years or longer to sell off. Businesses just don't do well with a decade or more long inventory turn overs.

A few us sometimes buy into upcoming runs even if our cars don't require the part right now because if might be decades before somebody makes another run or maybe they won't make a second run. I have no intention of making additional runs of any part that I have ever made or had made with one exception and it only works with original front ball joints.