Quote:
Originally Posted by 1795
It definitely shows t's age, and it is probably rare that any cobra has not had some modification made to it over the years. Glad to see that it is still being driven.
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True (modification wise) and that is why examining just a single "unrestored" car from one time frame or one completion site (the AC factory, Hugus’s works, or Shelby’s works) has confused many enthusiasts, owners, authors, mechanics, and restorers over the decades. Even original owner unrestored cars have added to the confusion. My favorite example was a Cobra completed in mid 1964 using a later Ford service replacement carburetor for 1965 Mustang. The car had just turned past 9,000 miles. The owner claimed the engine was untouched but it was very clearly was using a replacement carburetor, aftermarket cylinder head gaskets, and quite a few other post production and aftermarket parts he did not remember when or how they got installed.
My point, love unrestored Cobras (We bought ours in 1983.) but use each as a data set to compare with others completed in the same facility in the same time frame. Each year a few more cars that stayed substantially as manufactured into the 21st Century get torn down to every last rivet and rebuilt. In the process cars that stayed very intact with high original parts and materials content for decades quickly get a few dozen to thousands of custom touches for all kinds of reasons.