Guys,
Turns out this guy lives about four miles from where I work. I spoke with him on the phone and he said he had an East Coast offer for $30k cash&carry. I drove over to look at the car after I got off work (two hours later), and the price had drifted up to $35k cash&carry.
So, I get there and there is a red (no stripe) Cobra sitting in the garage. Big block under the hood, but I wasn't able to get a close look for
oil galleries or casting numbers. Serial number is #ERA154. I was set to take it out for a spin, but they had run it out of gas in the garage. This seemed odd to me, since the fuel gauge read 3/4 tank and the engine was not warm. I attributed this to them sizing me up as a "tire-kicker" ("Wrong!") and didn't want me to drive it. Didn't see a title (I didn't actually ask), but he had a book of build papers and articles about ERA and that particular car (newspaper clipping from Texas). I don't know much about ERA 427's, but it did have the serial number, the round tail lights, and the footbox venting that I would expect to find on an ERA.
If I had been able to verify ownership, verify the 427SO, actually DRIVE it (remember, I didn't even get to HEAR it), et cetera, I would have dropped $25k and taken the car. BUT, with the price increasing 40% since his initial posting I'm out of the game. I was uneasy with the escalating price and the "no gas" story. Don't know the guy well enough to know if that was actually the case.
Next?
Well, I want a 289 FIA car anyway... Black... or Blue, maybe... I'm sure I want an ERA. But, maybe a Unique... Or, if Shelby would drop his price on his CSX7000...But no, it has to be an ERA... Or...
You get the picture: part sour grapes and part wishful thinking...
DKing