That story sounds made up, Bruce, but I know better from experience. None quite that blatant, but wow. Hey at least "Cobra" was in the name he gave it.
You'd be amazed at the people that think mine's a "Sting Ray".
One day after pulling into Wendy's for a frosty, the kid behind the counter said (to his coworkers) "Man that car's so fu**ing cool. It has a Chevy 454 in it. Those things are worth like 5 million dollars, that's SO FU**ING COOL." One of the other guys behind the counter said, "Nice try, moron, it's got a Ford 427 in it." Well, he was closer at least.
Others think it's an MG.
My favorites, though, even though the idiots are a lot of fun, are the stories of the people who used to race them back in the 60's. No kidding, at least half of the people that have commented on my car used to race Shelby Cobras in the 60's. It's positively amazing how many of those cars there must have been. Because at least 100 people in central Ohio who I have actually met apparently used to race Shelby Cobras.
PS - Sorry he's your new neighbor. I'm sure the fun has just begun. Thank God for the Sopranos, huh? You might have to start watching six feet under, as well...spares you another hour from "smart guy"....