[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by richsd

Also, why limit this to Cobras. What about all the many car parts for sale for example on Ebay. Should these parts be returned to the car that they originally came from or should they go to the highest bidder?

I agree that the market sets the price on parts. This isn't limited to Cobras at all. The main difference is that with most other rare collectable cars the primary market for the parts is someone that is restoring or maintaining one of those cars. Duesenberg or Cord transmissions are going to be sought by someone with a Duesenberg or Cord, not by someone trying to produce a recreation. This is not the case with Cobras. There were only 998 recognized serial numbers for all the original Cobras. I have no idea how many replica/continuation car have been produced in 30 + years with most of them trying to replicate one of 50 some original comp or SC Cobras. As you see it doesn’t take too many replica owners to absorb the few remaining original parts on the market.
Many new reproduction parts have been produced to feed the replica market. Many of these parts will not fit an original Cobra correctly. They are at best a ‘will work’ (maybe).

Again, you’re correct it is an open market. I can only suggest that when there is an option of a good newer part to use on a replica rather than perhaps a more expensive and perhaps not as good a part from an original Cobra, why not use the newer part?