Rare Find 427 Prototype

[PANAVIA]

Man I need to go to that auction -- they also have some awesome aces.

http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCar...auctionday=thu
http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCar...auctionday=thu

[trularin]

Didn't Miles say it "wallowed"?

[twobjshelbys]

My guess is will draw no where near the $5.5M that the supersnake went for. Those days are over. It'll be lucky to get $1M. My guess is closer to $500K. With BJ going on that week there might be a bigger total audiance - if someone is really interested they get two auctions. I wonder what day it will come up? I might drop over just to see it and get some pictures.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

My guess is will draw no where near the $5.5M that the supersnake went for. Those days are over. It'll be lucky to get $1M. My guess is closer to $500K. With BJ going on that week there might be a bigger total audiance - if someone is really interested they get two auctions. I wonder what day it will come up? I might drop over just to see it and get some pictures.

I'd say 2196 will go for way more than you are guessing. Considering it's unique and has a interesting, but less than stellar race history, I'd guess that it will bring less money than a daytona coupe. How much did 2601 go for? It was more than $5.5M when it did eventually sell, right? However, I think the seller of 2601 was hoping to more than $8M.

[decooney]

There is one (ariel) photo that always comes to mind about the car, and I cannot put my finger on it. Maybe someone has it or can find it ???. For those who have not seen it, it may perhaps give you a better appreciation for the car while it was running during a race. With today's motor, staying running , it would probably have achieved a much more memorable racing history. I may be wrong, but I thought it was the flip-top in that photo. I know one of you Cobra history experts has a copy of it somewhere.

PHOTO DESCRIPTION:
After the first lap, you see the Flip-Top waaaaaaaay out front like a 1/4 mile ahead of anything else coming down the straight and a whole bunch of Corvettes way in the background just making the turn.

I want to make a poster of this and put it in my garage if someone can find and post the photo in a reply here ???

[Hank F]

Duane, it was the fliptop body,at Nassau speed weeks 1964.
I can`t find the picture either.
Hank

[1ntCobra]

It's probably a Dave Friedman picture. I wonder if you can buy prints and posters from him.

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by Hank F

I can`t find the picture either.

[decooney]

Nice work Computerworks, you found one. There is another one taken from a bit further back, a bit higher ariel view, and it really shows the gap between the Flip-Top and the Vettes even more. I think Rich has a photo that he puts on display sometimes in front of the car.

What's not evident in these photos is how low the cars sits and how low you feel when you are sitting in it, and how the "chopped" body sort of hunkers down over the chassis.

This photos was also taken at WSCB by Brent Mills or Dan LePage (they were side by side shooting) but you can see from ground to top of the door how the car is slammed down. You feel more seated down and in between the frame rails than on top of the chassis, as they designed this particular car.



After I drove it, I spoke with Peter Brock about it a bit and described this. He shared some thoughts and comparables around this chassis and how it was more like the Daytona Coupe setup than the Cobra. I may have this goofed up in saying it, sort of indicated this car was more like precusor chassis prototype to the Daytona and shared some of the same ideas. I had a photos poster with me and asked him of all the Cobra cars on the poster, which one was most like the Daytona and he said the "fliptop" and signed his name for me next to the car photo. I still have the actual poster that both he signed for me with the Fliptop photo and Dick Smith signed his car pictured too on the same poster by a stroke of luck. Its hanginng in my office today.

[Excaliber]

Pat, as I dimly recall you've done some work yourself on racing style cut down windshields. What do you know about THIS windshield???

[PatBuckley]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Pat, as I dimly recall you've done some work yourself on racing style cut down windshields. What do you know about THIS windshield???

Ernie-

I used the windshield on the Turd as a model for the one I made for my Kirkham.....I think I got it close. I saw the car at a Shelby event at Infineon Raceway and took a couple of measurement off it then.

I think I have a picture of it somewhere - and a few shots I took during construction.

[Hank F]

Thanks for the referral Ozgur.
Pat your windshield was perfect,I would like to see the pictures of the construction.
Hank

[Ozgur_Tan]

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238426

[Cobra Lite]

The car opened with a bid of $800,000 and moved up smoothly to the final bid of $1.45 million and that was it. No race car buyers present evidently.

No surprise that the Flip Top was a no sale at $1.45 million...
Did not reach reserve and I am glad it didn't sell for that.
Not the best venue for a very special race car.

I think the Monterey Historic Races and auctions would be a better, and more knowledgeable crowd. With more serious money buyers.

An auctioneer who is more familiar with race car history would be better.
The Flip Top is unique but the auctioneer only mentioned it was the only one that was built that way.
He did not mention the many other unique features of the car that make it so very special and a truly valuable machine.

Nice auction that RM runs, I am impressed, almost all cars sold in the estimated range (that sold that is, which was almost all).