Anybody lining up for the new Shelby Cobra?

[Al G]

Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy

so basically SAI buys a Kirkham alloy ($90K), slaps on Shelby badges, charges double price, and makes the customer wait 18 months? Sounds too good to be true

Just once I'd like to see someone from SAI or Kirkham respond to this kind of comment and tell us exactly who does what with the aluminum Shelby cars. I don't believe it is as simple as some people claim.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Al G

Just once I'd like to see someone from SAI or Kirkham respond to this kind of comment and tell us exactly who does what with the aluminum Shelby cars. I don't believe it is as simple as some people claim.

This has been discussed in the past before several times.

Shelby buys the frame and aluminum body from Kirkham and then builds their car up from there in Vegas. Shelby uses original CSX3000 style suspension as opposed to the Kirkham billet suspension. Kirkham has said that Shelby also buys some miscellaneous parts from them too, but Shelby has their own set of suppliers for their aluminum cars. Shelby does not buy a Kirkham roller.

However with the last 50th anniversary Shelby cars, there was a slight difference in that the Kirkham frames and bodies were shipped from Poland to South Africa (instead of Vegas), so that all of the 50th anniversary cars were completed consistently in South Africa.

I am bit too lazy to go searching through old threads. There is a thread where I had posted pictures of aluminum cars at Vegas, both CSX1000 (sourced from AC) and CSX4000/CSX7000 cars (sourced from Kirkham) which are starting off as body and frame. There is another thread were David Kirkham mentions that for frames supplied to Shelby, they put the motor mounts in a slightly different location from an original car, as opposed to Kirkham which puts the motor mounts in the correct location. This information is also found in the SAAC registry. As for the last 50th anniversary body/frames being shipped from Poland to South Africa, that is mentioned in another thread and I think someone posted a picture related to that (I am not sure, but the picture might have been from computerworks (ron)).


Oh, I know where my pictures are from Shelby Vegas are...

CSX4000 body/frames sourced from Kirkham (as noted by the Kirkham 427 style oil cooler scoop)



CSX7000 body/frame sourced from Kirkham (there is a thread where David Kirkham mentions that Shelby specifies this incorrect style oil cooler scoop for FIA cars).



CSX1000 body/frame sourced from AC (note the oil cooler scoop and the 427 style FIA suitcase bump to the interior behind the seats (as opposed to being a trunk adjustment as on the 289 cars). Kirkham does not do the 427 FIA interior suitcase bump on their cars.