Kirkham for sale

[MOTORHEAD]

Gentlemen :
there was never any frame/chassis damage, nor suspension damage, aside from 2 malformed rubber bushings in the left upper "A" frame., and some burned paint.
As I mentioned earlier, I have a small website dedicated to the repairs done on this car.
It is inactive at present, but should be back up before the weekend.
It is currently Titled and registered in Louisiana, and can be in certain other states.
MM; your last paragraph is similar to what I did, only in a different state.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Gentlemen :
there was never any frame/chassis damage, nor suspension damage, aside from 2 malformed rubber bushings in the left upper "A" frame., and some burned paint.
As I mentioned earlier, I have a small website dedicated to the repairs done on this car.
It is inactive at present, but should be back up before the weekend.
It is currently Titled and registered in Louisiana, and can be in certain other states.
MM; your last paragraph is similar to what I did, only in a different state.

I beg to differ based on your post, and pictures you posted 06-01-2013, 03:27 PM
Went for a spin......

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

I've got the car on the lift, giving it a through inspection.
Unfortunately I did not come out unscathed ! Left rear lower A arm is bent, still have to check other side and fronts.
Anybody got one of these in their pocket?

David Kirkham made a post about other places to look for additional damage, if anyone would know, he would.

Still wondering why you state that you cannot title in Florida in your ad on Cobra Country "This Cobra currently has a Louisiana “reconstructed” title and registration and cannot be titled & registered here in the state of Florida" That statement begs the question "why"?

Finally, with the pictures you have posted of the pre-rebuild stage of the car, there most certainly was enough heat to deform the lighter gauge upper birdcage. Are you saying that none of it was damaged by the intense heat of the electrical fire? My own experience as a bodyshop owner makes me think otherwise, sorry.

Bill S.

PS: Again, I'd probably be a cash buyer with a clean title, but nowhere near 6 figures for a previously salvage car, especially when I can get a clean title, csx6000 (granted, fiberglass) for less than your ask, on the very same site as your car is listed.

[MOTORHEAD]

MM;
You are correct re; suspension damage. I had totally forgotten about my spin-out after the car was drivable, (but there was no chassis damage from that incedent.)
I thought you were refering to chassis damage from the fire. The rear suspension a arm that was bent was repaired by the fabricator I was working with at the time, and gets checked every time its on the lift,
Also regarding any "birdcage" damage from the fire, there was non, other paint burned off the tubing, allowing rust to start on those members which cleaned off easily. You'll see what I am refering to when the website is back up.

[MOTORHEAD]

MooreRB:
Iwas all set to do BAT, but they wanted me to go lower on my reserve. I did see crazy prices for Cobras, so I thought that might be the way to go, but I already have a bid equal to their desired reserve, so I decided to try Cobra Country first, as I would not be forced to sell when reserve was met.

Ted

[1985 CCX]

Ted

I am glad you are so up front, it makes the sale less of a question.
For me it makes the car more attractive.

[moore_rb]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

MooreRB:
Iwas all set to do BAT, but they wanted me to go lower on my reserve. I did see crazy prices for Cobras, so I thought that might be the way to go, but I already have a bid equal to their desired reserve, so I decided to try Cobra Country first, as I would not be forced to sell when reserve was met.

Ted

Yes, the only drawback to a reserve-price auction is that you have to sell if the hammer price exceeds the reserve... However, here are just a couple counter-points to consider (just for conversation's sake):

1) if you had a solid offer in hand that would have exceeded BAT's reserve, then all you would have been looking for was the next highest bid beyond that, right?

I've been a member of BAT for more than 10 years (going all the way back to when BAT truly was a small-potatos auction site catering to "eclectic/niche" car and car parts markets. It has (obviously) grown into what it is today- a powerhouse for heavy 6-figure (and 7 figure) premium cars.

2) Every Cobra auction on BAT will draw more views in one week, than your cobra country listing will bring in a month. I've done the web-traffic stats between the two, and there is no comparison. BAT brings MILLIONS of eyeballs per day. CobraCountry brings thousands per month (some months they crack 10,000).

3) From a confidence perspective (And this is nothing but personal opinion based on my own experience with BAT)- I'm convinced that the BAT bidder population is just about the most sophisticated there is- BAT auctions RARELY end in spectacular deals for the buyer (it does happen, just very occasionally)- Most of the time, BAT auctions end with the car bringing either all the money (and a fair deal to both buyer and seller) or they (for whatever reason) go completely crazy (as the auction for the $67k factory five mark2 roadster did) and the seller gets to whistle, all the way to the bank...

But in the end- Yes, auctions can be extremely stressful for a seller, and you will be dealing with people asking hard, pointed questions (and making sharp, unfiltered commentary) about your car in a public forum, while also having to deal with the "Peanut Gallery" of voices that are going to offer unlimited opinions, without any intention of ever putting their money where their mouth is... all true, and if you don't want to deal with that aggravation, then you probably made the correct choice...

[MOTORHEAD]

1985 CCX:
Thanks for your comment.
I didn't buy the Kirkham to fix and flip it. I bought it because I had always wanted one since 1963 when I saw them at the Bridgehampton track.
When I found this Kirkham in 2001, I knew this was my only chance to own the best of all cobra replicas. I have enjoyed the last 20 years of working on it and driving it . (aircraft mechanic by trade) I just turned 80, so it's time to convert her back to money.
I've never regretted the time I've spent bringing her back to life, it'been a once liftime endevor.

Ted

[MOTORHEAD]

Patrick: Exactly !!!!!!!
Shortly after i bought it, and had talked to both David and Tom, I asked Tom what a new chassis would cost. He said he'd ck on it and let me know. He called next day and says
"we've got some body/chassis here for Shelby that he didn't need, so you could have one of those which would be a CSX vin, for $25 000." I told him I spent all my "mad" money on the purchase of the car , so I'd have to pass. After I hung up, I started thinking that the CSX number would increase the car value and offset the expense.
So the next day I called Tom back to tell him I'd take that deal, and he says "Somehow Shelby got wind of the deal and told them "No way in hell!!!" So close !

Ted

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Patrick: Exactly !!!!!!!

That's why you respond "I'll wire you the money today, but let's just keep this between the two of us."

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Patrick: Exactly !!!!!!!
Shortly after i bought it, and had talked to both David and Tom, I asked Tom what a new chassis would cost. He said he'd ck on it and let me know. He called next day and says
"we've got some body/chassis here for Shelby that he didn't need, so you could have one of those which would be a CSX vin, for $25 000." I told him I spent all my "mad" money on the purchase of the car , so I'd have to pass. After I hung up, I started thinking that the CSX number would increase the car value and offset the expense.
So the next day I called Tom back to tell him I'd take that deal, and he says "Somehow Shelby got wind of the deal and told them "No way in hell!!!" So close !

Ted

Just a mild correction to the above, Kirkham does not have the authority to stamp a CSX number into their frame/body assemblies. This is done under close federal scrutiny by Shelby American Inc (back in that timeline). Kirkham can only offer one of their own KMP (again timeline related) VIN numbers to be stamped into the frame.

Bill S.

[RUFdriver]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Patrick: Exactly !!!!!!!
Shortly after i bought it, and had talked to both David and Tom, I asked Tom what a new chassis would cost. He said he'd ck on it and let me know. He called next day and says
"we've got some body/chassis here for Shelby that he didn't need, so you could have one of those which would be a CSX vin, for $25 000." I told him I spent all my "mad" money on the purchase of the car , so I'd have to pass. After I hung up, I started thinking that the CSX number would increase the car value and offset the expense.
So the next day I called Tom back to tell him I'd take that deal, and he says "Somehow Shelby got wind of the deal and told them "No way in hell!!!" So close !

Ted

Weird story, about a year ago on FB someone from Shelby American was advertising various aluminum panels and a complete Kirkham body for 20k. The post disappeared in less than 24hrs. Always figured it was a scam, but maybe not.

[MOTORHEAD]

AS promised, the site is up and running.
'www.tedscobra.com"

It's a bit quirky, the different sections are on different pages

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

AS promised, the site is up and running.
'www.tedscobra.com"

It's a bit quirky, the different sections are on different pages

Those are great pics. That was really a beautiful job of replacing the driver's side fender. The car really is spectacular.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

AS promised, the site is up and running.
'www.tedscobra.com"

It's a bit quirky, the different sections are on different pages

I do love the attention to detail, and I will walk back my earlier comment about the birdcage needing replacement. Fire damage was quite focused, and you and the car are both lucky because of that.

Again, good luck with the sale.

Bill S.

[MOTORHEAD]

Moore RB;
re: BAT, "you hit the nail on the head" as to my reluctance to go that route.
re; reserve. Once reserve is "off", the bidding continues as long as there are more than one bidder. hence such abortions such as the $300 + thousand Datsun 240Z

Ted

[patrickt]

So it took, twelve years to get that girl back on the road?

[MOTORHEAD]

Patrick; I had a business to run at the time, so lots of delays .
For example, the paint was later in the repair time line. The painter told me to take the car home and let the paint cure for a month, then bring it back for a cut&buff. It stayed in the trailer for 2-3 YEARS before i could do it !

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Patrick; I had a business to run at the time, so lots of delays .
For example, the paint was later in the repair time line. The painter told me to take the car home and let the paint cure for a month, then bring it back for a cut&buff. It stayed in the trailer for 2-3 YEARS before i could do it !

Alright. And I thought ERA's delivery times were bad....

[MOTORHEAD]

mm: since Fl does not purge old titles, if you input the vin for this car in their records, it will come up as "salvage, non rebuildable" so there is no way they could change that and issue a rebuilt title using that same VIN .

[MOTORHEAD]

as stated previously, the car is titled and tagged in Louisiana, at my Daughters address,
no problem. My insurance is with Robbin Terry @ Midwest Classics Ins. 888-271-400.
I have been with them for many years, Ageed value policy @ $500/yr.
Louisiana needed ins in LA. before issuing title. Midwest took care of that in the blink of an eye, then to the DMV for state police for title /vin ck, took that paper to title & Tag office (Independent contractor) out of there w/all papers for under $400 !
There are other states that do the same.