OPtions on the original Cobra

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by Harpoon PV2

Hay Dan, you see lots of period photos of small block cars with AMCO luggage racks, the most famous with Steve McQueen in the car he stole on a test drive, and used during the filming, including cameos on the set of Soldier In The Rain, (not that Carrol complained.) How many survivors have you seen with the original rack still on the boot? Cheers, Dennis

Few.

One of the option sets included a rack kit included loose with the cars ordered with that group of options. Not every car shipped with a kit apparently had the racks installed. Of course, cars that did get them installed sometimes had them removed as the cars moved through series of owners. A significant trend since the 1970s that continues to this day is for buyers to morph the car(s) they managed to obtain into the car(s) they wish they had. The changes go every direction, just a few examples:
- Low optioned to highly optioned
- Pure street to street-n-strip
- Pure street to road racer to all kinds of levels of modification
- Some kind of previously modified ‘racer’ back to some version of street car
- Road racer changed to drag racer
- Drag racer changed to road racer
- Stock standard induction system removed and replaced with all kinds of different ones
- Factory installed 2-4V systems removed and replaced with something else
- Factory aluminum 4V systems removed and replaced with something else
- Stock wings (a.k.a. fenders in the USA) to wider to wider and maybe even to super wide
- Make a street Cobra look like a 427 Cobra (yes, some were so modified)
So on and so forth


Very few Cobras escaped being modified in some way or another each time somebody else obtained them. One of my favorites was the declining odometer readings, i.e. between owners the ‘documented’ odometer readings decreased between owners….hmmmm. In four steps, the odometer in our black car decreased 29,862 miles between April 15, 1967 and February 13, 1976. I have a thick stack of old papers, for sale advertising, and work receipts dating back to early 1964 with the car. A few years ago I put them all in chronological order and noted any odometer readings recorded in a dated document. Interesting.

[1795]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

Very few Cobras escaped being modified in some way or another each time somebody else obtained them. One of my favorites was the declining odometer readings, i.e. between owners the ‘documented’ odometer readings decreased between owners….hmmmm. In four steps, the odometer in our black car decreased 29,862 miles between April 15, 1967 and February 13, 1976. I have a thick stack of old papers, for sale advertising, and work receipts dating back to early 1964 with the car. A few years ago I put them all in chronological order and noted any odometer readings recorded in a dated document. Interesting.

Dan,

Well, obviously the prior owner drove the car in reverse a lot and that would account for the declining mileage

I hope that you are doing well. Still waiting for the opportunity to head west and possibly having the opportunity to see your cars. Take care.

Jim

[Harpoon PV2]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

Few.

One of the option sets included a rack kit included loose with the cars ordered with that group of options. Not every car shipped with a kit apparently had the racks installed. Of course, cars that did get them installed sometimes had them removed as the cars moved through series of owners.

Thanks Dan! I thought they might have been removed because of the stress they put on the boot lid. But I see Tom Cotter still has one on his 289, and he uses it as it was meant to be! Cheers, Dennis

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by Harpoon PV2

Thanks Dan! I thought they might have been removed because of the stress they put on the boot lid. But I see Tom Cotter still has one on his 289, and he uses it as it was meant to be! Cheers, Dennis

You are welcome Dennis.

The boot compartment is pretty large. We have had no problem having enough capacity inside for all our stuff for a few days on the road. We have seen people carrying an incredible amount of spare parts with them on tours in addition to their luggage, umbrellas, small cooler, tool bag, flash lights, rain and cold weather clothes. On rare occasions we have had to stuff things behind the seats during tours. Multiple soft bags, clothes for us both for one day in each, make filling all the space available pretty easy and easy to get out when needed without removing everything from the boot every day.

[CowtownCobra]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

You are welcome Dennis.

The boot compartment is pretty large. We have had no problem having enough capacity inside for all our stuff for a few days on the road. We have seen people carrying an incredible amount of spare parts with them on tours in addition to their luggage, umbrellas, small cooler, tool bag, flash lights, rain and cold weather clothes. On rare occasions we have had to stuff things behind the seats during tours. Multiple soft bags, clothes for us both for one day in each, make filling all the space available pretty easy and easy to get out when needed without removing everything from the boot every day.

One time in Colorado on a mountain pass in July