What is a FIA Cobra ?

[doctorstrange]

WHAT is a FIA COBRA,in other words what does fia stand for ?

[Excaliber]

Fed? International Auto?...or something like that. Good question. It is an international racing sanctioning body. I await the more learned opinons of others on the details and the correct name. I think they also approve\disapprove tracks and events, etc?

For instance: What sanctioning body disallowed the Nurembergring (in the late 60's?) for competetion with the FASTEST cars until track improvements were made? Guard rails, smoothing out the "bumps", cutting away the brush and some trees and generally making the "old" track not just safer but even faster!

Enlighten us!

Ernie

[Jeff Frigo]

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.

[Excaliber]

Hmmmm,,,,add a T and you get the car we all love so much,,,,, FIAT.

Ernie

[Mark IV]

...Did'ja ever notice that the French control most of the international sanctioning orginizations? The FIA, the avation records org, etc?

They can't win a war so they win the battle of beaurocrats.

Rick

[Trans-Am Jim]

The FIA is not controlled by the French, although it's headquarters are in Paris. The current president of the FIA is Max Mosley, from England.

The FIA controls worldwide motorsports through the consensus of it's "member organizations", the various ASN's, or National Sporting Authorities. It's kinda like the UN of motorsports.

The United States delegate to the FIA, (our ASN), is ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee of the US). ACCUS is made up of the recognized sanctioning bodies such as SCCA, NHRA, NASCAR, USAC, IMSA, etc...
You get to be a recognized sanctioning body by a vote of the FIA.

[Cal Metal]

Ernie:

They did exactly that by reducing the displacement of the cars after the '67 Ford win at Le Mans from a maximum of seven liters to five liters. That didn't stop John Wyer, though, as the 289 GT-40s won Le Mans in the two successive year, '68 @ '69, with 1075 winning twice, the only car ever to do so.

[Excaliber]

Cal,,,heck I thought they reduced the motor size 'cause Crankys cousin was complaining about the FE's leaking oil on the track.....

Jim,,,,excellent run down of just who these FIA guys are!

Ernie

[Aloys]

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For instance: What sanctioning body disallowed the Nurembergring (in the late 60's?) for competetion with the FASTEST cars until track improvements were made? Guard rails, smoothing out the "bumps", cutting away the brush and some trees and generally making the "old" track not just safer but even faster!

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Excaliber, you mentioned the Nuerburging:
1968 Jackie Steward winner on Matra-Ford
1969 Jacky Ickx winner on Brabham
1970, after several accidents during training-session, the speaker of the F1-Driver-Association, Jochen Rindt, declared the track as to dangerous, no race took place. Then the "improvements" you mentioned were made.
1971 Jackie Steward winner on Tyrell-Ford
Finally, 1976 the winner was James Hunt on McLaren Ford. At this race, Niki Lauda had his accident and the Ring went to sleep until 1984 when the new short Ring was opened with a Race of F1-Drivers, all in similar Mercedes-Cars. I witnessed the victory of an until then unknown driver named Ayrton Senna!
The GP that year was won by Alain Prost and McLaren.

[computerworks]

An FIA Cobra, in today's replica-lingo, usually means a CSX2xxx replica, small block, with cut-back doors, a forward-braced roll-bar, "suitcase" bumps in the trunk lid, gas-cap in-board (right of center) and a horizontal-lineup of guages on the dash, with speedo far right.

[casaleenie]

FIA stands for about $30,000. plus

[casaleenie]

ERA has a great page on the differences between the 289FIA and the 427-- It points out the subtle differences between the two styles...

[Cal Metal]

Shelby 289 FIA Cars, to wit:

CSX2259
CSX2260
CSX2301
CSX2323
CSX2345

[chill]

Dave Friedman wrote a great book about early the early '62-'65 Cobras called, "Shelby Cobra, the Shelby American original archives 1962-1965. I tells about early 260, 289, and FIA Cobras with alot of good racing photos. It also mentions something about a dubious experiment to put a 427 in a Cobra, but I think that experiment was not very successful for racing cars, more for looks and bragging rights ...

I got a copy from Barnes and Noble, but had to order it.

[computerworks]

chill...
...a great book, but he seemed to run out of film when the 427 era began. Wish he did a volume 2.

It does pay homage to the early racing years with some great pictures and detail.

[Cal Metal]

Ron & Chill:

Freidman was never a big fan of the 427 cars. In one of his books, and it might have been the one mentioned here, he lays down the law about the 289 v 427 issue. That is why you do not see much regarding those cars in his photos or written work.

Not wanting to restart, for the umpteenth time, that debate again, but Freidman believed that the Cobra legacy was due entirely to the Herculean effort of the 289 Competition Cars, and without their heroic victories, against incredible odds, there would be no Cobra legacy.

Maybe Cranky put him up to it.

[chill]

Now that you mention it.. and not to start something, well, maybe a little something ... I just read a passage that definitely shows Dave was no fan of the 427;

'Everybody at Shelby American used to make bets on how long it would be until the car was returned to the shop with a blown engine or in a box due to a crash. Most employees considered these cars lethal and the 427s never enjoyed the popularity with the employees that the 289 did.' (p.144)

I think if you note that not long after the 427 came out, Dave left SA and even Carroll Shelby stated in the Foreword that when SA moved to the airport in 1965,

the true spirit of Shelby American died and we lost alot of good people.

This points to a longing for the 'old days' when pressures were less and the company was less 'corporate'. It's only human nature to favor the product that was created from pure passion, the 289, over the corporately produced 427.

Of course if not for the 427, Cobra replicas and the Cobra hobby would likely not have enjoyed their current success...

[doctorstrange]

Thanks to every one that responed,now can some one direct me to some pictures of a fia cobra,one with a dash layout,also the years they were avalible

[BO DUTCH]

As casaleenie already posted, See ERA, FIA web site !!

[A Snake]

What nobody has said yet is that the FIA cars were basically a slabside on steroids. The rules allowed bigger tires so out came the fenders to accommodate them. The door cutback was because of the rear fender extension and reshape on an existing body. The 427 doors were designed with the fender change already in mind.

As with everything in racing, nothing was there that didn't serve a purpose. The FIA cars were purpose built and look it.

A friend here in Portland owns one and it is quite the piece of work. Quick too!!

Al