New name for Replicas by Barrett Jackson

[Jason Lee Nye]

“In the beginning--Cobra beginning, that is--Shel stuffed an American V8 with transmission into a little 'ole English car and attached it to a Jag center section with rear suspension intact. The second iteration was basically the same car with an improved front suspension widened and bulged here and there so it would accept an even bigger engine.”

So what if a person took an American engine and put it in an AC of today? Should they get credit for creating a whole new car? Or simply would it be no different than what people do all the time with cars by putting new engines in them? Continuation? Instead of buying a CSX4000, wouldn’t it be more proper just to buy directly from AC? If the continuation Cobras were true continuations, then wouldn’t the bodies be from AC of today?

Sad reality is that the CSX4000 owners bought into a glorified replica, which the bodies are made by a replica company. I could buy more into the whole continuation scam if Shelby American was having AC still shipping cars today. Shelby did not “invent” the Cobra, rather applied a great concept and altering the AC body some and plopping in an American big block. The only car he may have truly invented was the Series 1, which is a damn nice car but over priced by $100,000. Sometimes a person can think too highly of themselves, thereby isolating themselves from the rest of the world. Case in point the Series 1, could be one fine competitive car against the Viper and Vette but is isolated because of the inflated price. It might be more of the new owners of Shelby American than Shelby himself but neither here nor there, the Series 1 will go down as an over inflated untested car. Shelby should sit back and just be grateful to the replica industry for help boosting the interest in a car that was on a road to being forgotten or less appreciated.

Yes I drive a replica and quite proud of it. I have no point in pointing it out to people that talk to me about it. In fact the common response I get is, “who cares!”

There is reality and then there is what we wish to perceive. The reality of the replicas of today is that they are more “real” and better performing than the coined name on an AC being “Cobra”. The misguided perception is that the continuation cars are just that an actual continuation of the car of the 60’s. Show me where the chassis and body came from AC before arriving to Shelby American on the CSX4000’s. If you can then I can accept that they are a continuation, rather than a glorified replica or “Tupperware car”.