What if............

[Traveller]

......Shelby didn't stop at 300 427 Cobras but instead continued to build them into the 70's, or even into the 80's.

The reason I ask the entirely hypothetical question is because of a thread Cal Metal had regarding dealers that had Cobras in the 60's and the difficulty they had in selling a completely impractical roadster for the (at the time) princely sum of $7,500+ per unit.

This got me thinking. The reason these cars didn’t sell isn’t because they weren’t desirable. Hell, we are all here on this forum some 30 years later because we share a passion (obsession?) for this one particular model of automobile.

So, if Shelby made more “original” Cobras for a longer period of time, what would have been the result?

Here’s my hypothesis:

1) They would have been cheaper. Fixed costs spread over more units = lower cost per unit.

2) There would be no replica industry filling a need that, at the time, Carroll Shelby failed to realize existed. He realizes it now, however, he’s a bit late to the party.

3) Used, “Original” Cobras would be selling at Barrett-Jackson for a lot less than $300-$500 thousand.

4) I might actually be driving an “original” Cobra right now.