Still a proliferating breed. Yes I do have an aluminum car, but Kirkhams are building them and selling them on Ebay did not seem to hurt either the Kirkhams or the Shelby aluminum cars.
My point is, there is room for everyone. It is such a small market. If it grows bigger, it may benefit us all.
I remember when ham radio was a bigger hobby than it is today. The choices of equipment, accessories antenni, was so large. Today the shrinking market/hobby has made it almost an obsolete field for the Collins to get back into.
I think we could all benefit from a larger group of cobra ownership before they isolate us and pick us one by one.
Regulators that is.
California is not the only battle zone for this hobby. If the numbers are there we have a fighting chance, other wise we can easily bocome the next dissapearing act.
Saw an ERA close up today(Duane Cooney's).Hooboy,am I gonna' be on the phone to Uncle Peter tomorrow!It's time to finalize this thing.The new Shelby is probably a wonderful car,but I don't see how it can be any better than this.Probably won't sleep tonight!
I went to a car show today with My GT 500. It is a real nice show hosted by the Historic car club of Pennsylvania and it was held at DElaware County Community College in Marple Pa. Great autumn day, leaves falling, crisp air. One of the better reasons for living in the Northeast. I was parked on the end of a row of Mustangs about 40 long. Directly across from us were Corvettes! a nice face off. The 6th Vette ever made was directly across from my Shelby. Anyway, I did get a chance to really look over a Red Superformance Cobra that was in attendance. Since the bug has started to bite me, this was the first chance I have had to give these cars more than a passing glance. I thought it was a very nice Product. I saw one other Blue car but it was rolling and could only appreciate as it went by. A couple of folks have mentioned that I should not sell my Shelby for one of these cars and After today, I think I have to agree. while I want a COBRA, SHELBY GT Mustangs are pretty damn cool too. I think I will have to get funds from somewhere else to finance this deal. I only ever had one other SHELBY. It was a 67 GT 350. Picked it up and sold it. I regret doing it to this day. But I do know that the car is being restored correctly and made a Canadian a very happy man. In the mean time I intend to keep my eye on this South African SHELBY and read the reviews as they come in. I will be on this board from time to time seeking knowledge and I thank you all in advance for being here. I could not imagine getting involved in this venture without this message Board.
I own BOTH cars and they are both excellent in different ways.
If you purchased your car as an investment and are worried about residual values, then start your Prozac immediately because you purchased your car for the wrong reason. These cars are made to be enjoyed NOT revered. Comparing the cars is similar to comparing the friends that you've made because of this car. Does anyone bother to critique their color, size, shape or who manufactured them? If anyone is as critical about the doors, friendship opportunities and valuable relationships that these cars have opened, then they must be pretty lonely enjoying their portfolio.
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DDS/The First Edition
"In debates on ethically contentious issues, it is never wise nor polite to deride or belittle another person's delusion."
I been out all day. Helping my friend Bryan change out the four lug axles and front discs to five lugs on his FFR. It was great! I got my Cobra "fix" while I wait for my next one to be delivered and he got his car fixed. We had a ball, swapping stories and hanging out in the garage, some oldies music in the back ground.
Are these cars great or what? Maybe soon were BOTH off to help Shawn on his SPF build. You see, it really don't matter WHICH replica you got, there all FUN!
Cobra Make, Engine: Shelby CSX 4780...after 19 months finally in Vegas. Now, if they can get the paint right :(
Posts: 47
Not Ranked
Hello all!
I'm fairly new here and just wanted to pass along my experience with SAI just a few days ago.
My wife and I went to Las Vegas for a little vacation and I told her we had to go see the Speedway (place is sweet by the way!) and also happened to be reading a DuPont Registry on the plane ride out. I happened across a Shelby ad and it listed an address near the track. Sweet! I can kill two birds with one rent-a-wreck.
Anyway, we drove out and drove up to the doors of the buliding that had great big letters S H E L B Y on the side. Not a soul around. My heart dropped. Then I noticed the sign on the door that said they had moved across the street. Duh, I should have noticed the big white semi truck with Shelby's mug on the side. SO we go across the parking lot and the whole time my wife is saying, "They are not about to talk to you about cars. They don't even look open." And as usual I ignore this and go to the door and am greeted with a very nice girl at the front desk. I tell her that we are looking into building a Cobra and saw the ad etc etc....
She says well, we just moved here so none of the stuff we had across the street is even set up yet. No museum, merchandise, yada yada yada. But, she says, let me see if Bob is available. So off she goes and comes back and my wife says to her "Do you get car geeks like him in here all the time bugging you?" She says "Yes, and it's geeks like your husband that pay my salary." Score one for me!!! About that time Bob comes out and we do the intros and he invites us back to his office. Lemme tell ya, these guys are in fact working out of the boxes that they packed all their stuff into. Moving sucks. We all know this. Anyway, Bob sat and talked with us at length about the glass cars, the carbon cars, and the alum cars. Then I stumped him. I asked to see one. He said he had to go look and see if they still had a 4000 series in the back because it was supposed to be getting loaded into the aforementioned semi. He disappeared for about 5 min then came back, handed us safety glasses, and off we went.
Heaven. Thats all I can say. Aluminum blocks. Complete motors. Some red mustang under a car cover. A Series One. And a light blue/black stripe CSX4000 sitting there. Bob explained all the little things that were going to be fixed, like the nonrolled fender lip, footbox, etc. He let me crawl and poke and peek to my hearts desire. He did show us around the production line a bit, (No pics allowed) and then we went back to his office. We talked a little more and then we said goodbye. I have to give props to Bob for taking time to show me the car and the facility. A positive experience to say the least. Only thing that would have just topped it is if ol Carroll would have popped his head out from behind a door.
So, the wife gave me the ok to go ahead and buy one. Funny, I don't remember seeing bite marks on her ankle before we went in the building......
I work for Subaru of America so I heartily agree with you - I just didn't want to seem to "obvious".
I have spent a fair amount of time in an STi - they are rockets!
One of our tuners did a baseline test on an STi engine (prior to installing their parts) and it put out 325 HP stock on an engine dyno.
Pat
I had a student at NHIS last Friday with an STi. Since he was a first timer, I drove for 3 mild laps. He later finished the session and 3 more. This car is well balanced, has phenominal brakes, handles great and has real power that hooks up. It is without doubt faster than my Cobra on the track.
My other comment follows up on that where if a new Cobra kit came out for $3000, that it would eat into other markets, rather than just the Cobra market. This has already happened with Factory Five. I'm one example of a buyer who was not single minded on a Cobra. My short list included a Z3, Miata, Corvette, Acura NSX, Ferrari 308, Mustang Cobra convertible and of course a Cobra kit. FFR's literature at the time even stated that guys looking for a used Vette were a typical customer. For under $30k with some searching, I could find any of the above listed cars, and built the FFR for far, far less. If I put if up for sale, would I get someone who's looking at ERA's and Superformances? No. But I might get someone who's looking at Spec Miatas.
....Speak of the devil. There is a "new" Shelby roller (S. Africa car) on Ebay right now! Seems they're taking a page out of Kirkham's book! Of course, no pictures however. Ad says they are raising the price to 42,500.00 on Nov 1st. Right now it's 39,995.00 but so far the highest bid is 37K (any of you?).
I've sent a few e-mails to them and they are supposed to send me some literature / brochures on these new rollers. One thing that seems to stick out in my mind though (after e-mails back and forth) is that there seems to be a lot of "upgrades" (you even have to pay an additional 75 bucks for a side mirror!) over what SPF and others, offer as "standard". -Shelby's middle name should be ala carte' ! (sp?)
They ARE supposed to change the finish under the hood, and make some other minor changes as well. Sounds like it's supposed to be a nice chassis, and as long as the "extra upgrades" don't add up too much, it should go without saying (name Says it all!) that these SA cars should be looked at as a serious contender by anyone shopping in this price range (even if you aren't a Shelby -as a person, ....fan). It would only make sense (and possibly a few dollars!) to do so........although, as stated earlier, I wouldn't add this to your retirement portfolio. The only investment you are making with these cars is in the "fun factor" of your life! -Pretty good investment as well!
Last edited by TerrysSPF; 10-20-2003 at 09:58 AM..
.....sorry Ernie. I don't know how to transpose the link to this site. I just went on Ebaymotor and clicked on "Shelby". All the "Shelby's" and replicas for sale will come up. The item number# for the Shelby roller is: 2437972377
These guys are definately NOT taking a page from the Kirkham bros. book......this is their fourth auction.....I have seen the bid within 1.000$ of the "buy it now " without the reserve being met....
......I dont think they have sold one yet.
are they hoping someone will bid it beyond a price you can get one from your local dealer?????
Thanks ,...just looking KK
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Nope: I just think they're spending a few bucks on an Ebay auction to advertise. What a deal! If they sell a car; Great! if not, they've made their point to would-be buyers, some of whom want a "Cobra" but may not be sophisticated enough to know that Shelby is currently making "Cobras" and they can have the "real thing" for only... Can you imagine a better value for your advertising dollar? I sure can't. Great idea.
Cobra Make, Engine: Kirkham or the Evil Empire. Do kids NEED college?
Posts: 322
Not Ranked
I think the point was Kirkham uses ebay to advertise AND discount their cars. Shelby is just using ebay as a nationwide ad. Not wrong just different.
pk
Cobra Make, Engine: Superformance 156, ex Paxton 351, now a 392 Ford Racing Stroker
Posts: 1,666
Not Ranked
ebay ads are relatively cheap. great exposure for the bucks. based on some friends exposures on ebay with other cars, many deals were put together after the bell had rung and auction ended when reserve was not met. old story of horse trading. while on the surface not the best medium for higher value replicas, it is good exposure IMMEDIATELY vs lead times in magazines etc at a fraction of the cost. doesnt always work after the fact, but is not a bad way to get the word out fast...and get some good leads. bill.
It's a pretty amazing commuter car.
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