Original Cobra Font Style

[Russ Dickey]

I need help from all you graphic illustrators, artists, and folks who REALLY know you Shelby American trivia. I am looking for the name of the exact font style that Shelby used on all the original advertising, Champ T-shirts, etc.

You guys know the one I'm talking about, it's kind of a wide, block-style letter. It can be seen here in the corner of this poster from the Shelby American Collection:





Thanks,

Russ

[rdorman]

I beleive it is Federation.
Rick

[Russ Dickey]

Rick:
Thanks for the info. I tracked down the "Federation" font style, and another one called "Starfleet Bold" that both appear to be very close to the original Cobra font.

What I'm curious about is this: Shelby was using these fonts in his media and marketing in '65. But from what I've researched, these font styles were created for the show "Star Trek", which didn't being airing until late '66. What's up with that?

My theory is that sci-fi legend George Lucas, who was a crew member of one of the privately campaigned 289 USRRC Cobras, stole the font from the southern California studio that produced Star Trek, and gave it to Shel. Pure conjecture of course, but definitely something that makes you go hmmmmmmm...

Russ

[computerworks]

This is the font that all Cobra logo art was done with...

[rdorman]

Interesting story Russ. A Star Trek, Lucas, Shelby connection! Lets invite Lucas to the next Fling and as him late Friday night! I bet we can get him to talk after enough Raki.
Rick

[grumpy]

Ron,

You're for the mostpart 100% correct in Microgramma Bold by ChartPak/DecaDry and others of the day being the correct SHELBY AMERICAN / COBRA typeset of the late 60's.

However if you overlay 50% of the old pictures, brochures, and other items, a bit of liberty was used or a "fixed" metal type very similar was used. If you trace the letters you will note that a lot in the "rub-on pak" or offset lettering means will not fit the Microgramma outline. I know, I have "created" many "custom" letters to copy the Shelby historical items for reproduction items for friends. Some are probably distorted by photography or digital processing and such.

I spent hours authenticating a "LIONS DRAGSTRIP" sign I have, since it was claimed by a few to be a copy, when actually the photos that existed were found to be distorted and taken at angles.

I hope this isn't sounding like the rivet stories of the past.

Maybe there is someone out there in the art/graphics/printing world that can help further.

grumpy

[Russ Dickey]

Ron:
Thanks for shooting a hole in my Lucas theory. Seriously, thank you for the correct font. That really helps me out with a project I'm working on.

Rick:
LOL! In my best Yoda voice: "Mmmmm. Burnout's you shall do."

Russ

[TL Marcel]

I'm doing some design work and needed to use the Cobra font. I worked with an old friend, Andy Benedek, an acknowledged font expert - also logo design, etc (www.fontfactory.co.uk). Here's what he said:


"The font for the COBRA logo is based upon the typeface Microgramma, published by the Nebolio Foundry in 1972. Microgramma was designed by A Butti and A Novarese. The design was based upon squares with rounded corners—although the actual typeface is more sophisticated than that. It has no lowercase letters. It became available in two weights (normal and bold) and three widths (condensed, normal and extended). Eurostyle is very similar to Microgramma, but has lowercase letters. Eurostyle was also designed by A Novarese and was launched in 1962. Eurostile also had a additional width, compact.

Although the COBRA logo was based upon Microgramma extended, it would almost certainly have been hand lettered to get exactly the required weight. Looking at the early logos, the word COBRA has a lighter weight which gets bolder, the later the logo.
Just when the inline was first inserted into the logo, I don't know. In our project we created a weight just lighter than the bold. "


Hope that adds to the forum's body of knowledge. Can upload clean electronic copies of the logo/font to the forum if that would be of help to anyone.


Regards,
M

[TL Marcel]

Oops, typo - Microgramma was published in 1952 and not 1972
M

[lemans24]

According to Dave Friedman's cobra book, George Lucas was Allen Grant's long time friend. He designed the paint scheme and graphics for his yellow
1963 289.

[Madmiles442]

Originally Posted by TL Marcel

.....
Hope that adds to the forum's body of knowledge. Can upload clean electronic copies of the logo/font to the forum if that would be of help to anyone.
Regards,
M

Wow! Great stuff!
If you wouldn't mind uploading the electronic font to the site, that'd be great!
I want to have "Cobra Powered By Ford" embroidered on my fire suit and was going to use Eurostile Extended. Getting the dead-right font would be even better!

Thanks!

[TL Marcel]

Hi Madmiles:
OK - gimme a couple of days...
M

[428street]

Hey guys, what ever happened with this? Can you purchase the font from a company?

[428street]

Just found this guys....

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/ef/microgramma/

[Ozgur_Tan]

Eurostile is very similar to Microgramma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostile
MS Office 97, MS Works 2002, MS Home Publishing 99 and MS TrueType Font Pack 2 included this font

Microstyle Bold Extended ATT font is free and very similar to microgramma & Eurostile
http://www.2-free.net/free-fonts/mic...att/35562.html

[eschaider]

I used Eurostyle and was very pleased.

At the end of my search I thought Eurostyle was the font Lucas actually used. After reading this thread I think Microgramma could be the real McCoy.

Bottomline they are visually indistinguishable to the untrained eye and either one looks great. An extra bonus, Eurostyle is less expensive to license although either one is cheap.

Ed