Kirkham in Shelby Registry

Allan A · #1 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007, 05:06 PM

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Funny thing Allan, is that you've owned several 4000 series Shelbys, and YOU were the one who encouraged me to buy mine. So I guess that makes you: HEAD Dick or better yet...... you're a Dick head!

P.S. We miss you at breakfast...

-Gio

Gio, yes that is true, but I have seen the light and sold the 4000 cars.

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Interesting point. Billy Andrews told me there are only about 100 aluminum bodied Continuation seires Shelbys right now. Thats less then the original series. Pretty rare by any standard.

Evan, 100 4000 alum cars. Sell yours as fast as you can. The 7000 fiberglass series will be the true mark (maybe 40), 100% made by SAI no subcontractors

JBo · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 06:24 AM

Real1...Shelby did not "allow" AC to build the bodies...you need to do some reading on the subject...all cars except the Daytonas were rollers designed by AC; (with the 427's - help from FoMoCo in suspension). AC had been building Aces which with frame tube increases became 260/289s and with Fords help in designing suspension ,427's with the bodies and frames modified to Ford spec to stand the torque and hp. A reasonable book on this is Legates Cobra 40 years or some such title or read some of the earlier books on the subject.

REAL 1 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 06:59 AM

Let me rephrase this. Shelby utilized outside bodies and chasis from AC. SAI performed numerous mods and improvements to get to the "Cobra". SAI was instrumental in the design of the 427 body and chasis with FoMoCo. He was going to or wanted produce them inhouse but did finally decide to let AC do the manufacture based on labor costs.

That to me is "outsourcing." The cars in the end were Shelby Cobras.

I believe you will find these facts in numerous Cobra books not just Legates.

REAL 1 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 07:08 AM

David: Thanks for the info. The 100 figure was an estimate. If its 200 its 200.

Out of that 200 I don't know if all have been sold or delivered and your right, who knows what SAI is doing or will do with them. All I know is I got mine!

Anyway, 200 doesn't change the picture that there aren't many aluminum Continuation cars out there.

Johan · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 09:14 AM

Thank God for the villiage idiot, if we are graded on the curve. If you acted like this at a vintage race, your clothes would get pretty dirty really fast.

JBo · #6 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 10:39 AM

Real1, please advise this formum what numerous mods and changes 'ole Shl made; other than installing engines, transmissions, radiators/fans and oil collers to these 289's or 427's bodies and chassis to make them Cobras

jay bentley · #7 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 10:51 AM

If there were about 347 or so original 427's and only about 200 continuation aluminum cars, wouldn't that make the continuation cars more rare and more desirable than the originals?

1ntCobra · #8 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 11:19 AM

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Originally Posted by JBo

Real1, please advise this formum what numerous mods and changes 'ole Shl made; other than installing engines, transmissions, radiators/fans and oil collers to these 289's or 427's bodies and chassis to make them Cobras

Perhaps you should read some books on the subject. Through racing experience, the Shelby drivers, mechanics and fabricators, like Ken Miles and Phil Remington figured out what improved the cars and that information was used to specify running changes to both competition and street cars to AC.

The 427 chassis was jointly developed by Ford and AC. AC had limitations on what they could do with their small engineering team and even screwed up the wheel base of the coil spring cars by ordering the wrong length of tubing for the main rails and then could not afford to return the tubing for the correct size. That made it impossible to build the suspension as specified by Ford.