I just finished reading, "Cobra: The First 40 Years" and posted the following review on BarnesandNoble.com.

No butt-kissing here, just my honest assessment of the book. I gave it "outstanding" for the interesting details about Shelby and AC history that I really hadn't read anywhere else.

I should have added a warning about buying used, in case Jamo decides to sell his bathroom copy, but I neglected to do this. Caveate Emptor, used book buyers!


Dangerous Doug, building an ERA 289FIA Racing Cobra, October 16, 2007,
A 'Must Have' book on Cobra history
My enthusiasm for Tevor Legate's 'Cobra: The First 40 Years' began with the very first chapter. I have been reading about Cobras and Cobra replicas for nearly seven years (as of this writing) and this book offered me surprising details that I hadn't known before. Tracing the lineage of the Cobra from a Tojiero-designed and Ferrari Barchetta-inspired prototype through it's life in AC Cars as the ACE, and finally, the brutish form as the Shelby Cobra, (and beyond!) Mr. Legate conveys a riveting, well-researched historical narrative. I have to admit, I got a little bored during the coverage of AutoKraft and it's variation of the Cobra, but not because it wasn't written well---it just wasn't of interest to me. I would have liked to see more coverage of the general replica industry, but that would be a book in and of itself. Nevertheless, sufficient coverage of the AC Ace, the 'slabside' Cobra, the 289 FIA racing Cobra (my personal favorite), and the Daytona coupe, maintained my interest and provided an interesting and balanced perspective on the AC/Shelby Cobra. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Cobras.

Also recommended:
AC Cobra: The Truth Behind the Anglo-American Legend by Rinsey Mills
Essential AC Cobra: The Cars and Their History 1962-1967 by Rinsey Mills Original AC Ace and Cobra (Full Color Restoration Guide Series) by Rinsey Mills

And it's a big Thank You from me, Mr.Dangerous. Nice to know it's not all been in vain! I agree that a larger section on the Replica scene would have been a Good Thing, but space & costs were a factor (plus the sarcastic comments received from certain journalistic quarters in the UK due to the fact I even dared mention the R-word - arrogance rules..). As you say, that's another book......

I have been researching the possibility of a limited edition 'Jamo' version of the book - I think it's called "pre-distressed". Like there's no such thing as bad publicity, I reckon there no such thing as bad taste. And then there's the matter of Jamo's royalties....... :-)

Trevor...I belevieve that this gentlemen does not believe the AutoKraft falls into the "general replica" area...what's your opinion? Jim

I just picked up 'The First 40 Years' at B&N last night. Only Fiddy Bucks (knocked down from $79)! but the dust jacket was a little chewed up. Still, a good deal and hell of a book. So far the only 'oops' I've found is the mis-labeled picture of Ol Shel in a Viper.

Please feel free to send me an advance draft to put to the test, so to speak.

8 1/2" X 11", with a ring comb so that the pages open flat should work nicely. A padded cover would make it so much better to keep it from shifting while freeing the hands up for other duties. If you could engineer a cupholder that flips out...muy goodo.

Thanks, buddy! :D

I'd love to reply but all my ideas are unpostable on a family site.

Carry on with the good work Jamo....!

Hi Blas

Just to let you know that our webby site is back and can be viewed at: www.touchstone-books.net Click the logo to enter and then the Cobra cover image and all will be revealed.

I should take delivery shortly of a 24x20 glossy poster of the book jacket image. Not sure yet how much these will cost, but I'll email you when I work something out, if you're interested. (Or anyone else for that matter)

Also - we are offering free postage and packing on our books for UK buyers BUT purely for the benefit of Club Cobra-ists we would be happy to offer free P&P to the USA for the UK edition of my Cobra book, signed by the disreputable author! Bearing in mind how much air mail costs from the UK, this is a substantial saving! Just send me an email if interested....(oops, apologies if this has become a sales pitch.. :-)