Rick Kopec's "What's Your Beef?"

[What'saCobra?]

Shmeplica, replica.

Certainly the issue over the "fake" left-over chassis (note spelling) was they were NOT made in the day. Thought that was communicated adequately with the use of the moniker "left-over".

Further, the salient point is missed regarding AC Cobras, as called by Mr. Shelby himself from the very beginnings, and the abandonment by him of the AC prefix around the time just before the issuance of the 427 and about when SAI started winning lots of races in 1964. Yes, folks do recall different things and there are differences of opinion. There are state records that show 289's registered variously as: FORDs, Cobras, AC Cobras, Shelby Cobras, Ford convertibles, Ford 2-drs, etc and etc. But, MOSTLY, the early cars were both referred to in the literature, registrations, by Shelby, by AC, by the SCCA and by owners as AC Cobras, both here in the USA and in GB.

As Mr. Shelby started feeling his winner's oats, he decided for business/egotistic/other reasons to start rather notoriously panning the AC company, name, ownership and craftsmen. He concluded, probably correctly, that he didn't need AC's long history any longer to justify his Cobra project. It didn't seem to him significant that many people were severely disappointed in that behavior at the time. THAT is the relevance, significance and disappointment of Shelby's dropping the AC prefix, though the AC logo remained in various places on the cars until the end (ex: the brake pedals).

Many of the principals and owners of the day had very mixed feelings about this issue and it is easy today to ignore the emotion it created at the time. i regularly read about the intelligence, wisdom and courage of FORD's providing Shelby with engines on credit... and it is all mostly true. But, i rarely see mentioned the much larger commitment that AC made as a much smaller company, far across the sea, in providing free rolling automobiles. Don't talk to me about the dream that they had no choice. They were doing just fine at the time, but did want to get involved with a winner in FORD and Shelby. They actually took a flier with Shelby, but they liked his racer's success and attitude (not at all English, for sure). Recall that Carroll had won Le Mans with Salvadori, so he really was someone important and had a winner's attitude.

In his business meetings with the Hurlocks, i doubt if Mr. Shelby dwelled much on either his dead chickens or his heart condition; who would? Shelby had plenty of good experience on the track and would transition from a driver to a winning team owner/manager; which was likely not easy for anyone involved.

Back to the topic:
If a Cobra were to be made by some company or persons that made the originals, in my mind perhaps only two outfits (AC or SAI) they might be both replicas and continuation cars, if they can justify the serial authorization somehow. By the way, the italian company in Modena that made the Daytona coupes might be able to justify new ones as continuation cars. Maybe even completions.

AC Cars did make a few 289 completion cars in the 90's. i had a dark blue street car, with an original engine installed from an earlier Cobra, that Brian was kind enough to make for me from the last chassis jig. It is in the original AC registry from the factory.

And, AC Cars, under Lubinsky, made at least one FIA car, which made the rounds here in the USA, as being sold by AC Cars USA. It would properly be called, real, continuation, perhaps completion, etc, but not original.

Probably the only genuine (and perhaps still "legal in all states") completion cars are the few AC CSX 3XXX cars made by AC in the early nineties by AC Cars Limited, a UK company. But, admittedly, the later few Lubinsky cars are serialized as CSX 3XXX's, i am told reliably. i doubt if they are legal in the USA. Perhaps they are and i just don't understand how.

The completion cars authorized to be built by Shelby from new steel do still exist somewhere around the world and they show up at auctions here in the USA and a few shows from time to time. They are quite OK and reflect the attention to detail of which Mike McCluskey ought to remain proud.

They are also be real, if not original; though they might be original-styled or original-engineered or original-fabricated.

If Cobra replicas or copies are made by a third party (except perhaps by McCluskey on order from Shelby), even if exactamente, Cobra copies are certainly not original nor real nor continuations, at least not legit or arguable by serial numbering.

At least to me, if Shel' says they are real Cobras, they are. Though he doesn't say (these days) that they are "original", because that is where he got into grief previously on the "lost" AC CSX 3XXX chassis.

If he says they are continuation cars, they are. And he has every right to name the serial numbers. Except for the CSX 2XXX and CSX 3XXX cars, which is where he had some difficulties, he can call them what he wishes and that makes them what he calls them.

If he calls them completion cars, they might or might not be, depending on the serialization.

Remember that replicas were also made by AC and raced, sold and called replicas by SAI. We might recall the Le Mans Replicas. They were close clones of the cars actually raced at LM and used by SAI for early racing in the US. i owned one for a few years and it was very very used when i bot it, though it was much better when i sold it for my own school tuition. Notice that this is both "factories" calling it a replica, without shame.

But, in normal usage, anyone can build a replica and call it that. You might even get a state authority to accept any serial number, though that is more difficult to do these days. A replica is a replica is a schmeplica. To me at least, not a problem or an embarrassment.

We own a continuation car which is also a replica. It is real. It is also a completion car, IMHO. It is certainly NOT original and can never be. Nor is it a Shelby. It is genuine, though. It's all so confusing at my age.
---------
Real
What is synomous? Do you mean synonymous or synonyms? Is that like "to synonyms" or two synonyms? i get so easily confused in my dotage. One does not ever intentionally confuse friends, i hope; but, i do get it mixed up from time to time. But, at least, at one time i did understand, so very long ago. Some have never known at all, i'm told.
i am always willing to accept criticism from my betters, particularly suffering the blooming obvious, for which i thank you for your wit, clarity and your blessed helpfulness, without which i would continue mixing my apples with my oranges. (i'm so embarrassed!)

[REAL 1]

Whatsacobra: I think what what were are saying is synonomous or synonyms or synonymous?. . Aren't synonyms and synononmous the same??? Now I'm getting confused..

My recollection and reading has CS taking the AC logos off years before the 427 but I defer to age and experience sir. Point is we both agree that he did attempt to deep six ACs contribution of the day from immediate visage.

I also believe you are utilizing the correct dictonary meaning of replica not how it has come to be known and meant in popular usage perhaps justifying a tweak of Websters...

I agree both ACs and Shelby ought to be considered real and genuine Cobras if not original.

[Ron61]

I may be completely wrong on this, but I believe that when the continuation Cobras first came out, California refused to register them and you had to get a SB-100 number if you wanted to register it legally at a later date. Something about a new frame and it wasn't made in the 60s, so they said it was illegal and had to meet the present day emissions and so forth. I don't know if this still is the fact or not as when I heard they wouldn't let them be registered I quit looking for one.

Ron

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by Ron61

I may be completely wrong on this, but I believe that when the continuation Cobras first came out, California refused to register them and you had to get a SB-100 number if you wanted to register it legally at a later date. Something about a new frame and it wasn't made in the 60s, so they said it was illegal and had to meet the present day emissions and so forth. I don't know if this still is the fact or not as when I heard they wouldn't let them be registered I quit looking for one.

Ron

Ron, those were not continuation cars, they were called completion cars. The idea was Shelby build new Cobras using original left over chassis. The cars were to be sold for 500k each, with most of the proceeds going to charity (another story that doesn't need to be discussed here).

Of course it was soon found out that no "left over" chassis existed and that Shel had McCluskey build the cars from scratch. When CA found out, they banned them from ever being registered in Cali.

Now, through whatever brand of Cobra I have had at the time, my view has been the same. If the car was sold by either Shelby or AC, and they call it a Cobra, then it's a real Cobra. Personally, I do not see how anyone can argue that point. How on earth can anyone tell the selling company that what they are selling is not really what they are selling?

Seems pretty simple to me. If Shelby says it's a Cobra, it's a Cobra. If AC says it's a Cobra, it's a Cobra.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by Power Surge

Seems pretty simple to me. If Shelby says it's a Cobra, it's a Cobra. If AC says it's a Cobra, it's a Cobra.

Does it follow Sal that if he says an SPF is a Cobra, it's a 'Cobra' (in the sense that it originated from his organization)??

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Does it follow Sal that if he says an SPF is a Cobra, it's a 'Cobra' (in the sense that it originated from his organization)??

Obviously we all know that Shelby granted SPF the right to use the Cobra name. So yes, an SPF can be called a Cobra (even though it doesn't matter as we all call them all Cobras). It's a Superformance Cobra, which is a replica of a real Shelby Cobra, which is a Cobra sold by Shelby.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by Power Surge

It's a Superformance Cobra, which is a replica of a real Shelby Cobra, which is a Cobra sold by Shelby.

...therefore if Carroll says anything's a Cobra, then it is- which also makes it a replica of his real Cobra.

But it's been expressed here that a replica is exact to the original in every way. Something no SPF is.

So if I get this thread (to Jamo's amusement) an ERA (for example) is neither a 'Cobra' nor 'replica' for the following reasons:
A. He didn't allow them to say it is.
B. It's not a 'replica', exacting in duplication to the original (rectangular tube chassis for example).

So I conclude an ERA is-an 'ERA', an identity unto it's own. When asked, I always refer to my car as an ERA -not a replica or Cobra. It's a hand built sports car that closely resembles Shelby's Cobras.

It's my opinion that Shelby seriously dilutes the pedigree of his cars, so fervently championed here by their owners, by the licenses he grants to carry the name.

The tin can K-car owners and crap ERA owners (among many others) are not burdened by a fierce need to demonstrate superiority and propagate resale value by belonging to the franchise.

Flame away.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

...therefore if Carroll says anything's a Cobra, then it is- which also makes it a replica of his real Cobra.

So I conclude an ERA is-an 'ERA', an identity unto it's own. When asked, I always refer to my car as an ERA -not a replica or Cobra. It's a hand built sports car that closely resembles Shelby's Cobras.

Chas -- When I had him sign my car I think there was a 50/50 chance that he would have written "ERA732 Cobra" had I asked him to.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

It's my opinion that Shelby seriously dilutes the pedigree of his cars, so fervently championed here by their owners, by the licenses he grants to carry the name.

The tin can K-car owners and crap ERA owners (among many others) are not burdened by a fierce need to demonstrate superiority and propagate resale value by belonging to the franchise.

I made the point earlier allowing it to be ignored first. I'll requote myself here since Pat's and these are better examples of my thought. I forgot the Oldsmoblie-powered Series I, Turbo-powered 'Dodges' - ad nauseum.