Lesher Motorsports- Daytona COupe Manufacturer

[Lesher]

Hello to all! My name is Ryan Lesher. I am president of Lesher Motorsports, Inc. We manufacture Cobra Daytona Coupes, using the Molds and Tooling once owned and used by Contemporary Classics and later Upstate Super Replicars, which many of you may know were taken from an Original Coupe (CSX-2602).

We purchased the molds and Tooling from Bill Connelly in 2005, and spent some time doing R&D, improving several aspects of the kit, while building our Demo Car. We made our Official debut at the AHA’s ‘Fun under the Sun’ show at Knott’s Berry Farm at the end of April this year.

We are based in California, just 12 miles from Laguna Seca Raceway. Please check out our website at www.leshermotorsports.com for pictures, Kit info and contact information. We are committed to providing only the highest level quality not only in our products but in our customer relations as well, which we back up with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

If you happen to be in the Pismo beach Area June 15-17, Come check us out at the Pismo Beach Classics Car Show. Our display will be located at 1351 Price St.


We Look forward to being an active member of Club Cobra and getting to know you all!

[jdean]

That is a good looking car for sure. Very accurate looking.

I remember the magazine article on the red Scuderia-Filipinetti car. Good luck with the business Ryan!

[John McMahon]

Ryan,

Best of luck!!!!

May I ask you....have you assumed all of the past liability with the the company known as Upstate Cobra Replicas and are you using the same dealer network?

Also, just a note...the molds for the Upstate car were splashed from CSX-2299, not 2602.

[Lesher]

John, Thank you for your inquiries.

As far as any liability relating to Upstate, we did not purchase the company, only the tooling. Bill Connelly is still the owner and operator of Upstate Super Replicars. He is simply no longer producing the coupes.

As for Dealers, we are building a new dealer network, however we are open to establishing dealer status with those who were dealers for Upstate.

There is some controversy as to which car the molds were splashed from. We are advertising the 2602 because this is the chassis referenced in Peter Brock's "Daytona COBRA Coupes" book, on Page 511. Until we can find documented evidence that it was in fact 2299, we have to stick to the documentation that is available.

If any one knows of a source for evidence supporting the 2299 chassis, it would be greatly appreciated if you could let us know.

[John McMahon]

I remember when Connelly bought the rights to the Coupe from Peter Bayer. (I hope you did not pay what he did for the whole sheebang!)

The Upstate website had pics of 2299. If memory serves me, wasn't 2299 the only coupe built in Italy with the flatter roofline? Most of the other coupes roofs were more rounded.

Title of the below photo:

CSX-2299, circa 1982/83 prior to molds being made from body

footnotes
* Photos provided by Frank Whitney of the Image Bank.

[cobrarkc]

Ryan
Is it true you may be resurrecting the CC roadster?

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by cobrarkc

Ryan
Is it true you may be resurrecting the CC roadster?

Don't count on it as FFR owns the molds and jigs for the 427SC and the 289FIA

[John McMahon]

Bill,

I don't believe FFR got the 289FIA, I think that mold went back to Auto Speed in CA. FFR bought the 427SC and the Ferrari 250.

[Lesher]

The Upstate website had pics of 2299. If memory serves me, wasn't 2299 the only coupe built in Italy with the flatter roofline? Most of the other coupes roofs were more rounded.

John, Thank you for the info. We actually have the physical copies of those pics. If I am not mistaken, The title given is from Upstate's Website. We have seen either one referenced in various magazines when referencing the molds.

We have not been able to obtain independent photo references of 2602 to verify/refute the reference. If I remember correctly, in Brock's book, it is stated that 2602 did sustain roof damage during transport at one point, which may have lent itself to the roof line being changed during repair. I have not had a chance to consult my copy of the book, but will do so shortly.

[cobrarkc]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

Don't count on it as FFR owns the molds and jigs for the 427SC and the 289FIA

You never know! Who says they need them? I have a spare frame they could use for a jig. For the right deal I am sure they could borrow a body for a mold. Or maybe FFR would be willing to sell their stuff (highly unlikely) but never say never. Anything is possible Contemporary cars are still some of the best ones out there not to mention some of the oldest and still going.

[Lesher]

Originally Posted by cobrarkc

Ryan
Is it true you may be resurrecting the CC roadster?

Yes, we are considering adding a 427 Roadster to our product line. We will keep the community updated as to when it becomes available.

[MikeB]

Hi Ryan,

I've been looking into building a coupe for a while now. I kinda favored the Shell Valley because I could fit my 6'5" body into it at the Carlisle show.

However, is your car configurable for a tall driver? (PS - I can't even get my legs or head to fit into a FFR coupe)

And if I were to build your coupe from scratch myself, assuming moderate performance with a crate engine for street driving, what kind of money will I need? $40K? $50K

Thanks,
Mike

[Lesher]

Mike,

Thanks for your interest in our coupes.

Fitting into our coupe should not be a problem. While we were at the Knott's Berry Farm show in April, we had one gentleman who was 6'4" sit in our demo car. He was able to get in and out without difficulty, even with a bad knee (he was using a cane). Don't get me wrong, it is a snug fit, but from where the seat was located when he got in, the seat can be dropped, and moved back a few inches, so there should be little problem.

$40-50K is a reasonable expectation for what you are describing; of course it all depends on what options/specs you intend to use and the amount of work you decide to do vs. hiring out; all of which can raise or lower that estimated range.

If you have not done so already, please check out our website www.leshermotorsports.com for Pictures and information about our Coupes.

Also, please feel free to call me with any questions you may have. You can reach me at (831) 240-5347, 7 Days/week 7AM-10PM PST


Ryan

[Snake Psychosis]

Ryan,

I know this question might shake up a purist or two, but will there be an option for air conditioning/heater installation in the coupe? I ask because from most things that I've read, the coupe can be quite warm due to the lack of open air, and the restrictive window openings.

I know that SPF offers A/C in their coupes, but was just curious if this particular option will be available on yours as well.

By the way, thanks again for all the information earlier today. Was good to make your acquaintance. While I'm still a ways off from making an actual decision regarding coupe vs roadster, it's nice to know I have options. I'm sure I'll come up with 100's of other questions, but this is the one that's rattling around in my noggin this evening. Talk to you later.

tim

[Lesher]

Thank you, Tim. It was great talking to you as well.

Yes, Putting A/C is an available option, along with either the original style Plexi slider window or even power windows for extra ventilation.
Please feel free to either post here, or email or call me with any other questions you come up with.

Take Care,
Ryan

[1985 CCX]

Ryan,

You are official now! Add some pictures to your gallery on this site. Might be a nice touch?

Wish you all the best! Great looking car with accurate look and details.

Best to you.......
Jeff

[bkozlow]

To my best of my knowledge the molds were pulled from CSX-2299, the car originally purchased from Shelby by Mike Shoen of Arizona. If you look at the side view, it becomes clear that the windshield line does not lay back much, about 37-38 degrees. Three cars had the less racked windshield, CSX-2299, least racked, CSX-2286 and CSX-2300. A copy of CSX-2299 is not bad, because of the extra height that was built into this car originally by mistake, as the roof line is very tight in all the coupes.

The original ladder type frame is what causes a lot of the seat height restrictions. If you use a 4" tube ladder as on a 427 type frame, it is even worse than if you had used the original 3" tubing. If you place the seats on top of the frame you lose an extra inch, but with todays horsepowers, you really need the stronger frame rails that the 4" provides.

Bill K

[bkozlow]

That is 3.5" tubing not 3.0".

Bill K

[Lesher]

Bill,

The tubing that we use is 4" Madrel Bent round tubing. Our Floor does not sit on top of the rails, it wraps around the rails and drops 4", so the bottom of the floor is level with the bottom of the main rail. Our floor to ceiling height is approx. 40".

A 6'6" person can fit in our car without a problem.

Ryan

[xlr8or]

From the description on your website it appears that the interior, electrical, plumbing, guages, fuel system and sidepipes are not included in the standard price. Do you offer them as an option? How about headlight covers?

Good to see another source for the Daytona Coupe out there.