Hey guys.. I hope some of you can help me. I need to know how to identify a genuine shelby cobra, and tell it from a kit car.

I have found one abandoned in the woods... the landowner doesnt know the history of the car, and wasnt even aware of its presence until i told her about it.

The back half of the fiberglass has been cut off, and the IRS has been removed. It wears 427 badges, but the engine, tranny, and engine mounts have been removed. The dash guages, and steering wheel have been removed. the hood has been removed, and the front end has been wrecked. (The tube chassis is 100% intact, rust free, and straight!) The interior is real leather, but has rotted away..... it appears the car has been sitting for 15-20 years.....or longer.

thanks for any help you can give...

 

supposedly the genuine deal is aluminium. If it's fiberglass it's fake or so i heard

 

http://www.colinsclassicauto.com/dom...427%20cobra%22

. . . also provides a some information.

 

If its a real Cobra, there would be several badges under the hood area that would show its authenticity. The 1st would be a Shelby American badge, with the serial number from California (CSX----). The other would be (and this is a stretch, depending on how old it is), is it could have an AC Cars LTD badge under the hood. I was at a show 2 weeks ago, and there was a Cobra. It wasn't painted, actually,the paint was taken off, and the aluminum shell was showing in all its glory. Now, the new continuation cars can be aluminum, but this was a bit different. You could tell it was old. Then I looked under the hood, and low and behold, an AC Cars badge. This was a real AC Ace, turned into a Cobra back long ago. These are the real ways of telling the history of the car.

But if this body is fiberglass, its a kit/replicar.

 

A little more on the car. It is most likely either a reproduction or a kit, since it is fiberglass bodied. No badges anywhere identifying its maker. On the tube chassis, near the front pasengerside wheel, is a State of California ID tag with a serial number. I dont know if that means anything or not. It appears to have been a 4 speed car, because the hole for the shifter is located too far back in the tranny tunnel to have been a T-5.

The wiring harness and fuse blocks are still in place, along with the battery cables.

The front steering is macphersion strut..... would this be from a mustang II or is this typical of reproduction cars?

 

I know this is off topic but you might want to visit www.superformance.com to see what a really good replicar looks like.

 

Wow...those are nice! I'd love to be able to afford one, one day...

thanks for the help with the 'cobra'... for a moment there i thought i had stumbeled across one of those "little old lady with a sports car" situations you always hear about... *grins*