Shelby Cobra!

This Shelby Cobra replica was spotted at the local Bountiful, Utah Car Show a couple of years ago. I remember when I first spotted it. It left a big impression. The color is gorgeous! The shape of this car is beautiful! 

I knew it looked slightly different than the standard Shelby Cobra 427. After doing some research online, I'm pretty sure this is the FIA 289 version of the Cobra. To get a good explanation of the 289 vs 427, check out this link from ERAREPLICAS website.

Some of the tell-tale signs to look for are the front radiator and oil cooler scoops, side pipes (or lack there of), both front and rear fender shapes, Driver side roll bar and taillights and molded in hood scoop (as opposed to the 427's riveted scoop). Geez, after reviewing the ERA Replicas website page, the differences really stand out now. haha 

Even the gauge layout in the dash is different and seen from this angle here. Notice as well the trunk shape. That is to allow the "suitcase" which was part of the regulations of the race class. It actually would work well to add a little flat angled rear spoiler. ;)

"JOY RDE", what a perfect license plate!!! I love it!

The FIA 289 car is more sleek looking to me! If I were to build a Factory Five Racing Cobra, it would probably have to be the 289 variant. What I can find is that this light blue color is Viking Blue (Viking Blue code "E", Ford Alphanumeric M1448, PPG 12494) according to what looks to be the same exact color on a Factory Five Forum post. 

I did get to see the owner drive it away later that day. It was an older gentleman and his wife and it sounded stout and just looked killer driving away! 

I will be very honest, while building a Factory Five Cobra kit car is very much doable (cost and skill), I don't think I could do it because of the convertible, open top design of the car. It seems very dangerous, especially knowing this car can go very fast. I'm sure the roll bar will do its job, but I don't trust the windscreen and being tall, that combination does not go well in my mind in a roll over crash. I know you can buy bolt on hard tops, but that's not going to do enough in a crash. The obvious solution to this problem is.....

The 1965 Shelby Cobra Dayton Coupe!!! A quick search online brings up this beautiful example being sold by Hillbank USA for $170k in what appears to be the same Viking Blue! This car is stunning!

To quote Rosita the Tiki-Room bird, "Your profile is out of this world!" haha Just look at it! You can easily pick out the Shelby Cobra body lines. I love the additional features that the Daytona Coupe brings, the more aerodynamic nose, the roof line and big spoiler...

The Kammback rear end design was one of the key aerodynamic features of the car that improve high speed stability. Apparently Pete Brock and company scrounged up some old german aerodynamacist theories and applied it to the Shelby Cobra and boom, the prototype Cobra Coupe went 3.5 seconds faster than the previous track record set by a Cobra at Riverside. 

Photo credit: Hillbank

The Daytona Coupe is a beautiful car and Factory Five Racing just so happens to sell a kit. FFR is now on their Mark 3 version of the Coupe and this latest model increased interior room for us tall guys! 

The other obvious answer to the open top issues of a Cobra is the GT40! While we're loving on Shelby today, this green GT40 from SuperFormance and Lemanscoupes.com is one of my favorite!

A couple key points on building a replica GT40. Its considerably more expensive to do than a Cobra and Daytona Coupe. Factory Five Racing does not (yet?) offer a GT40 kit, so you have to go through the small number of other kit builders, SuperFormance, CAV or RCR. The other issue is the mid engine transaxle. There just aren't many options and the options that do exist are very expensive nowadays. Hence, I do lean towards the Daytona Coupe as the most likely option for me personally. I think a Daytona Coupe in this light green would be a killer combo! A boy can dream!

Photo credit: Lemanscoupes.com

Daytona Coupe: Assembly required

I'm writing this blog post the same night after putting up the GT40 post, but it should have come first. I've always loved what Factory Five Racing has done with their replica kits and every time they've released a new one, I've gone down the rabbit hole. The Cobra, while awesome and legendary, is a roadster and so has never been a realistic car I'd ever actually do. When FFR came out with their 33 Hot Rod (which can be coupe or roadster) I was seriously rabbit holeing it! 30's hot rod look, race car chassis! Then the 35 Pickup Truck! Then the 818 mid engine coupe! I actually have the donor car for the 818 (which stands for the cars weight in kilograms, or about 1800lbs!) in my 2002 Subaru WRX. Can you imagine 300hp in an 1800lbs mid engine go kart?! Oh ya, I can! 

The FFR Daytona Coupe has been out for awhile and they released an "R" version with some aero bits and their Mark III chassis, which has extended doors and longer foot box for us tall guys. The Daytona Coupe is also Legendary! With its Coupe body style and long nose and short tail, its beautiful and with a trunk, its better suited to driving it and road tripping it than a Cobra! After putting together the GT40 price sheet, I made one for the Daytona Coupe, because I knew, with its entry price of $22k, its a cheaper option. The final tally is about $65k using the same $10k Coyote or built 302, with a new TKX 5 speed, new solid rear and paint by Hechtspeed and the $10k fluff factor. I'd say its almost as long of a project as the GT40, but reduced by 2-3 years from the 10 year plan. LOL It's resale value (again, not why I'd be building it, but is a minor factor) is not as high as the GT40 clearly but a valuable car no doubt. Sure, it can be done for cheaper finding a donor 87-95 Mustang GT and going with used parts, so $65k should be on the high end of the range. It could probably be done for $45k or so.

With the build style of a Daytona Coupe, I could definitely go more modern wheels and tires and supporting parts. Here's an insanely cool rendering by designer "SDESYN" (Shashank Das) I found on Instagram. Somebody should build this exact car as its just jaw dropping cool!

The modern Rotiform wheels (I think that's what they are?), huge meats out back, front air dam and gull grey with LED headlights is sooooo goooood! Imagine a mildly worked 5.0 Coyote, 6 speed and IRS with some big wilwoods, this would be a show stopper that would be amazing at the track!

Check out the aero diffuser in the rear and the cool chunky LED tail lights. SDESYN just nailed a dream Coupe here! Man! I'm re-convincing myself to go FFR Coupe as I type! LOLOL

Here's a couple more killer Daytona Coupes!

This is the "R" version with aero additions like the big Wang out back, the canards and diffuser up front and vents behind front and rear fenders. Looks fast!

I didn't show a "Gulf" livery in my GT40 post, but you don't see Daytona Coupe's with the livery so its unique in this car. This was for sale a few years ago and was on "Stanceworks" blog. Look at that side profile! This car is gorgeous from any angle!

So dang! I want a Daytona Coupe kit! LOL GT40 or Daytona Coupe? Hard to get that one wrong! As Paul Thon told me as I left his shot the first day I met him after seeing his GT40, "Keep saving your money!!" 

Dream Big!

 

Jess' Cobra pics

Here's a couple of pics of Jess Davis' Factory Five Racing Cobra kit car. This "dang" car got me going on hot rods again. Thanks Jess! :) ha ha He took me for a ride the other week when I visited him while on a work related trip. That car ripped.