I am new here

[dkp_cobra]

Hi,
   
   I am quite new here in this forum. I bought AK 1029 with a 351FoMoCo and a Doug Nash race gear in june this year. Since the car wasn't in a good shape (except the motor) I decided to restore the car completely. So I guess it will take maybe 2 years before I can drive it on the street. In the meanwhile I have to take the cobra replica I have restored before [:)]
   
   So far I have one question: what is your option to the statement "the cobra is an american car build by Shelby". I can guess the answers but I had an interesting discussion in a german forum for american muscle cars. And do you see the MK IV as a "real Cobra"? Trevor Legate made a statement in his last book "Cobra The first 40 Years" I cannot agree. He said that in a certain sense the MK IV is a replica of the cobra. What do you think?
   
   Regards, Peter

[Jan_AC_MKIV_1227]

Hi,
     I'll be the first to go under fire here, but you know what opinions are like !!  Anyway:
   
   1.)  AC built them in the 60's (MKII, MKIII), Shelby puts a motor in, so they are a AC/Shelby Cobra
   2.)  AC builds them in the 80's with Ford / Autokraft, again Aluminum, they are an AC Cobra (MKIV)
   
   I would venture to say that Autokraft Cobras ARE real Cobras but NOT originals (60's).  It sort of burns me that the new Shelby's are essentially replicas with his name on them and only a few have the AC bodies (supposedly).  It also aggravates me that people forget or don't understand who (AC) built the cars in the first place.  An AC car with an Aluminum body is as close as you can get the to 60's original as you can get.
   
   Again, all in my opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone.
   
   Regards,
   
   Jan

[Mark IV]

Peter,
   Zip on over to clubcobra.com and see the thousands of posts regarding this issue! A final determination will never be made, everybody has their own opinion.
   Rick

[Mark-Anthony]

Once more into the breach dear friends, once more!
   
   The AC Cobra is a British sports car into which a shrewd/lucky chicken farmer dropped a duff motor (260cui), a good motor (289cui) and a "texan" motor (427cui).
   
   The engines are American, as is the name.
   
   All Cobras built by AC (or under licence from AC), from aluminium or carbon fibre or coconut matting or macdonalds wrappers, are Cobras, anything else is a replica.  I.E. If AC (or AC's licencee) didn't build it - it ain't a Cobra.  (I don't care what your name is, or how expensive your lawyers are, I am entitled to my opinion.)
   
   I am the first to agree (maybe 'admit' is a beter word) that if it hadn't been for some American (whose name escapes me) the world would probably never have heard of AC.
   
   Oh, Peter, as a better man than me once said:-
   "I may not agree with what you say - but I would die for your right to defend it."
   
   Mark-Anthony
   CRS #22
   No it's not a bloody kit car!

[dkp_cobra]

quote:Originally posted by Mark IV
   
Peter,
   Zip on over to clubcobra.com and see the thousands of posts regarding this issue! A final determination will never be made, everybody has their own opinion.
   Rick
   

   
   Hi Rick,
   
   thank you for the link but I am quite happy here. I had a good reason why I bought a MK IV and not a CSX 4000 [:)]
   
   But a have a complete other question. Since I restore my car and have some space for modifications: what is the opinion of this community concerning modifications of a MK IV? Is a conversion of the dashboard to the MK III style ok? What's about body modificatons? I am thinking about removing the side rear lights and the side turn lights?
   
   Regards, Peter

[Jan_AC_MKIV_1227]

Rick,
     No way I would post the "real" opinion over on Club Cobra, I have seen the carnage and frankly crazy options that come up !!!
   
   BTW,  car just passed emissions, amazing what $303 can get you...
   
   Jan

[Alan Faulkner-Stevens]

This message comes from the AC Club MkIV Cobra Registrar and somebody who restores Shelby Mustangs for a living, so hopefully I can see it from both sides!!! The Cobra, I believe can never be one persons, or company for that matter, true creation. It required a small UK based company AC Cars, a very clever and resourceful man, Carroll and the might of the Ford Motor Company. Each played a very important role in the iconic car that is a Cobra. Each have a right to claim a significant role and overall the car does not exist without each party. Where you might stand allows each side claim a little more over the other. For me it took all three and personally I'm very glad they did get together.
   The MkIV Cobras are a continuation of the sixties cars and were always sold as such. In many areas they are a great improvement over the earlier cars. This you would expect as some twenty years had passed between the two manufacturing dates. The MkIV car were made on the same body bucks as the original 60's cars and the chassis was much the same, but had better leg room, were safer and more user friendly.
   As to changes to MkIV cars these seems quite acceptable in Cobra circles. Fitting earlier dash layouts or uprated engines seems to enhance a car and make it more desirable.
   Finally, a slightly prickly subject for some Cobra owners. In their final production fling in the UK AC produed 22 aluminium bodied "Superblower" cars and 35 Carbon Fibre bodied car, the CRS. The CRS can be looked down upon by some aluminium bodied owners as not real. This is quite offensive and totally incorrect, as a MkIV was a continuation/variation of the earlier cars, so the CRS is a variation upon a standard MkIV.
   I

[Alan Faulkner-Stevens]

Sorry, I cut myself off early!!! The CRS has the most desirable body shape which is the Lightweight MkIV and uses a state of the art body material. When produced I believe the biggest ever complete one piece carbon body ever produced. It is immensly strong, probably three or four times that of aluminium.The whole car is exceptionally light and as such quite quick. As one CRS onwer was very thankful as he had a very serious high speed accident in his car. The car was very badly damaged to the extend the car is a total loss, however he and his wife just walked away from the crash uninjured. A complete testiment to the Carbon body.
   All MkIV cars are great, they bring Cobra ownership to a group of people who probably could not aford a 60's car and enjoy driving more than anything.
   Alan Faulkner-Stevens

[Mark IV]

Alan,
   Ah but the early CRS cars were NOT one piece bodies. Kid Jensen who did the CF work could not mould them in one piece and get them out of the mould. The early cars were a front/rear clip joined under the door center!
   
   I was treated to a CF demo at Weybridge when a CF bonnet was placed on the floor and two rather large guys (no, not me) jumped up and down on it without it cracking. It was crushed flat but bounced right back to the original shape.
   
   The fabricators did not like CF as cutting/drilling/edgeing was difficult and the strands tend to puncture the skin leaving a rather nasty splinter to fester.
   
   R@ick

[Guest]

Alan ... It required a small ... company  a very clever and resourceful man, and the might of the Ford Motor Company. EXACTLY ... and AC CARS was and could be sucessful as it was in the 80's and 90's ..... let me lead into another company which I'm not sure if I will get hit oever the head by stating this on this site ... but a true enthusiast will agree ... thats where our sister to the Cobra .... ran aground ... The Pantera ... similar in composition ... small Co Detomaso .... a very clever and rsourceful man ... but lost the might of Ford Motor Co.
   
   Ron

[Alan Faulkner-Stevens]

Rick, Thank you for the information about the early CRS construction. If you can remember any other details about your visit and what you saw please let me know as I am very interested and keen to update my knowledge.
   Certainly as you were there I am very pleased to hear from you. I have a slightly later car, #10, and I can't see the join!!! But my cars construction has a substantial carbon outer skin with what I think is a honeycomb moulded reinforcement on the underside in all the doulbe skin and high stress ares, bonnet [hood] aperture etc. I used the honeycomb when I worked in the aircraft industry and it was amazing stuff. I have had a chance to look at a very late built CRS, #32 if my memory serves me well, which had no double skin reinforcement under the bonnet which made it appear less strong and more prone to flexing.
   It would seem though that as is normal with a small manufacturing company each car is a development of the one before and no two are exactly the same. Perhaps this is what makes them so interesting.
   Alan