1965 ac cobra - is it real?

[jonner]

Dear all,
   
   Can someone please tell me what model this Cobra is. The owner says its a 1965, but is it the real deal - or a replica, who built it and price range for the car, please.
   
   It is currently in the Middle East for sale, imported two months ago from Japan. They have a knack of importing the stuff that the Japanese don't want, which has raised my concerns of its originality. I know nothing of these cars...
   
   Many thanks all. Jon
   
   jon.saxon@evo-me.com
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

[jonner]

it has 465KM, so the ad reads, with a M/T 7000CC engine

[nikbj68]

Hi Jonner. It`s as likely to be a real Cobra as I am likely to be adopted by Madonna.
   I particularly like the dashboard made from an old veneer sideboard that`s been left out in the rain for a year or 2.
   Does it have a price on it? Bearing in mind that original 427 SC`s sell for many hundreds of thousands of dollars?
   Can you see any sort of chassis plate inside the engine bay?
   Offer them $20k & work up from there!
   If you post the same question on the Club Cobra Forum someone may be able to identify the manufacturer from the front suspension.
   Best regards & happy sleuthing, Nik.

[jonner]

Thanks Nik, I poured over many pictures of originals and concluded it was replica, but wanted to know how much it was worth. They are asking 30,000 UK, which is why I haven't been back. Thanks for your words. I love the sideboard dash too.

[TLegate]

God I feel ill. Offer them $20K and work rapidly DOWN from there. What's the scrap value? You can sometimes understand why CS gets a tad hot under his stetson.

[kiwi427]

Well thanks for clearing up my doubt on the question of this forum being replica friendly or not?
   I promise not to mention the 'R' word again as I would hate to offend anyone here. I'm here to make friends!
   
   Regards,
           Nigel.

[TLegate]

Personally I have nothing against replicas - see my Cobra books - unless it's a bad replica. (I speak only for myself on that one!!) Any form of automotive transport that thinks a bit of old sideboard makes a neat dash will not be getting my vote! Not to mention a bit of old angle-iron for a handbrake? I've driven (and throughly enjoyed) numerous replicas, including being chauffered by the late and much-missed Bob Olthoff in an SPF, but if anyone offered me a ride/drive in the vehicle in question I'd find a good reason to be elsewhere.

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by kiwi427
   
Well thanks for clearing up my doubt on the question of this forum being replica friendly or not?
   ...

   Certainly NOT anti-replica myself!
   Ditto Trevor`s comment regarding good or bad replicas, OK, a vast amount of it is down to personal taste, but don`t expect an easy resale if you opt for a pink naugahyde interior!
   Building replicas was nearly my business of choice in the late 80`s, but that`s another story!
   The quality of engineering in most of the currently available replicas is certainly on a par with some smaller mainstream manufacturers, and I couldn`t be happier than if I went to my garage & found a Hawk 39PH replica waiting for me! (Ask "Hawk 289" on this forum about his enviable stable!)
   My only issue is with misrepresenting a replica as real or trying to get top money for a 'not top' car from the unsuspecting Joe Public.
   It`s hard to tell from these photographs, but it certainly doesn`t look like a £30k car to me. Maybe Mr.L was a tad uncharitable...
   but could you live with that dash? [;)]

[TLegate]

Moi? Uncharitable??? Bah humbug. (Gotta get my kicks somehow) It's always hard to judge any car from a few images on a computer so I can only call it the way I see it. Now if I was in Really Bad Mood, I'd get onto the matter of the badges on the car. Both Shelby American and AC-copyright logos, both of which are actionable. But as I'm in such a good mood, I won't even raise the issue... :-) Can't say fairer than that!

[Mark IV]

No it's not real, it's a hologram!

[kiwi427]

The way I see it Mr CS did not do anything too original himself when he roughly assembled an assortment of everyone elses components to come up with what became the Cobra. I feel I have just followed on in the same tradition.
   I agree though! that slab off the side of grandmothers old piano just does not belong. If you are going to do it, it has to be right.
   And yes misrepresenting a replica as the real thing is a crime.
   
   Have a nice weekend all,
                            Nigel.

[runt]

The arches don't seem correctly proportioned, funnily enough the seats look quite 'period' for a replica, its as though the guy lost interest halfway through the build..?
   
   Paul/runt.[:)]