CSX 3041 for Sale in Austria

[302EFI]

http://www.autoscout24.at/Details.aspx?id=219145304&asrc=st

[rstainer]

This car is a Replica, constructed by Brian Angliss in 1978.

[302EFI]

Thank you for this clarification, Robin. The ad does not contain any hint that the car is a replica. On the contrary, the ad indicates Dec 1965 as original registration date and continues to say: 'Unique opportunity to acquire a genuine Shelby Cobra 427 SC. VIN CSX 3041. In beautiful condition. 6 year old valuation report available. The few existing cars were auctioned in the recent years for prices averaging around 800,000 EUR.' Somewhat misleading, to put it mildly.

[Laurence Kent]

I remember reading about this car in an interview Brian Angliss gave to an American magazine in the early 1990s. He said that in the 1970s Carroll Shelby had approached him about building some "old" new Mk III/427 Cobras. As many of you might know, at the time Shelby had been saying that he had a stack of original 1965 CSX "427" chassis just waiting to be given bodies. We know that this wasn't true [}:)], as Thames-Ditton never shipped such chassis to America.
   
   In 1964-65 Shelby had intended to homologate 100 Mk IIIs so as to go racing with the new Cobra in 1965, but as that didn't work out, the just over 50 cars that were shipped to him became the fabled "427 SC Semi-Competition". Based on the legend of those 100 homologation cars that only turned out to be half that number, Shelby during the '70s used to talk about one day "completing" the remainder of the run. The legend of that alleged bunch of Mk III chassis just waiting to be brought to life, was necessary so that if those cars were to ever be built, they could be made legal for the street as their chassis had supposedly been built in 1965, thus being exempt of more modern safety laws. In 1978 Brian Angliss built the car that this posting is about, and fully admitted shipping it over  to Shelby as a real 1965 car. The American authorities were not duped. It hadn't been possible to somehow bluff the car as a genuine 1965 car. According to Angliss, Shelby now wanted him to alter the original Thames-Ditton records to document and certify that the balance of the 100 envisioned homologation cars' chassis had been shipped to Shelby in 1965. When Angliss refused to do this, Shelby became angry at him, setting the stage during the late 1980s for some vitriolic attacks against Angliss, especially when the Autokraft AC Mk IV emerged. As we know, Shelby didn't give up on his "old, original" chassis scheme, and got an American Cobra restoration company in Arizona to duplicate 1965 AC chassis, down to the smallest welding details, end then exposing them to the elements to make them look old. As we also know, the Los Angeles Times and others exposed Shelby's scheme. He still managed to complete in the U.S.A. the remainder of the 100 homologation cars, but they were not legal for the street, as they were replicas that didn't meet modern safety standards. The 1978 replica this posting is about has the distinction of being the first attempt by Shelby to try and re-write the history of those envisaged 100 homologation "big block" Mk III Cobras.

[SunDude]

Shelby only ended up producing nine (9) out of the 44 potential "completion Cobras" you mentioned.  Many of them were sold outside the U.S. (Japan) because, once discovered by the California DMV, these cars could no longer be registered for street use.  That, coupled with the recession, brought the whole venture to a close.

[rstainer]

"In 1978 Brian Angliss built the car that this posting is about, and fully admitted shipping it over to Shelby as a real 1965 car. The American authorities were not duped."
   
   ACOC and SAAC records tell a slightly different story. The original 3041, ex-works Thames Ditton 19 Feb 65 and sold in 66, was destroyed by parting out in the late 60s following a severe accident.
   
   The SAAC Register (pages 512, 513 & 514) describes the 3041 Replica's origin and construction in great detail. Lance Coren commissioned the work and contracted to Mike McCluskey, who sub-contracted the principal build to Cobra Parts (Brian Angliss). The car was finished in 78; there's no mention or suggestion of any Shelby involvement with it.
   
   The 44 car 'old chassis' continuation series was planned to fill in the car numbers not used by AC: 3057 to 3100 less 3063 (3056 was the last competition car, 3101 the first street car and 3063 the 96" wheelbase Ghia one-off). 3041 was not part of this series and never played, to the best of my knowledge, any role in the 'old chassis' continuation scheme.

[Laurence Kent]

I defer to your knowledge, rstainer. I was writing about what I remember reading some twenty years ago. Perhaps my memory got that detail wrong, or perhaps the magazine had it wrong. I thought I had read it in the short-lived Cobras magazine out of the U.S.A. in the early nineties. I did find a lot about Angliss saying Shelby had wanted him to make new "old" chassis for him, in the spring of '94 edition, page 66. A quote: "...some while ago Carroll Shelby proposed that we enter a joint venture where Autokraft was to manufacture a number of chassis and ship them out to the States as washing machine parts, or something like that. Carroll would let them gather a bit of rust and then claim that they were rediscovered, genuine 7.0 litre chassis made in the Sixties. I said 'No way',but it looks like he's gone ahead and done it".
   
   However,the article where Angliss talked about the '78 3041 car specifically has eluded my search so far. I will continue looking, and if I find it, regardless of whether it corroborates what I remember reading or not, I will post it.

[aaron]

quote:Originally posted by Laurence Kent
   
I defer to your knowledge, rstainer. I was writing about what I remember reading some twenty years ago. Perhaps my memory got that detail wrong, or perhaps the magazine had it wrong. I thought I had read it in the short-lived Cobras magazine out of the U.S.A. in the early nineties. I did find a lot about Angliss saying Shelby had wanted him to make new "old" chassis for him, in the spring of '94 edition, page 66. A quote: "...some while ago Carroll Shelby proposed that we enter a joint venture where Autokraft was to manufacture a number of chassis and ship them out to the States as washing machine parts, or something like that. Carroll would let them gather a bit of rust and then claim that they were rediscovered, genuine 7.0 litre chassis made in the Sixties. I said 'No way',but it looks like he's gone ahead and done it".
   
   However,the article where Angliss talked about the '78 3041 car specifically has eluded my search so far. I will continue looking, and if I find it, regardless of whether it corroborates what I remember reading or not, I will post it.
   

   
   A 427 powered washing machine ? Now that sounds very interesting ![:)]

[TLegate]

Built my 427 on a Hotpoint Aquarius chassis. Worked fine until the spin cycle kicked in....