'75

When it backed in next to my friends Monte Carlo, I thought it was another kit car, healthy sounding and definitely burning race fuel, I'm so glad I was wrong. The lady driving it is the widow of the original owner. On a busy Monday night we will get 400 plus cars at our cruise in, tonight was Pony car night and it was a little slow, maybe 200 cars, and then this showed up. It's the real deal, the owner said it appraised at 1.6 m. It got crowded around the car pretty quick, so I didn't get to ask many questions, just picked up info from her answers to other people. Apparently she drives it a lot, deductible on the insurance is $10K.

'75

Corvette related because he traded in a 62 Corvette at purchase!

Grover 3

doorgunner

The car was a real disappointment for him....he shoulda' kept the '62!

C3 4ME

very cool! I've never seen an original Cobra, just replicas.

Big2Bird

He did well.

RMVette

I never knew what they cost new, now I know! Thanks for posting!

Easy Mike

A very distinct possibility.

Alan 71

Hi 75,
Thanks for taking the time to post some great photos!
I remember how much $8000 was for a car in 1966! This fellow was pretty lucky to be able to buy one.
LOVE the safety wire on the knock-off spinner!
I've not noticed the louvers cut into the hood just forward of the latches before!
Regards,
Alan

chazde3

One of my great joys as a kid was sitting in a Cobra replica. I wish I knew where the pictures were from that day.

That $1.6m valuation means a 200 times return on investment. He made the right choice to trade in the 62 vette. Glad to hear his widow still takes the car out to shows.

Revi

A $1.6m car with Goodyear Eagles dated A031, third week of 1981 or 91. Why is this the "norm" with car people?

tokim

My take on Cobra's..every time I see one, I instantly think it is a kit car.
Not fair to people who own the "real McCoy".
It's cool she drives it..good on her.

7T1vette

I never knew that Ford/Shelby skinned buyers without their knowledge by selling a "427" Cobra but shipping it with a 428 [boat anchor] engine. It's not a big deal now (since the value is immense!), but it would be like buying a Rolex and finding that it had a Timex movement!!!

I know that would be a heart-breaker for me.

MuskieAL

Hi 75'

Thanks' for sharing! Really interesting the letter written to Ford. Can I ask when & where your shows are held? Would like to make it to one next summer. Ours are all ending this month here in the western burbs.

The13Bats

Something way cool about her driving it,

Back early 80s late 70s a fellow had a real one and came to our steak n shake cruise almost every week, they were worth a bit less in that time, but he was way scared **** someone would get within 5 feet of it,

My cobra interest didnt get much past movies like gumball rally and hollywood knights,

I just never placed them where they deserved to be, i liked vettes better,

Then the cobra kit car craze exploded, and pretty much ruined it for me
TACO also works for cobras....sadly.
i see them more on the street than c2s or c3s, which is cool is a odd way,

cv67

see a couple cobras around here that are driven often, havent seen any vette in yrs.
Gotta hand it to her shes enjoying and driving it which is what these are for!

id have gone ballistic, their letter basically says "Youre a sucker, too bad"
Never knew they stuck 428s in there wiht the 427 emblem that just isnt right
Wonder how many "I beat a real 10 sec cobra back in the day" stories are out there lol

Faster Rat

Sometimes I like to lift up car covers just to see what is underneath. Aluminum body, aluminum side oiler 427 with a single Holley, 165 mph car, Shelby signed dashboard...cool stuff. This ain' t no replica, but rather a "continuation series" from Shelby. Much better car than the originals. Too bad it has been just sitting under a cover for years, waiting for the value to reach a certain point.

I remember while in high school in Bloomington, MN in 1965 or 1966....a classmate named Gerry Mulnix told us how his dad (also Gerry Mulnix) had a 427 Cobra and raced it. He said that he and his dad had it up to 160mph on I-35W. That car was recently sold by Legendary Motorcars (CSX 3031) and reportedly the finest example of a 427 Cobra with race history...never wrecked.

Vettedreamer74

Thanks for the pictures! Props to her driving it. I'd like to think I would drive a car worth over a million, but I'd be so incredibly nervous about everything. I'd never stop anywhere with it, that's for sure.

OldCarBum

You can still purchase a "NEW" 1965 Cobra manufactured by Shelby Cobra in Las Vegas Nevada. Up to his passing a couple of years ago each was signed by Carroll Shelby himself. Still the aluminum body and better than the original. Last I checked they sold at around $125,000.00. Some replica "kits" are fiberglass garbage, however Factory Five Racing builds a composite replica and when parked side by side you can't tell the difference between it and an original without crawling under or poping the hood. When you do you will instantly find the Factory Five has modern upgraded suspension, chassis, brakes, steering and you can order it to accept several Ford running gear options. There have been many TV programs and magazine articles putting the Factory Five up against an original 427 and the Factory Five excels in every category, except for it's not an original. You can build a Factory Five roadster for around $35,000.00. Big difference. I was going to build another Factory Five when I stumbled across my Corvette for sale at a car show. My wife loved the Corvette because it had ac, a hard top and roll up windows. I thought, resto/mod, cool.

'75

Our cruise in is going through September on Monday nights excluding holidays. It's been going since 2009 at the municipal parking lot, corner of Rt 120 and Rt 31 across from the fire station. It would be nice to see more C3"s there, there's usually 4 to 10 at different times, corvette night brings in a ton of them, but mostly late models on that night.

Couple weeks ago there was a Torino Taladega there, less than 800 of them made.