65 Shelby Cobra

[Labster]

I consider myself very fortunate to be able to say that I`ve worked on such an amazing machine. This is an authentic 1965 Shelby Cobra which has a signed MSO by Carol Shelby. The owner of this car is actually going to his 85th birthday party.

Anyway, I got the call to give it the love it deserved and this customer of mine trusted it in my hands which to me speaks volumes about the level of respect that he has for me. With it being 33 degrees outside thank god for a heated garage, that`s all I must say! This took 2 trips due to the customer wanting the Poly Seal to cure on the car for 24 hours before he removed it.

He told me he`d take some sun shots of it as soon as possible and send them to me. Sorry about the lack of good pictures, interior lighting wasn`t cooperating to show the true deep glow of the paint.

Products and Process:

Wipe down with Eagle 1 Spray and Shine to remove any dust

Excel mild clay on lower panels with ONR as lube (Love this stuff BTW)

Edge 2000 Blue polishing pad with Megs #80 around the entire car

Megs Polishing Pad with OC in certain more problem areas

Entire car saw VM via LC grey finishing pad

Megs #20 Poly Seal at customers request

Megs #16 x2 for a vintage carnuaba deep shine.

DP Metal polish on all metal trim and rims

Poorboy`s Trim Restorer on all rubber trim

Woolite 10:1 mix on leather for a quick clean

Lexol Leather conditioner to leave the leather nice and soft

Adams VRT on tires (He wanted a satin finish)



The jack in the one picture is because we had to take off the rims to check out the brakes which aren`t working correctly.



http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%201.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%202.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%203.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%204.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%205.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%206.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%207.jpg

http://www.aww-kittah-aww.com/up/files/69/Shelby%208.jpg

[Brian_Brice]

What a beautiful car!!!!



Awesome finish.







Great job, I was contacted by a guy in Lancaster with some work needing to be done, pm me with your info, Ill hand it to him.

[BigJimZ28]

"authentic 1965 Shelby Cobra"



as in a "new" car made by the Shelby corp.?

[ChicagoRob]

That thing just glows. What can I say - the Shelby is my all-time favorite car.

I had a friend years ago who owned three small-block Cobras, and two big-block

Cobras. I had a ride in his red small-block with Weber carbs - I couldn`t believe

how quick it was. And the brakes on that car were insane.



Rob

[DCT]

You are a lucking man!



Great car, and nice work! :2thumbs:

[Labster]

"authentic 1965 Shelby Cobra"



as in a "new" car made by the Shelby corp.?



It`s a 1965 Shelby reproduction. The owner has a hand signed plaque by Carol Shelby that`s going to be put on the dash. So no, it`s not one of the original 1965 Cobras, one of the very few or so that are still in existence going for $600k or more.

[Labster]

What a beautiful car!!!!



Awesome finish.







Great job, I was contacted by a guy in Lancaster with some work needing to be done, pm me with your info, Ill hand it to him.



Thanks, PM sent

[imported_PlatinumEdition]

Beautiful Car!

[Todd@RUPES]

Ahhh its a factory reproduction. That makes sense because while I was up north, I was asked (but declined) to detail what is considered to be the #1 unrestored Shelby Cobra 427 in the world. It had orginal paint, and is valued at 4 million. If I buffed thru the paint, the car would no longer be #1 and the loss in value is more then I could even imagine.



My point (sorry for the side track) was that "orginal" 427 Cobra`s did not have sidepipes. Side pipes where on the comp cars only, and became popular after the fact.



Eitherways, what an amazingly cool car. I can`t wait to see more pictures!

[imported_JoshVette]

Gorgeous car, beautiful color. Great work, good job.



Is it possible the pipes could have been put on by the owner?

[Scottwax]

Awesome car, great job on the detail. :bow

[slick61]

the molded-in hood scoop & lack of rivets on the hood are a dead giveaway that it`s not an original... Lots of little things you can look for. Nice ride tho... and GREAT WORK! Can`t beat a big block for filling up the engine bay, that`s for sure. And I love the pusher-fans in front... wish mine had them.



For comparison... here`s my Backdraft Racing replica. The wheelbase is 2" longer & it`s a little bit wider (roomier cockpit). The suspension is all sourced from a BMW E36. Engine-wise, I`ve kinda got the best of both worlds... an all aluminum small block (weighs less than a 302) that`s punched out to 427 cubes (~615 hp/tq)... I actually have room to get in there & work on mine. Engine sits completely behind the front wheels for that perfect 50/50 weight distribution. A CSX car is always a treat tho... great detail on a great car.



Most of the replicas are hard to tell apart til you put them side by side.



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/CobraShow.JPG



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/toy4.JPG

[tod071]

Excellent work and awesome car. Just curious while on the topic of "authentic" and "replica", what would a "replica" like the one you detailed be worth vs an "authentic" one.

[slick61]

if memory serves, the Shelby continuation series CSX cars go for around $80-125k, but it REALLY depends on how you set them up. That price can go up or down... glass body or aluminum, big block or small, iron block or aluminum, yada yada yada...

[Labster]

Excellent work and awesome car. Just curious while on the topic of "authentic" and "replica", what would a "replica" like the one you detailed be worth vs an "authentic" one.



I think he told me something in the neighborhood of $140k out the door. Due to the fact that it`s an actual Shelby reproduction though adds to the investment value from what he was telling me. The guy at Shelby who built the engine for the owner is trying to convince him to supercharge it but as of now it`s staying as is, except for some chrome jack mounts on the rear and front. I really can`t wait to see it in the sun. Hopefully it`ll clear up one of these days, I know it`s sitting in the garage for a while and I`ll be back to his garage to detail the exterior on his newest acquisition a Challenge Stradale.



Thank you once again for all the kind words.