Discussion
mvagustaf4 said:
Does anyone know what happened to the 427 cobra that was involved in a serious accident on the kingston by pass in the sixties ?
it was registered COB 1 , but was not the rod leach twin turbo car, it was 1 of 2 converted to RHD the other being GTM700F
Not heard that story.it was registered COB 1 , but was not the rod leach twin turbo car, it was 1 of 2 converted to RHD the other being GTM700F
John Woolfe bought two 427's at the same time, off of John Trojeiro of all people, who had bought them from the original US owner who had brought both over to Europe.
GTM 700F was a real full comp 427 (CSX 3019) and wasn't converted to RHD
The other 427 was CSX3167 which was at some point converted to RHD by John Woolfe, and registered for the road as GTM 777F as it was this car that held the Guinness Book of Records acceleration figures for years. There was a famous photo of GTM 777F at a UK dragstrip leaving the line, but I can't find it. This was the first ever Cobra 427 converted to RHD.
This car was still in the UK up until about 10 years ago, when it was sold and is now in Argentina I believe.
I know Rod Leach owned the COB 1 number plate in at least 1975, and before Brian Angliss built the chassis and car that became the twin-turbo car that he eventually put the number plate onto.
Edited by aeropilot on Wednesday 25th January 16:22
I'm 99% sure that I have a photo of me standing next to COB 1 in the carpark behind the pits at Silverstone in around 1983/4.
It was dark blue with a chrome hoop.
I say 99% since it is possible that it was cob 2, but I think it was Cob 1. I guess it was repaired then?
Someone will have seen it since i'm sure.
It was dark blue with a chrome hoop.
I say 99% since it is possible that it was cob 2, but I think it was Cob 1. I guess it was repaired then?
Someone will have seen it since i'm sure.
Edited by Mr Squarekins on Wednesday 25th January 19:59
Mr Squarekins said:
I'm 99% sure that I have a photo of me stsnding next to COB 1 in the carpark behind the pits at Silverstone in around 1983/4.
It was dark blue with a chrome hoop.
I say 99% since it is possible that it was cob 2, but I think it was Cob 1. I guess to was repaired then?
Someone will have seen it since i'm sure.
That's the twin-turbo 427 owned by Rod Leach mentioned by the OP....which was built by Brian Angliss for Rod in the late 70's. It wasn't a real 427 IIRC.It was dark blue with a chrome hoop.
I say 99% since it is possible that it was cob 2, but I think it was Cob 1. I guess to was repaired then?
Someone will have seen it since i'm sure.
As I said, Rod owned the number plate COB 1 in 1975, before he put on that car.
I have a vague recollection, that the chassis that ended up as COB 1 in the 80's onwards, which was a widened chassis by Brian Angliss, was from a wrecked car which was one of the 27 built AC289's, which if so, maybe the car the OP was asking about. The AC289's had the chassis and body of the 427, but the normal 289 K-code engine of the slab sided Mk.2 Cobra's, so it might be the car that crashed on the Kingston Bypass, was in fact a AC289, which would have been RHD, and visually identical to a 427, and Rod bought the wreck and the number plate, the basis of and identity he used for what became the twin-turbo 427 with the number plate of COB 1 10 years later....??
mvagustaf4 said:
I do know that the car i have mentioned was bought and repaired by roger st john hart if that helps, it was one of two 427,s converted to rhd
Roger died in 1989 and was famously the owner of the Aston Zagato 2 VEV.Maybe worth trying to contact his brother Tony Hart, who for decades ran Hart Racing Services the well known Triumph Stag specialists...?
Just checked old info on COB 1, when owned by Rod Leach, and it was built from one of the left over un-used MK.111 AC289 chassis, not from a wrecked car. So, Rod must have either bought the number plate, or he bought the car after it was repaired and kept the number plate for himself and then sold the car.
If it survived into the 80's, its likely listed in the SAAC Registry.
aeropilot said:
mvagustaf4 said:
I do know that the car i have mentioned was bought and repaired by roger st john hart if that helps, it was one of two 427,s converted to rhd
Roger died in 1989 and was famously the owner of the Aston Zagato 2 VEV.
Chunkychucky said:
aeropilot said:
mvagustaf4 said:
I do know that the car i have mentioned was bought and repaired by roger st john hart if that helps, it was one of two 427,s converted to rhd
Roger died in 1989 and was famously the owner of the Aston Zagato 2 VEV.Roger's wife retained ownership of the car right up until it was sold at Goodwood auction about 5 years ago, but she allowed others to race/use it, including Nick Cussons, who actually had owned the car for a couple of years prior to selling it to Roger back in 1971.
Was that Zagato light green or red ?
Back in the late 70's i worked for a AM "specialist" and there was a red Zagato that came in occasionally for a bit of work, the Garage was on the main road at Lower Upham. I recall the Zagato was "tested" up mortimers lane which back then was a kin quick bit of road, 3 figures achieved fairly easily.
If my memory serves me right i think the Z cars [no pun intended
] had a different gearbox from the regular DB cars ?
Anyway, Back to 427 Cobra's of which i am a HUGE fan, when i was competing in the Intermarque series in the late 80's there were a few that raced.
Aiden Mills Thomas, Bill Sheppard are the 2 names i remember, they were poor under braking and the bendy bits, but show them a straight and they just disappeared
Back in the late 70's i worked for a AM "specialist" and there was a red Zagato that came in occasionally for a bit of work, the Garage was on the main road at Lower Upham. I recall the Zagato was "tested" up mortimers lane which back then was a kin quick bit of road, 3 figures achieved fairly easily.
If my memory serves me right i think the Z cars [no pun intended
] had a different gearbox from the regular DB cars ?Anyway, Back to 427 Cobra's of which i am a HUGE fan, when i was competing in the Intermarque series in the late 80's there were a few that raced.
Aiden Mills Thomas, Bill Sheppard are the 2 names i remember, they were poor under braking and the bendy bits, but show them a straight and they just disappeared
Mark A S said:
Was that Zagato light green or red ?
Light metallic green. As far as I know, 2 VEV has always been light green and never any other colour.I do recall seeing a red one though back in the early 80's.....might have been at one of the AMOC Race meets at Brands? Might even have a photo of it buried in my large box of old slides that I used to take back in the day......somewhere in the loft. Might get around to scanning them all one day when I retire!
aeropilot said:
Mark A S said:
Was that Zagato light green or red ?
Light metallic green. As far as I know, 2 VEV has always been light green and never any other colour.I do recall seeing a red one though back in the early 80's.....might have been at one of the AMOC Race meets at Brands? Might even have a photo of it buried in my large box of old slides that I used to take back in the day......somewhere in the loft. Might get around to scanning them all one day when I retire!
Bozwell said:
And no longer in its '66 Chequered Flag race colours, as it was up to at least 2019.Its now back in its original when new Guardsman Blue (but without the gold stripes) and was a no sale at $4.8m at Mecum auction last Aug...!!
So, 3006 was the first 427 Cobra converted to RHD, not GTM 777F.
Ed Freutel Cobra brings up quite a few pictures of it.
Solido 1/43 Cobra model has the dry sump oil filler on the front wing. Decal sets can be bought from France and a bit of Blue paint, hey presto a 1966 Targa Florio Cobra model.
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