Shelby Cobra Press release 21/1/2011

[nalaeroom]

PRESS RELEASE
01/21/2011


Shelby American



SHELBY AMERICAN COMMEMORATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ORIGINAL STREET COBRA WITH SPECIAL EDITION CAR






LAS VEGAS - Jan. 21, 2011 - Almost 50 years ago, the sports car world was changed forever when the Ford-powered Cobra was introduced at the 1962 New York Auto Show. Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc., (CSBI.PK), will offer a limited edition of 50 continuation "street car" Cobras to celebrate that milestone. Each will be painted "Shelby black" with a premium wine colored leather interior, special badges, wire wheels and other items. The 50th Anniversary Cobra was introduced at the 40th Anniversary Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2011.



"Fifty years after its introduction, the Shelby Cobra is still an international symbol of high performance," said John Luft, president of Shelby American. "Combining a robust, powerful American engine with a lightweight European chassis was brilliant. Half a century later, the Cobra remains one of the most coveted cars in the world. Shelby's formula still resonates today and is followed by automakers worldwide."



Built from 1962-1965, the CSX2000 series small block Cobra was born in Southern California when Shelby's crew re-engineered the AC Ace to accept Ford's new small block. Weighing only 2,020 pounds, the Cobra was nimble, quick and reliable. The Shelby was feared by owners in Ferrari, Jaguar, Chevrolet, Porsche and Aston Martin sports cars. The racing version dominated, culminating in the 1965 FIA World Championship.



In 1996, Carroll Shelby began manufacturing the small block "street version" Cobra once again. Today, the cars are component vehicles that can be fitted with a proper drive train by a customer or an authorized Shelby American Cobra dealer. Each car is built to order and delivered as a rolling chassis, less drive train, with a 1965 MSO. The 50th Anniversary Edition cars have some unique differences.



"Our CSX8000 cars incorporate safety and performance improvements without sacrificing driving excitement or originality," added Gary Davis, Shelby vice president of production. "They retain everything from the authentic style leaf spring suspension to the graceful lines, but are upgraded to contemporary standards. For instance, we used Wilton Wool carpeting and the same leather found in high end cars, modern disc brakes, a stronger frame and the bodies are available in either aluminum or fiberglass."



(more)



Shelby Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Original Street Cobra (2/2)



Standard features of the 50th Anniversary Cobra include:

· Body: Shelby hand laid fiberglass or aluminum

· Paint: premium "Shelby Black"

· Seats and dash: Rosso high quality leather interior

· Carpeting: Wilton Wool

· Floor and trunk mats: 50th anniversary

· Emblems: Shelby Cobra anniversary, side fender emblems

· Serial number: Special number denoting the car is one of the anniversary models

· Frame: 3-inch diameter DOM tube steel, .120 wall with modern Heim joints and graded bolts

· Front Brakes: 1" x 11-7/16" OD disc, dual piston Baer caliper

· Rear Brakes: 3/4" x 11-7/16" OD disc, dual piston Baer caliper

· Steering: rack and pinion

· Suspension: upper traverse leaf with lower arms, independent front and rear

· Differential: Shelby aluminum housing, Dana 44 gears with 3.54 gears

· Half Shafts: Spicer split spline

· Instruments: Shelby or Stewart-Warner

· Bumper: chrome oval

· Exhaust: side exit in front of rear wheels

· Mirrors: center rearview

· Wheels: 15" chrome plated steel wire with modern performance radial tires

· Fuel Tank: 14 gallon stainless steel

· Overall size: 151 ½" long and 72" wide with a wheelbase of 90"



"Only 655 total leaf spring small block Cobras were built between 1962 and 1965," said Rick Kopec, director of the Shelby American Automobile Club. "Today, they're among the most coveted sports cars in the world. It is certainly appropriate for Shelby American to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Cobra with these 50 special editions. Each will be documented in our 'World Registry' alongside the original ones built by Shelby American in the 1960s."



The 50th Anniversary CSX8000 Shelby Cobra will begin at $69,995 for a fiberglass or $134,995 for an aluminum bodied car, without drive train. Cobras can be purchased through one of Shelby American's dealers. Information about options and availability can be found at http://shelbyamerican.com/50th.asp.



About Shelby American, Inc.

Founded by legend Carroll Shelby, Shelby American manufactures and markets performance vehicles and related products. The company manufactures authentic continuation Cobras, including the 427 S/C, 289 FIA and 289 street car component vehicles. The company offers the GT350 and GT500 Super Snake post-title packages for the current generation Ford Mustang. For more information, visit www.shelbyamerican.com

[MX7]

Your link didn't work. One too many dots at the end.

http://shelbyamerican.com/50th.asp

[AndrewW-G]

Nice to see that no matter how old Shelby gets, he's still spouting the same bullst . . . . . he always seems to forget that AC built the rolling chassis and bodywork - the motor and gearbox, Ford built the engines and his team put the engines into the US cars and swapped the badges.

No AC chassis, body etc = not a cobra

[aeropilot]

AndrewW-G said:

Nice to see that no matter how old Shelby gets, he's still spouting the same bullst . . . . . he always seems to forget that AC built the rolling chassis and bodywork - the motor and gearbox, Ford built the engines and his team put the engines into the US cars and swapped the badges.

No AC chassis, body etc = not a cobra

So he subcontracted AC to still build the chassis/bodywork of a design, that had he not walked into Hurlocks office with a 260 small block tucked under his arm, would have shortly ceased to be..... really don't get the reason for all the stuff....???

[jonnylayze]

seems 'cheap' to me - compared to the cost of an original one or something like a Hawk $70k appears good value.

no mention of what engine it will use though?

[AndrewW-G]

aeropilot said:

AndrewW-G said:

Nice to see that no matter how old Shelby gets, he's still spouting the same bullst . . . . . he always seems to forget that AC built the rolling chassis and bodywork - the motor and gearbox, Ford built the engines and his team put the engines into the US cars and swapped the badges.

No AC chassis, body etc = not a cobra

So he subcontracted AC to still build the chassis/bodywork of a design, that had he not walked into Hurlocks office with a 260 small block tucked under his arm, would have shortly ceased to be..... really don't get the reason for all the stuff....???

IMHO in partnership with AC, he took THEIR design and modified it to fit a different FORD engine than AC's design was then using, hence the sale of the cars in the UK and several other countries as the AC Cobra and why cars were fitted with Chassis plates stating it was an AC.

Yes he made it what it was and his workshop put the US cars together, but just as there would be no Cobra with Shelby, there wouldn’t have been a Cobra without AC or Ford . . . . .

The car he’s just announced is the automotive equivalent of the current Lynyrd Skynyrd, they may have the legal rights to the name and a tenuous connect or two, however they're not and never will be the original band

[AndrewW-G]

jonnylayze said:

seems 'cheap' to me - compared to the cost of an original one or something like a Hawk $70k appears good value.

no mention of what engine it will use though?

Article would suggest that the cars would come without a motor, no doubt to get round type approval issues . . . . . kind of ironic that Shelby is selling the cars in the same state that he got them from AC in the 60's, at least this time he wont have to change the badges

[jonnylayze]

AndrewW-G said:

jonnylayze said:

seems 'cheap' to me - compared to the cost of an original one or something like a Hawk $70k appears good value.

no mention of what engine it will use though?

Article would suggest that the cars would come without a motor, no doubt to get round type approval issues . . . . . kind of ironic that Shelby is selling the cars in the same state that he got them from AC in the 60's, at least this time he wont have to change the badges

maybe they'll be shipped tp Thames Ditton and fitted with engines....

AJP8 anyone?

[aeropilot]

AndrewW-G said:

IMHO in partnership with AC, he took THEIR design and modified it to fit a different FORD engine than AC's design was then using, hence the sale of the cars in the UK and several other countries as the AC Cobra and why cars were fitted with Chassis plates stating it was an AC.

THEIR design.....!!

You could argue that the Ace was really John Tojiero’s design, that they just turned into a production car, and Shelby only happened on the idea of using the Ace AFTER he had seen the announcement by AC Cars that they were ceasing production of the car because of Bristol’s stopping production of it’s 6 cyl engine, which in turn was actually just a licensed built version of a pre-war BMW engine!!
While Hurlock and Shelby were in communication about the idea AC via AC dealer Ken Rudd, came up with the idea of the tuned Zephyr Six ‘Ruddspeed’ engined Ace, to replace the Bristol 6, but it was hardly a sales success and that’s why Hurlock was very enthusiastic about Shelby’s idea of fitting a compact lightweight V8.

There was enough input from AC and Shelby plus Dean Moon (and Ford) for it to be called Shelby-Moon-Cobra-AC-Ford in whatever order you like!!

Shelby didn’t even want the car to have an ally body, he favoured fibreglass, but the ally body was light and AC already knew had to build it, so it stayed to save time and money.

The fact is that it was officially only called an AC Cobra for the UK market in 260 and 289 versions and then just the AC 289 for later small number of the UK ‘427 bodied’ version built. And he didn’t have to change any badges, they weren’t shipped with any.
And while the cars did indeed have AC Cars data plates, as you would expect, from the FIA 289 cars onwards and including the 427 cars, they also had Shelby American data plates as well.

[AndrewW-G]

aeropilot said:

There was enough input from AC and Shelby plus Dean Moon (and Ford) for it to be called Shelby-Moon-Cobra-AC-Ford in whatever order you like!!

And while the cars did indeed have AC Cars data plates,

You've made lots of very valid points, but all of them seem to back up my argument that it was as much an AC produced car as it was a
Shelby American car, with by your own admission Shelby riviting his own chassis plates onto AC produced rolling shells

Shelby's press release simply reinforces my opionion that the cars he's producing today arent in any way shape or form AC Cobra / Shelby Cobra / Ford Cobra / Moon Cobra etc, as the bits Shelby is producing are with the exception of his chassis plate and badges, not the same bits that Shelby American produced in period. . . . . and even then he probably outsourced their production to a Mexican badge producer

[bigblock]

AndrewW-G said:

aeropilot said:

There was enough input from AC and Shelby plus Dean Moon (and Ford) for it to be called Shelby-Moon-Cobra-AC-Ford in whatever order you like!!

And while the cars did indeed have AC Cars data plates,

You've made lots of very valid points, but all of them seem to back up my argument that it was as much an AC produced car as it was a
Shelby American car, with by your own admission Shelby riviting his own chassis plates onto AC produced rolling shells

Shelby's press release simply reinforces my opionion that the cars he's producing today arent in any way shape or form AC Cobra / Shelby Cobra / Ford Cobra / Moon Cobra etc, as the bits Shelby is producing are with the exception of his chassis plate and badges, not the same bits that Shelby American produced in period. . . . . and even then he probably outsourced their production to a Mexican badge producer

Given the amount of Cobra replicas, I think if anyone has the right to call one a Shelby Cobra it is Carroll Shelby!!

The Cobra would not have existed without Shelby and the fact he continues to make money from his association with it and its various reincarnations shows the strength of the brand he created and continues to promote.

Shelby is 86 years old and still going strong. He was a pilot in WWII, he has won LeMans as a driver and he was instrumental in creating one of the most iconic cars in the world. I think it only fitting that the Cobra should carry his name.

It is only in the UK that we replace Shelbys name with AC but if we are honest it is really Shelby's Cobra.

[AndrewW-G]

bigblock said:

Given the amount of Cobra replicas, I think if anyone has the right to call one a Shelby Cobra it is Carroll Shelby!!

Given that it was, as agreed, manufactured by AC in England and for US cars assembled in the US by Shelby, with its engine coming from Ford, its gearbox from Borg-Warner / Ford, its diff from Salisbury and its design was one produced by AC based on a design by Tojeiro, that was at best a homage to Tourings Barchetta bodywork for some Ferrari 166's, then all those organisations have the same right to call any cars they produce or have produced by a third party under licence “original” Cobras.

My point is pretty simple; many people had a hand in the creation of these cars, not just Shelby

A valid period comparison would be the Ferrari 275GTB NART Spyder, based on a Ferrari design, modified at the request of Luigi Chinetti, shipped partially assembled to NART in New York where they were completed . . . . . . . is it a Ferrari or a NART?
A question I asked a chap at Pebble Beach a few years ago, who was lucky (hard working) enough to own both a 275 NART and a 289 Cobra , his opinion was that Shelby was responsible for AC making the car and that they BOTH should share the plaudits

[aeropilot]

AndrewW-G said:

bigblock said:

Given the amount of Cobra replicas, I think if anyone has the right to call one a Shelby Cobra it is Carroll Shelby!!

Given that it was, as agreed, manufactured by AC in England and for US cars assembled in the US by Shelby, with its engine coming from Ford, its gearbox from Borg-Warner / Ford, its diff from Salisbury and its design was one produced by AC based on a design by Tojeiro, that was at best a homage to Tourings Barchetta bodywork for some Ferrari 166's, then all those organisations have the same right to call any cars they produce or have produced by a third party under licence “original” Cobras.

My point is pretty simple; many people had a hand in the creation of these cars, not just Shelby

And today his current organisation is the only with the right to build one today and call it a Cobra..... regardless of who 'you' may think is more deserving or not of that right.

AndrewW-G said:

Shelby's press release simply reinforces my opionion that the cars he's producing today arent in any way shape or form AC Cobra / Shelby Cobra / Ford Cobra / Moon Cobra etc, as the bits Shelby is producing are with the exception of his chassis plate and badges, not the same bits that Shelby American produced in period

Of course they arn't....... what do you expect, the originals were built over 40 years ago

That's like saying you can't call the vast majority of Spitfires or P-51's that are currently flying, a Spitfire or Mustang, because they are built from newly manufactured parts rather than WW2 ones.

[davepoth]

aeropilot said:

That's like saying you can't call the vast majority of Spitfires or P-51's that are currently flying, a Spitfire or Mustang, because they are built from newly manufactured parts rather than WW2 ones.

Slightly different thing. They're sometimes "ringers" i.e there are original parts on them, but they are generally trim and identity plates. This is because you couldn't get approval for a new build to a 70 year old specification, same as the problem you have with replica kit cars.

[aeropilot]

davepoth said:

aeropilot said:

That's like saying you can't call the vast majority of Spitfires or P-51's that are currently flying, a Spitfire or Mustang, because they are built from newly manufactured parts rather than WW2 ones.

Slightly different thing. They're sometimes "ringers" i.e there are original parts on them, but they are generally trim and identity plates. This is because you couldn't get approval for a new build to a 70 year old specification, same as the problem you have with replica kit cars.

OK.... perhaps then a comparison with the Allison engined YAK-9M new builds or the Ash engined FW-190 new builds.

I just don't see what the issue is with the 'new' SA Cobras.... it's not as if they are being passed off as original COB/CSX3000 series cars, they've got new series ID's and as minimum of modern updates as neccessary to keep as much faith to the originals as possible.... probably more so than the Mk IV cars built by Autocraft/reincarnated AC Cars etc.

I wouldn't say no to either tbh.

[nalaeroom]

PRESS RELEASE
Jan /31/2011
For Immediate Release
Shelby American



50TH ANNIVERSARY SHELBY "STREET" COBRA SELLS OUT WITHIN 48 HOURS OF ANNOUNCEMENT



LAS VEGAS - Jan. 31, 2011 - Within 48 hours of the official introduction of the 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra Street Car by Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc., (CSBI.PK), all 50 cars were purchased by consumers and Shelby dealers. The Anniversary Shelby Cobra was unveiled to journalists during the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. The entire run of cars was snapped up when the announcement was made public in an official news release.

"The strong demand for these cars proves that the Shelby Cobra is still as desirable and sought after today as it was 50 years ago," said John Luft, president of Shelby American. "People who didn't have the opportunity to buy one in the 1960s jumped at the chance to own one of these very special collector's edition Shelby's. Although the entire factory allocation has been spoken for, a few of these anniversary cars are still available from our Shelby Cobra dealers who seized the opportunity and bought multiple cars"

Shelby American ceased manufacturing the original small block Cobra in 1965. In 1996, Carroll Shelby returned it to the streets as the CSX8000 continuation series Shelby Cobra. The cars incorporate safety and performance improvements without sacrificing originality. The Cobras retain the authentic style leaf spring suspension but are upgraded to contemporary standards while the bodies are available in aluminum or fiberglass. Cobras can be ordered from an official Shelby Cobra dealer. Each car is built to order with the customer choosing body color and stripe configuration; it is delivered as a rolling chassis, less drive train, with a 1962 MSO. The continuation Shelby Cobra can be fitted with a proper drive train by a customer or dealer.

The limited edition street Cobras will all be painted "Shelby black" with a rich wine colored leather interior, special 50th Anniversary badges, wire wheels, Wilton Wool carpeting, modern brake discs and a stronger frame. MSRP for the 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra starts at $69,995 for a fiberglass or $134,995 for an aluminum bodied car, without drive train. Information about the car can be found at http://shelbyamerican.com/50th.asp.

About Shelby American, Inc.
Founded by legend Carroll Shelby, Shelby American manufactures and markets performance vehicles and related products. The company manufactures authentic continuation Cobras, including the 427 S/C, 289 FIA and 289 street car component vehicles. The company offers the GT350 and GT500 Super Snake post-title packages for the current generation Ford Mustang. For more information, visit www.shelbyamerican.com.

Alan M

[thegman]

The brochure doesnt mention the powertrain - whats under the hood?