1967 Shelby Cobra Unique Motorcars

Description

There are as many reasons for building a Cobra replica as there are companies offering them, but the fellow who put this brutal black-on-black roadster together did it to get close to the authentic Cobra experience without the 7-figure price tag.

Sure, the body's fiberglass, but the proportions are familiar and instantly recognizable, and the guys at Unique Motorcars did a great job with the overall shape. A lot of Cobra kits take liberties with the original shape, either in the interest of interior space or aesthetics, but not this one. The finish quality is quite good, and you can't really blame the guy for wanting it to be pretty, so the glossy paint got a lot of extra prep. Bright red Cobras aren't exactly rare, but nobody will argue that the shape doesn't look like a million bucks here, and even though it was completed a few years ago it still looks predatory yet beautiful. The doors fit snugly, the hood gaps are clean, and even the trunk closes tightly without a wiggle. White stripes, chrome bumperettes, a mesh grille for protection, and a chrome roll bar behind the driver add to the performance vibe.

That same attitude was carried inside, where low-back leather buckets were fitted, along with the right style carpets and the simple door panels that characterized the basic early Cobras. That steering wheel is a handsome LaCarrera three-spoke piece with a leather-wrapped rim that looks right at home on a tilt steering column. Vintage-looking Stewart Warner gauges have been fitted throughout and are flanked by auxiliary switches for things like the headlights and windshield wipers. The stubby Hurst shifter makes the 4-speed manual gearbox easy to shift and falls to hand easily. No radio, no tacked-on A/C, no modern seats, just a simple, clean interior that was what a Cobra buyer would have received in 1965. Even the trunk is finished in matching carpets with a battery tucked out of sight. And as a nice perk, this one includes an unusual factory hardtop that fits well and has bee painted to match the bodywork and we have to admit it looks pretty darned good on this Cobra.

The engine bay is also highly authentic, given that the powerplant is a freshly rebuilt 428 Cobra Jet instead of the more common 427 or even a Windsor-based small block. A handful of 428-powered Cobras slipped out of Shelby American's Los Angeles facility, most of which looked exactly like this. Looking ready for combat, it wears finned Cobra valve covers and an authentic air cleaner for the carburetor, plus a lot of braided stainless hoses that give it a racetrack look that works best in a Cobra. There's a big Holley up top, a big aluminum radiator, and a lopey cam inside, and it snarls to life through a set of great-sounding side pipes. The transmission is Ford Toploader 4-speed feeding a Jaguar independent rear suspension with 3.54 gears on a limited slip. The chassis is a heavy-duty ladder-style with an independent A-arm front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and coil-overs all around. Four wheel disc brakes keep things from getting too out of hand and it sits on handsome Halibrand-lookalike Compomotive wheels with staggered 225/60/15 front and 255/60/15 rear Goodyear radials.

Cobra replicas remain just about the biggest bang for the buck in motoring, and with a lot of new parts, a clean, classic look, and that big block thumping away up front, this Cobra delivers 95% of the original experience for 5% of the price. Call today!