1965 Shelby Cobra Replica

Description

Cobras are special to just about everyone, and seeing one on the road is always an event. Even if you don't know a thing about cars, you know that this 1965 Shelby Cobra replica is a fast car. An MKIII model built by Factory Five, one of the leading Cobra manufacturers in the game, this gorgeous Gray Metallic roadster packs a 450 horsepower 347 Stroker for brutal acceleration and a level of fit and finish that you rarely see on modern Cobras. With only 2,387 miles on the build and a long list of performance goodies in tow, this FFR Cobra is a top-flight roadster ready to dominate for years to come.

Without knocking your knuckles on the car's skin, you'd be hard-pressed to tell this one from an original AC. That shimmering Gray Metallic paint job might be designed to look like aluminum, and it sure attracts a lot of attention. Finished by the pros at Whitby Motorcars in North Carolina, it's a show quality presentation, with an incredibly deep luster and rich, metallic flake embedded under gallons of clear coat. Factory Five is arguably the most popular Cobra manufacturer and they took great pains to get the shape of their MKIII exactly right before they started pulling molds. As a result, this super slick little roadster looks like a million bucks, with laser-straight lines and an awesome shine that definitely makes it stand out from the other Cobras in the pack. The high-dollar paint job is further punctuated with light silver Lemans stripes down the center of the car, and the end-to-end burgundy strip between those racing stripes is a perfect complement to the gray and silver combination. You can see the incredible attention to detail in the way the stripes wrap around the grille opening and beyond the trunk, and when you actually pop open that trunk and the hood, you'll see that the stripe deign was continued inside as well. How cool is that? The heavy-duty fiberglass is a lot more durable than the fragile aluminum originals and thanks to years and years of development, FFR knows how to build one that stays looking fresh, even when used as intended. Other performance pieces include the quick-jack racing 'bumpers' fore and aft, the two chrome hoop roll bars behind the seats, tough-looking side pipes with chrome heat shields, an aggressive scooped hood, and billet grille with fog lights up front.

Frank Collins upholstery completed the interior, and they really nailed the cockpit with supportive black buckets that really grab and hold you while you're running hard. That's pretty convincing vinyl on the seats, while the door panels, dash and padded center console are covered in leather and the overall look is extremely good with hardly any signs of use to report. This baby is fresh. Full carpets help control noise and heat, and they're protected by Cobra floor mats, Simpson harness seatbelts keep the driver and passenger safe, and a real wood-rimmed Shelby steering wheel adds a period-perfect touch. A full complement of black-faced AutoMeter gauges mimic the Smiths units in the original AC cars, including a reverse-rotation speedometer that makes this car feel extremely authentic from behind the wheel. The 8-ball topped short-shifter in the custom center console manages a Tremec 5-speed manual below (an upgrade over the usual top-loader 4-speed), and yes, that's a real Carroll Shelby autograph on the glove compartment. No heater, no radio, nothing that gets in the way of performance, which is just the way God and Ol' Shel himself intended. The trunk is beautifully finished in black carpets that are neatly tailored to fit just right, and a custom cockpit cover was specifically made for this car to the protect the cabin from the elements when the vehicle is not in use.

Cobras will accept just about any engine you can imagine, but the one everyone expects to see is a Ford V8. This particular cackling beast is a 347 cubic inch stroker motor, built by the pros at Proformance Unlimited with juicy parts like Patriot aluminum heads, a big Holley 4-barrel carburetor, an Edelbrock Performer RPM air-gap intake, and a full MSD ignition. Dyno-tested at 450HP at the crank it runs great, and with a Cobra oval air cleaner and matching Cobra valve covers, it looks fairly authentic in there with a purposeful look that these powerful little roadsters are supposed to have. A polished expansion tank works with a big aluminum radiator and twin electric fans to keep the beefy small block cool, and with ceramic-coated side pipes, not even the owners of real Cobras will be able to tell the difference from the sound. FFR's MKIII tube chassis is super-rigid and offers upgrades like an A-arm front suspension with coil-overs, electric power steering (the tension of the steering can be adjusted via a control knob under the dash), and a 3-link rear end with coilovers hanging on a TrickFlow 8.8 rear end filled with 3.55 gears. There are also power 4-wheel disc brakes at each corner outfitted with drilled and slotted rotors, and it's postured on gorgeous 17-inch Cobra wheels and 245/45/17 front and 275/40/17 rear BFGoodrich G-Force radials that are tall and fat like the originals.

Impeccably built and a lot more accurate than many of the replicas out there, this dialed-in FFR MKIII Cobra Replica was finished a scant 2,387 miles ago and recreates the authentic Cobra experience at a fraction of the cost. Call today!