1965 Cobra
As seen on Season Six of FantomWorks
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The AC Cobra, sold as the Shelby Cobra in the United States of America, is an Anglo-American sports car with a Ford V8 engine, produced intermittently in both the UK and United States of America since 1962.
Since the late 1980s onwards, various companies have built what are known in the hobby as “Continuation Cars”.
Shelby authorized continuations of the original AC-built Cobra series. Produced in Las Vegas, Nevada, these cars retain the general style and appearance of their original 1960s ancestors, but are fitted with modern amenities. Initially the car everyone wanted in a Continuation was a 427 S/C model which was represented in the CSX4000 series. This was meant to continue where the last 427 S/C production left off, at approximately serial number CSX3660 in the 1960s.
The initial CSX4000 series cars were completed from the chassis built by McCluskey Ltd as well as other new parts and reconditioned Ford engines. Given the value of the vehicle many “extra” cars have appeared over the years, even some sharing the same chassis number. Gradually as the vintage parts supply ran low, newly constructed frames and body panels were obtained from a variety of suppliers. The production of chassis numbers CSX4001 to CSX4999 took roughly 20 years and many different business relationships to complete.
The Superformance MKIII is a replica of the third generation 427 Shelby Cobra and is available in both semi-competition and street roadster body styles. The SPF MKIII makes up the bulk of the company’s sales. The SPF MKIII is also one of the few Shelby Cobra replicas built under license from Carroll Shelby. When the Customer purchases a MKIII they receive a complete rolling chassis that only requires an engine with accessories, transmission, drive shaft and various hoses, nuts and bolts to complete. The car is complete with suspension, rear differential, wiring and instrumentation. In this way a MKIII can have a stable “factory” build quality and also be personalized by its owner/completion company.
While most MKIIIs are powered by 351 Windsor-based Ford engines, options for 289/302 blocks and big block FE or 385 family Ford engines are possible. The MKIII differs from most other Cobra replicas as being of 100% new parts and not decades old rebuilt items. The current MKIII (late 2007+ production) uses Wilwood disk brakes and a Dana rear end assembly. Other major components are off-the-shelf parts of various new OEM manufacturers. The MKIII enjoys a loyal and helpful owners network that communicate in various internet forums/clubs providing user-to-user technical support and suggestions. The MKIII car was featured in an article in the September 2008 issue of Classic Motorsports magazine.
The Superformance MKIII is built under license from Carroll Shelby.
