Chafford,
I think these are real Cobras' but according to the Shelby American Automobile Club they are not, here is a quote from SAAC' website:
Quote:
"The definition we use to identify an original Cobra is one which was, 1) built between 1961 and 1968, 2) at the direction of and under contract from Carroll Shelby/Shelby American Inc., and 3) sold by Shelby American or one of its franchised dealers. The only difference between original Cobras and CSX4000 and CSX7000 cars is the time frame in which they were built (1). However, all three factors separate Shelby’s current cars from all the rest of the Cobra replicas, AC MK IVs, COB/COX continuation cars, etc. So, to our way of thinking, the current crop of Cobras are genuine but are not original."
As I said before, to me if the car was manufactured by AC under it's original mgmt it's a Cobra so MKI, II and III qualify, COB and COX cars included. If the car was not manufactured by the original AC company or has been altered, it's a replica or a look alike. A kit-car to me is a vehicle which has been built using a different chassis, components from other cars such as suspensions from MGB or Mustang II but loosely resemble the real thing! I think this is a no brainer.
PS. I think the new Shelby continuation car should be labeled as replicas as well since they were not built by the original AC company, and I have argued that in the past with them!
It is a question of money, Shelby American tries to sell it's cars as real Cobra to maximise their potential buyer appeal. Even the fiberglass cars qualify.
You know, arguing over this is rather silly, let's just enjoy the cars and have fun!
Emmanuel