AC Owners Club Forum

AC Owners Club Forum => General Forum => Topic started by: RJE on March 23, 2022, 10:50:23

Title: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: RJE on March 23, 2022, 10:50:23
On a trip through the Coachbuild website, I came upon a few photos of a Ghia bodied Cobra (not the Willment (Fiat 8V) car or the 3000ME based car), which was new to me. Do the cars still exist (I think there was an open and a hardtop car) and/or could someone point me to some good photographs of them.
Thank You.
John
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: SunDude on March 23, 2022, 21:20:43
this one?

(https://live.staticflickr.com/1583/24622217992_50aa5d8647_b.jpg)
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: RJE on March 24, 2022, 09:30:20
Yes, that's the one; there's another picture of the car/another car with a hardtop.
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: SunDude on March 24, 2022, 21:11:21
Yes, that's the one; there's another picture of the car/another car with a hardtop.

(https://www.coachbuild.com/forum/download/file.php?id=65513&sid=44be80ea0cf076ed2fbd2d9869720750&mode=view)
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: RJE on March 25, 2022, 09:46:00
Thank you. Those are the pictures I've seen, along with a front 3/4 that shows off the headlight/cowl arrangements better and a through-the-open-drivers-door internal shot.  Does anyone know what happened to the car(s)? Does anyone have any more detailed pictures or can anyone confirm that it was a standard spec chassis underneath the bodywork?
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: jrlucke on March 25, 2022, 18:54:12
This advertisement suggests that one such car was returned to AC and rebuilt as a standard Cobra:

https://www.pcarmarket.com/auction/1965-shelby-cobra/

Is there any info on the serial numbers of the Ghia cars?
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: Big col on March 25, 2022, 19:01:22
The hard top shot has a BMW 507ish look about it. Or am I talking my usual manure. Any way it looks nice.
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: SunDude on March 25, 2022, 22:19:53
This advertisement suggests that one such car was returned to AC and rebuilt as a standard Cobra:

https://www.pcarmarket.com/auction/1965-shelby-cobra/

Is there any info on the serial numbers of the Ghia cars?

Pretty sure the Ghia show car was built on chassis no. CSX3063.

The PCarMarket auction car claims to be CSX3063, but its provenance might need verification.
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: Vincent998 on March 28, 2022, 18:56:59
Looks like it owes a lot to Series 1 E Types ...
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: rstainer on March 29, 2022, 17:37:56
CSX6036 it is, the Factory Ledger reading:
   1-6-65   A.C Cobra chassis only   CSX6063   By rail to Ghia S.T.S Via Agostino D.A. Moteseltro 5. Turin Italy.

The intention was, I believe, for it to read 'da Montefeltro'.

RS
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: AC Ace Bristol on March 29, 2022, 18:10:44
.
Robin.

1965 AC Cobra Ghia..
What a Great Looking Styling exercise


With Ace Bristol's ..  ..   IT Is what  IT IS  e.g. ..  ..    my 1957  Ace Bristol    BEX333 is BEX333.

But with AC  Cobras , Whether..  .,  Genuine , Copies,  Fakes  and  Continuations it gets so confusing ...  :'( 
Is this One off ? Great looking  1965  Ghia Cobra .. ..    CSX6036 or CSX6063 or CSX3063   :-\
Seriously,  And I Mean Seriously ,  Can you please confirm which is the  correct Chassis Number ?
Thanking you in anticipation .   
A  somewhat Confused   AC  Owner -  Enthusiast   ;)
Keith
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: rstainer on March 29, 2022, 20:24:53
CSX3063 is the car number, exclusive of RS typos.

Car number, AC’s then Factory Ledger term, is the equivalent of today’s VIN. There’s only one VIN worldwide, only one BEX333 worldwide and only one CSX3063 worldwide. ‘Car number asserted’ is more generous for both Aces and Cobras, as per ACtion’s recent article.

RS
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: AC Ace Bristol on March 29, 2022, 20:58:23
.
Robin
Thank you for confirming that  the correct Chassis Number is CSX3063.
The other Chassis Numbers in this thread are Typos,  Definitely out of character for you not  to have corrected typos prior to posting.

Thank you for your prompt positive response and clearing up my confusion . :)
Keith
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: RJE on March 30, 2022, 09:18:19
Thanks to everyone who has added to this thread; it really does help bring an interest in AC's to life when one gets to see even some of the thinking of the time. However, that still leaves me wondering - what happened to it? Does it still exist or, if the rebody story is correct does the Ghia produced body still exist forgotten in someone's warehouse?
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: rstainer on March 30, 2022, 16:17:24
Nothing has been heard of the CSX3063 Ghia since 1966.

The ACOC classifies it as destroyed by parting out in 66 or shortly thereafter, with no trace of the Ghia bodywork since having been seen since. A replica 427 numbered CSX3063, US constructed forty-five years later, remains in the US.

RS
Title: Re: AC Cobra Ghia 1965
Post by: RJE on April 01, 2022, 09:40:02
Thank you for completing the final piece of the puzzle. It would be interesting to speculate how AC might have fared had they (or Shelby) put it into production given the success of the Jaguar E Type. Of course they brought the Frua to market and were 'sunk' by the first oil crisis; remarkable as that design was it, to my mind at least was not as pretty or delicate at the Ghia design.