'Centenary' AC Cobra on eBay

[nikbj68]

Can anyone throw any light on THIS 289FiA Cobra,
   
   described as:
 "THIS VEHICLE WAS BUILT TO CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF AC CARS  1901-2001
   
   COMMISSIONED IN 2001 IT WAS A LIMITED EDT OF ONLY 10 VEHICLES  TO BUILT BY THE FACTORY TO CELEBRATE THIER FIA  289 WINNING CARS OF THE SIXTIES, THIS VEHICLE WAS NUMBER ONE (1) OF THE LIMITED EDT FIA COMMEMORATIVE CARS, PRICED AT OVER $200,000  BY THE AC FACTORY THEY WERE NOT CHEAP, THE FACTORY GOT INTO FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY AND THE PROJECT WAS CANCELLED, THIS IS THE ONLY GENUINE COMMEMORATIVE  CENTENARY FIA CAR MADE BY THE FACTORY, GENUINE REVERSE SPRINGS, BRAKES, REAR TRUNK ,ALL HAND BUILT ALUMINIUM BY THE CRAFSTMEN AT AC CARS UK T, ETC ETC  A TRUE COLLECTERS CAR, YOU NEVER GET ANOTHER.. THIS IS ONE OF ONE.
   
   MY FRIEND PARTED WITH OVER $180,000  FOR THIS SHELL, I HAVE ALL PROVANENCE & DETAILS THIS IS TRULY A CHANCE TO BUY A BIT OF HISTORY.

   The chassis number doesn`t seem right to me(you see those chassis plates blank on eBay from time to time!), and how does it have an engine number if it`s (presumably) never had an engine....[?]

[C9OBY]

I was not aware that any of the MKIV / continuation cobras had an 'AC' chassis number as suggested by the chassis plate in the advert.

[cobham cobra]

As the car is built by AC I have removed my cynical comment.

[TLegate]

After countless hours of detective work (well, an email to the right person) it seems this dogs dinner is a mixture of bits and pieces. The Scandinavian designer chappie who was at AC for a brief spell tried to produce a universal chassis for all future models. Thus it has Mk4 tubes and bits from a Mk2/3 but leaf-spring suspenders, a Mk4 fuel tank and other oddsnsods that make it a real hybrid. It has been offered for sale before and I am told it's a piece of alleged junk. But a one-off - if you like that sort of thing. Caveat empty, as they say Rodney. Not too sure I'd want that at any price and it's a 'Centenary' car if you want it to be. Sure. As for the twin roll hoops- yukyukyuk. Maybe offer £2.50 and hang it on your garage wall?

[nikbj68]

...But it is genuinely built by AC, presumably at Frimley? Why the odd chassis number I wonder?
   Sorry, Trevor, you`ve been outbid. It`s currently $30k, so at that price it could still stand the 'investment' to correct most of the problems, No?
   What would the ACOC standpoint be regarding authenticity?

[TLegate]

Oh yes it's an AC creation indeedy. It might have even originated from the Brooklands factory, not sure. It's been kicking around looking for a loving home for some time and I doubt that $30K will get it. AC announced a run of 25 FIA models around 1999-2000 (as commented upon in a certain esteemed journal on pages 207-208 :-) and the price was an optimistic £140,000 without an engine or trans or assorted taxes. This probably emanated from this period but does not have a 289 chassis nor a MkIV chassis; its a conglomeration of parts. No doubt it will look nice once its finished and shiny (and that obsolete roll hoop removed) but not certain I'd sell my soul for it, as much as I crave an FIA. Not too certain how many cars (if any) had an 'AC100' plate but there have been a couple of other 427 rolling chassis that claim to be 'centenary cars' kicking about for sale over the last few years.

[SB7019]

The claim that this is the only one is somewhat dubious.  AC showed a fully built bare alluminium FIA at the 2000 UK Motor show (see photo on P204 of Trevor's magnificent book - which BTW attributes it to a non existant 2001 NEC show) and one was being built in the next bay to mine at Brooklands in mid 2001.    That one was already at a much more advanced stage of build than the vehicle featured in this advert as engine and some trim etc had already been fitted.   Page 207 shows a blue FIA (could be the motor show car with paint??) that - presuming from the number plate -  belongs to Adrain Hamilton. There was also one partially built in at Frimley in October 2002 (page 208 in Trevors book)- which may be the one for sale??
   
   Trevor - do you know if the hybrid chassis you refer to was the one sold at a BCA auction at Blackbushe in late 2003 (or maybe 2004?) for around £5-6000?  That one was certainly a dog's dinner.

[TLegate]

Yes you are right, it was 20000, not 2001. I attended the show on press day but no longer have access to my records and I thought it was 2001. I get dazed and confused and they dont allow me sharp objects in here...
   
   The venor claims that there were meant to be 10 FIA cars but I have a photo of the plaque that accompanied the car on the stand which states it was 25. The first example was numbered as COX2610 (?) and is in Florida and the other car was COB1001 (the Adrian Hamilton example AH77) which is now owned by ACOC member T.Fischer in Germany. I think that 1002 was under construction at some point as there was another car being made at Frimley. Adrian Hamilton smkoed around in 1001 on euro-retro rallies such as the Targa, to the detriment of the rear bodywork. He liked the car a lot (but dont get him started on the matter of AC Cars)

[Emmanueld]

Why leaf spring? that is why no one has bought it! However, with the bigger chassis, it might still improve a bit on the MK I & II.

[Mark IV]

COB1001 was shown at the NEC in 1998 I think, as I had the car in the USA from June 1999 to December 1999 as a roller. I showed it at the SAAC convention in Michigan late June 1999. There were to be 25 built but the noise to order cars was silent![:0]
   
   The other car was the FIA sent to Gabriel Diaz as his first AC to distribute when J. Price had control of Frimley. When that deal went bang, the car reverted to Price's control and at one point was to be traded to someone who offered to mediate the Shelby lawsuit. The problem was solved before he could get involved and thus the car did not go to him.
   
   Rick

[TLegate]

Ah yes, Diaz, I was trying to recall the name - it was shipped to sunny California-on-Sea but the poor guy got nothing for his pains when the 'situation' with Jimmy kicked off. Another exercise in getting your fingers burned.....There are images of the FIA, COX2160, just before it was shipped from Frimley, in my gallery on the ClubCobra site - much easier to post pics there than here!! But I'll give it another go.
   
   Why the anti-leaf spring stuff? The two cars I have driven any appreciable distance are 6005 and Hawks Kirkham FIA and they were fantastic - comfortable and handled well. No doubt if I were trying to wring the last tenth of a second around Brands, I'd go for the coily bits all day long, but on the road, on a nice sunny, soaking up the rays, leaf springs strike me as perfectly OK. But then I did used to rally a Frogeye, so I'm weird.

[nikbj68]

I recall the bare ali 'continuation' FiA on the AC stand at the NEC Motorshow, along with the yellow Superblower, and I`m sure I was told that they had orders for 17 or 18 of the total of 25 that would be built.
   I still think for the right money this would be a viable project....
   Funny though isn`t it. Almost a perfect negative of the widely accepted optimum configuration of the AC289. Someone will get a decent return on their £5-6000 if it is the Blackbushe chassis.

[jbottini]

Trevor, most of us understand there is nothing at all wrong with leaf spring AC's, the coilers were an evolution that has different attributes, as are the MKIV' etc.
   
   Trevor..do you by chance know if the windshield location and angle are the same on a MKIV as a MKIII?
   Jim

[SB7019]

I doubt that this is the Blackbushe chassis - though anything is always possible when it comes to  these vehicles.  The Blackbushe car had a chassis no that suffixed 5001 and looked like an amalgam of MkIV and FIA parts. It sold on 14th Feb 2004 for £5136.    I did not take any pictures of it so can't do a detailed comparison - though it was substantially less complete than the e bay vehicle.  The e bay one is quite an odd spec. with it's twin roll bars (CRS?) and modern AP calipers with vented discs rather than the 60's style Girlings and solid discs that were fitted to the one that was in Brooklands alongside mine. It also has a cross member under in in the dashboard area that looks remarkably like those fitted to the MkIVs and some of the chassis members that can be seen in the rear wheel arch have quite a different configuration to the FIA cars.  I sencerely hope that no one really paid $180,000 for it at one stage.

[Chafford]

quote:Originally posted by jbottini
   
Trevor, most of us understand there is nothing at all wrong with leaf spring AC's, the coilers were an evolution that has different attributes, as are the MKIV' etc.
   
   Trevor..do you by chance know if the windshield location and angle are the same on a MKIV as a MKIII?
   Jim
   

   
   See John Owen's ('Malta')response at:
   
   http://www.racecar.co.uk/acoc/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=305