1993 Mk. IV Lightweight, EBay U.S.

[BBK]

1993 Lightweight on EBay in the U.S. In California, here in the Bay Area.  I was thinking about possibly acquiring and then selling my Mk. IV as this car has very low miles and is a Lightweight (supposedly).  The features on this car look to be almost standard Mk. IV vs. Lighweight spec, but perhaps it is because it is a U.S. version, but not sure. One photo shows an AKL chassis tag.  Looks almost to be a standard late production Mk. IV with flat dash and wider front radiator opening.
   
   This has already run one time and bid up to $101,000.   It is now re-listed.  I saw this car on the Hemmings web site for sale.  I believe the "for sale" price is $176,000 USD. Here's the link to the current EBay auction. Any thoughts?
   
   http://www.ebay.com/itm/1993-Shelby-AC-Cobra-MKIV-Lightweight-by-Autokraft-/282560716547

[MkIV Lux]

Very nice and on the button!
   
   AKL chassis tag
   body looks indeed late LW type: short nose, rear fender arches (?)
   
   obvious features differing from LW spec:
   - tank
   - windschield wipers
   - inner door panels
   - bumper suspension
   - rear panel forward of roll bar
   
   all above features may indeed relate to US homologation requirements
   
   of course wrongly advertised as Shelby AC Cobra

[silty]

A nice car and looking good in black but it lacks most, maybe all, of the significant features of a European lightweight.
   
   In addition to the points mentioned by MkIV Lux above, a European lightweight has
   - A different rear arch shape
   - 15" wheels with wider wheels at the back
   - and of course a more powerful carb engine
   
   None of these points should take a second of enjoyment out of buying or owning this car though, it is what it is.

[Hobo]

There is another „Lightweight“ on the German website „mobile.de“ and yes quite expensive: https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=247093314&ambitCountry=DE&damageUnrepaired=NO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED&export=NO_EXPORT&isSearchRequest=true&makeModelVariant1.makeId=6200&pageNumber=1&scopeId=C&sortOption.sortBy=searchNetGrossPrice&sortOption.sortOrder=DESCENDING
   
   However this car is equipped with all features a “Lightweight” should have. (incl. very, very old Pirelli P7 tyres :-)  )
   “Should have” in a general term.
   I have meanwhile learned, that in the end of the MkIV-production in the 90th customer could order all features they wanted and could get any mix of features.
   As a consequence it seems that there are Lightweights with and without “AKL”-Chassis numbers.
   There are Standard MkIVs with all the features of a Lightweight carrying an AK-number.
   There are Lightweights with all features of an Standard-MkIV with exception of a flat dashboard carrying a AKL-number(like the US-car on ebay).
   
   I’m the happy owner of two MkIVs.....both produced for the European (German) market.
   AKL 1411 left the factory indeed with all lightweight-features,...and due to Emmission regulation with a 5.0 HO EFI-engine.
   AK 1073 also left the factory with exact all the “should have”-lightweight-features however carrying an AK-chassis number.
   
   So whatever you own for a MkIV, it is a fantastic car anyway.
   I would not spend any extra-amount of money only to have an “AKL”-chassis-number in the engine bay.

[SB7019]

I can see 2 features that would be on a lightweight ( flat dash bottom and shorter nose ) and at least 16 elements that differentiate a lightweight from a normal ( if such a thing exists) Mkiv that are not on on this vehicle.  Still looks like a nice car though.

[nikbj68]

"...Tooling acquired from AC Bristol..."
   LOL.[]
   It really does look nice, but I'd be worried about a car that's only covered 3000 miles in nearly 25 years...bushes & mountings don't like that!
   I wonder how many services it has had in that time?

[BBK]

Bidding ended at $97,600.  The local Superformance dealer who belongs to the Bay Area Cobra Club was asked to assist the seller to market this car as it seems to not be selling on EBay.  As I own a Mk. IV he asked me for some insights into this car to help him help the seller move the car on. In any event, hopefully it will find a new home. Looks to be a beautiful car even without the standard Lightweight features found on the European Lightweights.

[AC Ventura]

I think it seems that in the final days of Autokraft, specifications of the so called Lightweights and everything else varied for all sorts of reasons. Could be regulatory issues, lack of stock or anything really.
    Lets face it, we call the car the Mk IV, but Autokraft never registered that with the SMMT. That's why UK log books list the Manufacturer an AC, but the model is left blank. Upon request, you can have the make altered to AC Mk IV, but no model number. For the reason our cars do not appear on the DVLA Vehicle Information.
    Looks quite easy for an unscrupulous person to rebadge the car, modify it and say its a Lightweight.