Neutral
I'm probably going to hate myself for offering an opinion here, since I don't own a Cobra or Cobra replica, but since I've been a guest on CC for five years, I'll stick my neck out. To most of the car guy/girl world, if it looks like a Cobra, it's a "Cobra". There are bad "Cobras" (like a Cobra body on a Miata) out there and good "Cobras" (like a Kirkham). And,as much as you'd prefer to think otherwise, most anything built after 1968 that generally looks like a Cobra to most car folks and the general public is a "kit Cobra" As someone said, a tissue is a "Kleenex", a photocopy is a "Xerox" and a cola is a "Coke". If someone makes something that looks like a Cobra, it's a "Cobra". If someone asks, "Is it real?" they mean whether it was put together by Shelby prior to 1968. Anything that wasn't assembled prior to 1968 is something else. Call it whatever you want. A recreation, tribute, reissue, replica, continuation, authorized reproduction, etc, it's not what folks mean when they ask whether it's real.
If the folks in Venice didn't put it together before 1968, it's not a "real" Cobra. Ouch! Whatever and whenever and whomever screwed it together after then affects only what it's worth. A continuation may be worth more than a Kirkham, which may be worth more than a Factory Five, which may be worth more than something Billy Joe Bob threw together in the backyard.
But what I truly don't get is this endless squabbling that I've witnessed since I've been here. Whatever "Cobra" you drive is probably a better car than 95% of the driving public gets behind the wheel of. When you drive down the street, people point and smile and car guys/gals wish they owned one. Geez, just drive the damn things and enjoy what you've got.
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