Not Ranked
Here is my criticism and further issues with these cars and this project.
Let me see if I have this straight shall we?
1. There is a mountain of rare NOS Cobra parts consisting of Shelby "gold" and unobtainium treasure that will is expected to add tremendous value to this new "completion" car.
2. This mountain of Shelby "gold" is owned privately.
3. There has been no cataloging/inventory of these "precocious" parts or tagging them in any way. No documentation of them in the slightest by any recognized expert certifying or verifying the genuiness of what's on that inventory list and just how many of each exist.
4. These "Completion" cars are being sold privately or by the Shelby Trust? SAI is not involved in the sale? Kirkham is completing and sending to DeBeneste to finalize? Hell, if it's a complete car and I can't drive it anyway I want it sold to me through SAI just like in 1965 not DeBeneste or the Trust. The Trust or DeBeneste wasn't selling Cobras in 1965. Were they?
5. Just who is doing the stamping on the chassis? Kirkham or DeBeneste on behalf of SAI or are they stamped at SAI? When are they stamped? After all the so called pieces are bolted on or have they been set aside and pre-stamped?
6. The "Completion" Cobras is supposedly fitted with the "holy grail" of original NOS parts but there is not one photo, not one document evidencing the build, not one list or manifest of parts / pieces, nuts and bolts put into the car and taken from the master log or inventory. Do I have one nut that is an original nut or two? Are all the lines original or just the brake lines? How many original clamps are in the car? Do I have that original dip stick? or Lucas rearview or is it a repro or other? What about my half shafts? Do I have one original or two? Where is my parts build list?
7. This completion car is sent back to Debeneste to "complete" yet he paints it an off color of Guardsman Blue? What happened to originality? Yet we have a crowd standing around with glazed eyes gawking at this car without one shred of proof as to what's in it.
8. What we have here is a Continuation Series Shelby stuffed with a lot of original parts and accessories. That's it. How many and which parts and pieces are original? ...I guess we will just have to take DeBeneste's word for it.
9. Seems like the "Completion" Cobras will vary in well...completeness. Hell, CSX 4206 is likely to just as "Complete" as some of the completion series. However, who will know since there is no master inventory or tracking system of these parts and into what cars they go.
10. No matter how they try my bet is that none of these "completion" Cobras will ever be 100% complete. Were original rivets used, are all the nuts, bolts and screws original too? How about diff coolers? were they used? Are they original? Fuel pumps? SWs or something else...the list is extensive as we all know. Fatally, we already know the Chassis is not original or the body.
CSX3000 Vins belong to chassis built in 1960s not new chassis and bodies onto which old parts are bolted. This a canard of the highest order. Apocryphal. Seems to me they are going to be selling "Air cars" with CSX 3000 vins. What documentation will be provided as to what is original and what's not that was bolted to the car for which they likely will want over $500,000.00 for.
Better their money than mine.
As they say on Shark tank....I'm out.
If they want to build historically dead nuts accurate Cobras that's great and a cool thing but they should not be labeled completion Cobras. A more appropriate name would be CSX 4000H for "Historic"
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U.S. Army Rangers. Leading travel agents to Allah.
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