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Thought you guys might like this too from Hemmings Buyer Guide. Hey, they said it not me.


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Buyer's Guide from Hemmings Motor News.
May, 2012 - Mike McNessor:


"It sounds like the worst business plan ever.
Buy British roadsters built with old-world metal-shaping and fabrication techniques based on chassis technology last considered cutting edge when William the Conqueror invaded Mother England. Then, install Ford V-8 engines and Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmissions. For the finishing touch, screw some badges emblazoned with an aggressive sounding name on this contraption and sell it as a sports car--priced higher than legitimate store-bought sports cars, like the Jaguar E-type or the Chevrolet Corvette......

For most people, this idea would make the Hindenburg disaster look like a minor setback for the dirigible-based tourism industry......

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening act of Shelby's one-man American performance-car melodrama. Believe you us, the story behind his creation of the Cobra is far more complicated than what was outlined in the opening of this story. And it only got more complicated as time went on.....

It would be foolish to try and retell any of that here. For that we would need all 550-plus pages of Hemmings Motor News and then some.

We can tell you that in 1962, Shelby introduced the world to the Cobra, a car that would become one of the most sought-after and knocked-off collectible automobiles of all time. From there, it was straight into the history books riding a wave of legendary race wins, and enjoying a halo effect from modified Shelby Mustangs, modified Shelby Chryslers, some custom one-off performance cars as well as everything from chili to men's deodorant.

For all of its fame, the original Cobra was produced in surprisingly low quantities--just 998 were assembled from 1961 until 1968. (655 leaf-spring 289 Cobras and 343 coil-spring 427 Cobras. These numbers include street cars, competition cars, semi-competition roadsters, etc.) What followed in the ensuing decades, however, was an onslaught of clones, kits and look-alikes that turned this rare performance car into an overexposed American pop culture icon. Sort of like the Mona Lisa on a billboard advertisement for toothpaste or a guy in a Statue of Liberty costume handing out coupons in front of a hot dog stand on Fourth of July weekend.

Shelby stayed out of the Cobra building business until the late 1980s/early 1990s, watching as prices for the original 427 cars soared and companies building replicas (some of which were very good, some of which were not) turned substantial profits……

……As a workaround, Shelby rolled out his new CSX4000 series Cobras in 1996. These were sold by Shelby as rollers to be completed by an authorized dealer, allowing Shelby to skirt new-car emissions and crash-test requirements. When the 4000 series chassis numbers were used up, the identical CSX6000 series was rolled out. For enthusiasts of the traditional leaf-spring chassis, Shelby built the old-school CSX7000 289 FIA competition Cobra and a roadgoing counterpart, the CSX8000. All of the cars are available with either fiberglass or aluminum bodies (CSX1000 uses original bodies from AC in England), and there are even new 427 "side-oiler" engines being manufactured and sold by Shelby.....

………Today, if you're in the market for a genuine Shelby Cobra, you have some interesting options. Generally speaking, the most expensive will be an original 1965-1967 427 Cobra with a 427 engine.

……….The best place to start is with The World Registry of Cobras and GT40s--a 1,500-plus-page hardcover tome that documents the histories of individual Cobras and GT40s. The book is amazing in that you can look up a Cobra's chassis number and learn something about that particular car's origins--in some cases a great deal. It also contains a wealth of historical information, buying advice, production numbers, serial number locations, facts and figures, definitions for Cobra-specific terms and contact information to put you in touch with vendors and specialists.

Consulting with an expert like Scudder or Comer before buying a Cobra is also a wise idea. Both are intimately familiar with the Cobra market, as well as the histories of individual cars, and are willing to act as consultants for serious buyers.

Cobras masquerading as the genuine article are less of a problem today, thanks to SAAC and the World Registry. In fact, there is an excellent chapter in the World Registry about made-up cars and how they come into being.
"The fakes have been sorted out," Comer said. "That's the great thing about the club. Cobra owners police these things pretty heavily and everyone knows who owns which serial number. You can't really get around it. The fakes get found out really quickly." ……

WHAT TO PAY
Low Average High
1963 $399,700 $460,900 $540,600
1964 $472,800 $494,900 $663,100
Competition $487,500 $646,900 $1,691,500
1965 Continuation
CSX 1000 AC aluminum body $142,975 $151,550 $185,500
CSX 4000/6000 aluminum body $114,380 $121,240 $148,400
CSX 4000/6000 fiberglass body $89,870 $95,260 $116,600
289 Cobra $472,800 $494,900 $663,100
Comp $487,500 $646,900 $1,691,500
427 Cobra $579,600 $684,800 $1,131,500
S/C and Comp $763,700 $989,800 $1,421,300
1966 427 Cobra $579,600 $684,800 $1,131,500
1967 427 Cobra $579,600 $684,800 $1,131,500[/I]

Enjoy. I'll check back next week.