[Jamo]

Folks

With all due respect to Bob being acquainted with Mr. Remington, I know Dick Smith. Known him for over 20 years.

He was clocked and it was official. Now, you want to argue about a few miles here and there regarding the speed clocking technology over 30 years ago, go right ahead--it would apply to all clockings recorded at the time.

This was after Shelby had stopped working on Cobras--Mr Remington wasn't working on them at the time. I'm sure everyone puts their own babies on a pedestal when looking back through the years, and he certainly has the right to be proud of his work on the 289s, FIAs and Coupes that he had intiment knowledge of. With his work with the Scarabs and the Cobras--he is a gentleman to be held in high esteem. I must say, however, that a comment he makes while casually walking by a vehicle some 30 years later is being raised to some level of the gospel here.

THE Cobra Dick used when he was recorded at that speed is still with us. Fact is, I just saw the parts that are going into his latest engine for the car--much more to come from the driver/car.

Cranky and others bring up some interesting facts about technology that existed back then--including the aerodynamics of the Cobra and tire technolgy. Everyone ran the same types of tires back then (BTW--a few years later than 1965, Mr. Bruce--and tire technology was increasing by leaps and bounds back then), and the gods were only just beginning to let us in on airflow characteristics of race cars. Gearing? I doubt anyone can argue that the NASCAR BB could not wind high enough with gears allowing for sufficient lowend grunt for sports car racing. NASCAR vehicles have higher gearing simply because they need to live longer at higher speeds and don't need the lowend grunt except for coming out of the pits (certainly still enough for the dreaded burnouts, though). Aerodynamics--come on--family sedans hitting 200mph in the 60s--who would've thought that could happen?

Dick certainly isn't Howard Hughes--he shows up at just about every SAAC and other Cobra event there is. Sure seems to me that with 198 written on the side for all to see, if folks with sufficient FACTS to put the feat in doubt had such FACTS, they would have confronted Dick a long time ago. Course, since Dick is also one of the friendliest folks around--one who admires a replica as much as an Original--why don't one of you folks that think you have a direct link to all perfect knowledge simply go up and ask him? He's not hard to find, and, like I said, he's a friendly guy who enjoys talking Cobras--and what it was like to drive an original one in competition--with anyone.

Go ahead--use 1/10th of the energy you're using here typing your "I know better than him" posts, and give him a call or walk up to him at the next SAAC event.

Really sad to see folks who appear to be so concerned about historic accuracy to be so ready to rely on a passing comment or what they think they know to attack a long-standing, widely-held belief on this point of history.

You want his phone number? Let me know. It's going to be interesting to see who wants it.

Oh--BTW, least some of you think this is a BB vs SB thing, and that I'm now a BB person since I'm moving from a Cleveland to an SO--wrong. SBs rule on the tracks as far as I'm concerned--but I'm building a street car that will only see the track for fun. I know the history, as the vast majority of us do--had the 427s been done in time, they would've been running with factory backing and we wouldn't have the S/Cs sold to the public. Course the Coupes would have run a few more seasons if GT40s didn't some into the picture. Lotta "ifs" in history--fun to think about them, but that's about all.