[Trevor Legate]

Hi WhatsaCobra....

Yeah I go along with just about everything in your reply....its not easy putting all this into writing, since the subtle inferences get lost or misconstrued...but I guess thats just part of the fun as well!
MY use of the term "production line" was a bit flippant, but You Know What I Mean....they were the "cars as seen in the brochure", not the sneaky little specials Brian liked to knock out - like the occassional MkII car that slipped through the registry. As you are no doubt aware he also built a 427 that carried the identical chassis number (CSX3056) to the first "427-continuation Cobra" that Carroll Shelby (and McCluskey) built. Brian was very proud of that car and insisted I had a look at the chassis plate and took a photo. This was, of course, at the time of their little spat and the car is still out there, as are CSX3057, 3058 and 3070. And maybe a few others.

If you have my 'Cobra - The Real Thing' book (never did like that title) you will see the 'Japanese-order' cars on pages 160, 161 and 162.

I have studied the registry pretty carefully, but there is no clear reference to the first 18+ Lightweights or any subsequent variations. I shall look into the matter..........

Re the amount of cars ever churned out of Thames Ditton....I thought they were built to Shelby's order regarding quantities and schedules of delivery, as opposed to punting out as many as possible as fast as possible. I would doubt that Shelby American had the facility to complete cars if they poured in too fast! Neither company was all that big, to say the least.

As you say - Such Fun