1967 Shelby 'Semi-Competition' 427 Cobra

[AutoSmith]

Did y'all see this superlative 427SC cross the block at RM Auctions' Arizona Sale on January 18, 2013? It's beautiful: Redline Review Article Detail.

[1985 CCX]

This would be a 1965, 1967 was for street cars..........

[AutoSmith]

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

This would be a 1965, 1967 was for street cars..........

Yes, it was first delivered to Shelby in 1965, but first registered in 1967. So, I guess you're correct and the author of the article is correct.

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

This would be a 1965, 1967 was for street cars..........

Were there any SC's registered in 1965 as 1965's? I know Dick Smith's car was called a 1966 on a poster board he had made for shows.

[Nedsel]

The concept for the S/C didn't come about until it was clear that orders for full-comp 427s were really slowing down. The decision to market the unsold comp cars as detuned street cars didn't occur until late in '65, and no S/Cs were sold until '66, so no S/Cs could be legitimately be called a '65 model.

[AutoSmith]

Originally Posted by Nedsel

The concept for the S/C didn't come about until it was clear that orders for full-comp 427s were really slowing down. The decision to market the unsold comp cars as detuned street cars didn't occur until late in '65, and no S/Cs were sold until '66, so no S/Cs could be legitimately be called a '65 model.

Thank you for clarifying. I would have had to wade through my several Cobra books to try and get the answer.

Best,

Brian

[computerworks]

However, weren't certain S/C's re-numbered to include "67" as their designation, so it would seem that it was not last year's car when sold near the end of the program?

[Nedsel]

Yes. A few dealers had ordered S/Cs late in the year, and they weren't delivered until November and December. Since the '67 model Shelbys were available, Shelby American realized these cars needed a boost to assist in their sale as a brand-new car. Several were therefore given new footbox-mounted ID tags giving their VIN a 67 prefix. A 67 was also stamped into the right hand shock mount on at least some of these cars, above the AC-stamped VIN, which was in a smaller type, to complete the illusion.

[AutoSmith]

Originally Posted by Nedsel

Yes. A few dealers had ordered S/Cs late in the year, and they weren't delivered until November and December. Since the '67 model Shelbys were available, Shelby American realized these cars needed a boost to assist in their sale as a brand-new car. Several were therefore given new footbox-mounted ID tags giving their VIN a 67 prefix. A 67 was also stamped into the right hand shock mount on at least some of these cars, above the AC-stamped VIN, which was in a smaller type, to complete the illusion.

We appreciate your expertise. Thank you! This sounds similar to what Shelby/Ford did with the leftover 1969 Shelby GT350s and GT500s. I wonder whether car companies can do the same thing these days? Do you know?