What's the deal with Slabside pricing and availability?

[Bartruff1]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

I think the "prick pool" has been diluted due to the advent of the modern water cooled Porsches like the Cayman, Cayenne, Boxster, Macan, etc.

The sales to the "soccer mom" market segment has almost sent us "pricks" in our air-cooled 911's nearly to extinction.

Obviously those are not real Porsches....

I would like a slabside, but I am not willing to pay those outrageous prices.... I am now shopping for street replica, with undercar exhaust, no roll bar or sidepipes or hood scoop, box stock 289 and a 5 speed ...something more appropriate for a man of my age...

[CompClassics]

How many different manufacturers produce the 289 Cobra in the street version?

1) Kirkham (alloy)
2) Shelby (glass and alloy)
3) ERA (glass)
4) Superformance (glass)

Are there any others?

[DanEC]

I believe FFR has been developing a 289 roadster kit. I'm not sure if it's fully available to the market yet.

[LMH]

HiTech does (and I don't mean South Africa) if you know who to ask!
Larry

[otto]

I asked factory five a few months ago and was told they had no plans to make one

[peterpjb]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

How many different manufacturers produce the 289 Cobra in the street version?

1) Kirkham (alloy)
2) Shelby (glass and alloy)
3) ERA (glass)
4) Superformance (glass)

Are there any others?

hawk
contemporary classics ( at least one..)

[jolsen42]

They have an FIA version but not the "Slabside". I built one with a FFR frame and a "Mr Bruce" body. Here is a picture.



John O

Originally Posted by DanEC

I believe FFR has been developing a 289 roadster kit. I'm not sure if it's fully available to the market yet.

[CompClassics]

So far then, current manufacturers...

1) Kirkham (alloy)
2) Shelby (glass, alloy)
3) ERA (glass)
4) Superformance (glass)
5) Hawk (alloy / Kirkham, glass)

[66gtk]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

So far then, current manufacturers...

1) Kirkham (alloy)
2) Shelby (glass, alloy)
3) ERA (glass)
4) Superformance (glass)
5) Hawk (alloy / Kirkham, glass)

Yep - correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the glass CSX slab is a rebadged SPF, and the alloy car is a rebadged KMP. That would make this list alternatively read as KMP making the only alloy car and SPF, ERA and Hawk sharing the brunt of the glass car building.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

Yep - correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the glass CSX slab is a rebadged SPF, and the alloy car is a rebadged KMP. That would make this list alternatively read as KMP making the only alloy car and SPF, ERA and Hawk sharing the brunt of the glass car building.

You're wrong. SPF and Shelby fiberglass are made in the HiTech factory in South Africa but there is where the similarity ends.

Depending on when they were made Shelby Alloy cars were manufactured to Shelby specs in house or by Kirkham (and contained no interchangeable parts). But as time moved on the newer cars (about the time Joe Conway took over) are just rebadged (although dressed differently).

This has been discussed ad nauseum here, so please use search and read that material instead of rehashing the lineage all over again.

[66gtk]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

You're wrong. SPF and Shelby fiberglass are made in the HiTech factory in South Africa but there is where the similarity ends.

Depending on when they were made Shelby Alloy cars were manufactured to Shelby specs in house or by Kirkham (and contained no interchangeable parts). But as time moved on the newer cars (about the time Joe Conway took over) are just rebadged (although dressed differently).

This has been discussed ad nauseum here, so please use search and read that material instead of rehashing the lineage all over again.

This is a thread about the slab side cars, not the 427 cars.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

This is a thread about the slab side cars, not the 427 cars.

Same is true.

[66gtk]

What is the price on the new SPF MKII Slabside?

[CompClassics]

Shelby never produced their own alloy bodied 289 "slab side" or "FIA" bodied Cobra, they were rebadged Kirkhams with Shelby provided components to "roller" status. Shelby did produce their own fiberglass "slab side" and "FIA" bodied "rollers" prior to Superformance taking over production of both. Superformance also handles the completion of the alloy bodied Kirkham "slab side" and "FIA" to "roller" status today.
Both Kimmons and Kemper supplied 427 Cobra frames and alloy body assemblies early on but could not produce enough for Shelby's demand so Kirkham became the supplier, that story is for a separate thread.

MY QUESTION IS ONLY ABOUT WHO IS CURRENTLY PRODUCING / MANUFACTURING FOR RETAIL SALE 289 STREET "SLAB SIDE" COBRAS, THATS ALL.

[mullen2]

AC Cars in England along with Shelby built 2 or maybe 3 alloy body FIA cobras CSX7503 and CSX7501 that I know of, in around 2004 time frame before AC cars closed in 2006 in England. They were hand rolled and pounded on the AC body bucks that were owned by AC then to Brian Angliss and then to AC cars when Auto Kraft went out of business. The cars body and chassis were done in England at AC and then shipped to Shelby in Vegas like the early CSX1000 cars to be completed into rollers. Like the CSX1000 cars a lot of original or original style pieces on the cars. Lucas wiring and bits and pieces to name a few.

To bad more weren't made while Shelby and AC had a brief affair again.

[CompClassics]

As previously noted, this post is about the street 289 Cobras otherwise known as "slab sides" that are currently being offered by the manufacturers.
I am well aware of the "specials" that SAI tried to bait the waters with.

[mullen2]

Oh ok, Sorry then. I was adding to the entire thread based on the 289 cobras. I just read the entire thing for the first time when I posted. Was not posting to just the last couple threads. Sorry for posting in the middle....No ill intensions

[CompClassics]

Mullen2
No harm, just trying to stay on track.

[jimvail]

66gtk - Hillbank in Orange CA has a new sliver/black turn key MKII listed in Hemmings for $99,950 and on their web site for $95,350. It's been listed quite a number of months and is great looking but for the valve covers. Maybe that's just me. Their rollers I've "seen" have been in the upper half of $70,000 depending on factory options (like a top, door pockets, under car exhaust, etc.).
I see FIA replicas for sale from time to time on Cobra Country but no slab side replicas. Why is that - lack of demand or do owners just keep them? I wonder how many ERA is making? Want to buy an ERA slab but retirement looms so first I'd like some clue as to potential depreciation.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by jimvail

66gtk - Hillbank in Orange CA has a new sliver/black turn key MKII listed in Hemmings for $99,950 and on their web site for $95,350. It's been listed quite a number of months and is great looking but for the valve covers. Maybe that's just me. Their rollers I've "seen" have been in the upper half of $70,000 depending on factory options #like a top, door pockets, under car exhaust, etc.#.
I see FIA replicas for sale from time to time on Cobra Country but no slab side replicas. Why is that - lack of demand or do owners just keep them? I wonder how many ERA is making? Want to buy an ERA slab but retirement looms so first I'd like some clue as to potential depreciation.

Yes,

The people who purchase "slabsides" #still dislike that term but now almost generic like "Kleenex"# tend to be long term aspiration buyers as opposed to many 427 buyers who discover that the car is not what they expected, it is a short term toy that is sold to move on to the next thrill, etc. The buyers we have dealt with knew what the were getting and what they wanted.

You can acquire a complete Superformance MK II 289 with a nice engine for less than 90K built out by a shop that has experience in doing so #do not discount "know-how" in a build out. Some shops have no idea of what it takes to PROPERLY install and fettle the chassis so they bolt 'er up and let 'er go!#

I would suggest that depreciation will be minimal as the supply of ready-to drive cars is small so the market is never flooded with resale units.

We have this you can drive away....