anyone recognize this body mfr (picture)

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by the shadow

the Kit was made by Legendary cobra company out of Longwood florida in the 1980's. I cant find any old info on them but the body is thick and all the edges are formed as a rolled bullnose.

Buy it if you can get it for a reasonable price. The biggest issue most people had with CMC/Streetbeast, or whatever they were called was missing parts and a very poor instruction manual. If you weren't a fabricator or somebody that knew how to wrench on cars, you were doomed the minute you opened that assembly manual and saw the drawings of which some looked like they were made by a 10 year old.

Mustang 2 front end, 8.8 or 9" rear, engine and trans out of a Mustang, and you can find the rest of the parts anywhere as long as the body parts are there.

[the shadow]

in this case everything is there , the original 250pg manual, body mount kit ,all chrome,interior,exhaust,aluminum radiator,weather stripping, wind wings, fuel cell,wiring,lights, cooling fans,glass,mirrors, fuel neck and cap,roll bar,seats,gauges, master cylinder, pedals,steering,disc brakes,coilovers,wheels tires,rear,exhaust. and he's throwing in a doner 94 5.0 and T-5 trans + a new edelbrock victor jr intake & MSD distributor coil. I would need to by brake lines,fuel lines,a shifter, parking brake handle,battery ,belts, hoses + normal assembly hardware.

Aside from rebuilding the engine and finishing the body work (already started) the car needs to be plumbed for fuel and brakes and assembled (frame is painted already). Like I said the fiberglass is good, its thicker than the FF he has parked next to it and all the edges are bull nosed not sharp flats. this isn't my first fiberglass car I built a 41 willys from scratch with no manual and just got done an extensive corvette restoration with a lot of glass work, this would be a cake job for me. my hang up is his price vs buying a brand new kit for the same money or less. what to offer that's not an insult and fair ,I told him I was going to shop this against new kits so he knows Im gonna go lower. Im trying to get a cheap cobra project that has everything there (parts wise) and local which this is. Im just like 90% of the car world, I want to pay as little as possible to get what i want. Im in no rush I've been waiting 30 years for a cobra. Im either gonna find what Im looking for as a kit or win the lottery and buy a finished one. I've been holding out for the lottery and thinking it aint gonna happen LOL.

[eschaider]

Many budget builds end up incomplete (as this one has) for good reason. The builder did not loose interest, in fact they frequently buy a more expensive completed vehicle.

The build process with this type of kit becomes a never ending project with unplanned upgrades driven by component obsolescence, lack of current component availability or builder election to do a little bit better here and there.

At some point (it varies for each of us) the expense and futility of the project becomes apparent even to the most jaded. At that point build progress halts, a for sale sign is crafted and a finished car search is begun. You have found this one at the tail end of these sad events.

This project is most likely to have an unhappy ending (for you) after costing measurably more than you intended to spend and taking more time and effort than you expected. Why not shortcut the process, save the time, money and effort and buy something better suited to your needs.


Ed

[the shadow]

your right about the current owner, he bought this project from an elderly neighbor who was trying to do it and failed. the current owner is mechanically inclined and has built several restored vintage pickup trucks and figured he could finish the cobra for a weekend car. less then a year into the cobra project he fell into a deal on a completed FF MKIV cobra with 8ooo miles on it for $25K (beautiful car!). the owner had bad health issues and thought the engine went, turned out to be ignition related, and did not want to mess with it. Now the current owner has no need for a project cobra and wants to off it.

[snakeeyes]

My advice is to go with your gut. You’re the only one who has seen the car and it certainly sounds like you’ve got the mechanical aptitude to assess how realistic the expectation of finishing it is. Similarly you’re the only one who knows you, and whether you have the fortitude to stick to it and get creative when you encounter roadblocks. The upside is that there are so many Cobra kits that no matter what issue you encounter you’re likely to find a solution. When I bought my Lister it was a body on frame with partial suspension and a radiator mounted. That was it. No electrical system, no real cooling system, no braking system other than rotors and calipers, no drivetrain. And no manual. It took me two years before I did anything much besides going out to the shop and staring at it, then about three more of late nights and weekends (and help from a talented friend) before it moved under its own power. But I can tell you that moment was incredibly gratifying, as have the several thousand (mostly) trouble-free miles I’ve enjoyed driving it and competing in it since then.

I bought a very basic Cobra kit from ERA in 1994. It was what I could afford at the time. Other than messing around with a little bodywork, it sat untouched for four years. One day while surfing the Club Cobra for sale forum I came across a guy with a finished ERA who wanted to build another one. One phone call later and I was trailering mine to meet him in Virginia and trade my kit plus some cash for ERA 329. I owned and loved that car for about 6 years before I came across a gorgeous slabside replica. I sold the ERA and added a little cash to get the slabside. So, in a way, even though I never did diddly squat on that first kit I had, it ended up being kind of a savings account as well as a springboard to a running, driving Cobra, which led to another, which led to...

The point of my rambling, I guess, is that as long as you’re not using the mortgage money or robbing your kid’s college fund, if your gut tells you to buy this car and make a run at it, do it. Life’s too short and, as Robert Duval’s character says in “Lonesome Dove”, “It ain’t about dying, it’s about living.”

[olddog]

You have been warned on what a disaster this company was. It is my opinion you could easily buy a nice completed FFR or other Cobra for less than you will spend on this one, by the time you finish it. That doesn't count all the frustrating hours of your time you will spend on this car. I have no doubt you are looking at spending $50K in your labor alone. You may not think your time matters, but trust me when the end grows near you will value your time much differently.

If you still insist going down this path.....

Add up the value of the parts for the car and offer that. The car is worth nothing. Don't be afraid to hurt the present owners feelings. He should be glad someone looked at it and ashamed he asked so much.

[the shadow]

Originally Posted by olddog

You have been warned on what a disaster this company was. It is my opinion you could easily buy a nice completed FFR or other Cobra for less than you will spend on this one, by the time you finish it. That doesn't count all the frustrating hours of your time you will spend on this car. I have no doubt you are looking at spending $50K in your labor alone. You may not think your time matters, but trust me when the end grows near you will value your time much differently.

If you still insist going down this path.....

Add up the value of the parts for the car and offer that. The car is worth nothing. Don't be afraid to hurt the present owners feelings. He should be glad someone looked at it and ashamed he asked so much.

I don't know if this company was a disaster (Legendary) as they were before CMC/Street Beast bought them if the story is correct, no one has any info on them? Time I would spend on this car or any kit, frustrating I don't think so, there's not much to it. I guess that just because I've built so many cars over the last 30 years. I don't like the FF because I don't sit comfortably in them,they are tight in the leg & foot area. this one happens to have a narrower tunnel and deeper/longer foot box's. I'm going to take all the advise on here and ad up the parts and that would be my offer, insulting or not. I'm actually leaning towards a shell valley roller kit at this point anyway.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by the shadow

I don't know if this company was a disaster (Legendary) as no one has any info on them?

I did an edit for clarity here. Ask yourself the following questions before you spend your hard earned money.

If it was such a well put together kit, why is there very little information on the car and the company?

If it was such a great deal, why has it not sold yet?


I'll leave it at that.

Bill

[Buzz]

Legendary Autos, Inc. operated out of Longwood, Florida from 1989 into the early '90's. Molds and jigs were reportedly bought by a company called Yesterday's Automotive - not sure if they ever went into actual production after the buyout. They had NO relationship to CMC/ Fiberfab/Street Beasts.
There is a member here named Az Cobra Mike who was active up to a couple of years ago and he owned a Legendary Cobra that he seemed very happy with. last I saw, he had it wrapped in matte black vinyl with blue stripes. Try reaching out to him via private message - he may be able to supply you with additional info.
Heres a link to a pic of him with his car after the wrap.
Temporary paint

Edit - Sorry about the huge pic! Replaced it with a much smaller version I found on the net. It is supposedly a publicity shot/poster using an older Legendary Autos Cobra

[the shadow]

well i added up the stuff he has based on prices of similar items on the internet and got $19768.00. then I deducted money on items like the body and frame and other sub par parts since they are not "new" or state of the art like todays offerings and the total came to $14678.00. I think that's what he did, found a cobra kit web site and priced it all out.
I think this kit is actually worth buying after seeing it but I am not going to buy it, he wants to much plus the interior kit + carpet has been boxed since the 90's so god only knows if thats intact or if replacements from other companies would fit?
I appreciate all the info and advice, I told my wife if I'm gonna spend that kind of money its gonna be on a brand new kit from a reputable company that's still in business.

[66Cobra_JAC]

Not a Street Beast. I have a 66 SB and that rack and door hinges are different. I would like to know what this myself. I hate the door hinges on my SB. Worst design ever. No wonder these guys are not in business today. A lot of good in the build but I am assuming like others, they had their issues.

[RUFdriver]

Smart decision, move on.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by the shadow

I appreciate all the info and advice, I told my wife if I'm gonna spend that kind of money its gonna be on a brand new kit from a reputable company that's still in business.

You've been on this site for almost eight years, so it's pretty obvious you've got the Cobra bug and, eventually, you'll get one. But... the absolute worst thing you can do is buy a crappy kit, or a dog of a car. Both will end up frustrating you at best, or killing you at worst. The best bang for your buck is to buy a used, sorted out car, maybe off a site like CobraCountry. Another option is to post a WTB on this site, give a range on what you can spend, and see if someone has something nice that fits the bill. Just invite PMs from guys that have a decent car and that will sell it to you within your range.