CSX vs. Superformance Body Mold

[LMH]

Don’t forget that Carroll Shelby sued that South African company and its US distributor.
Larry

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by LMH

Don’t forget that Carroll Shelby sued that South African company and its US distributor.
Larry

And then made nice and hired them to build his cars.......

[DanEC]

Can't discount that racing heritage, and Corvette thumping competition success elevated the popularity of the slab side/FIA cars. I'm a fan of the 427 cars and especially street cars, but that 289 racing heritage and success is something they just didn't have a chance to achieve due to evolution of performance.

[FredG]

I always wondered why, of all places, South Africa was the place a lot of these cars come from.

Fred

[RUFdriver]

Originally Posted by FredG

I always wondered why, of all places, South Africa was the place a lot of these cars come from.

Fred

Wouldn’t have anything to do with cheap labor ?

[Buzz]

South Africa's Bob Olthoff - Dennis Olthoff's father - drove a Cobra with the Willment Team starting in 1964. Quite likely there are other people and circumstances that influenced the rise of the grassroots Cobra replica industry in that country.

[tomshep]

Originally Posted by Buzz

South Africa's Bob Olthoff - Dennis Olthoff's father - drove a Cobra with the Willment Team starting in 1964. Quite likely there are other people and circumstances that influenced the rise of the grassroots Cobra replica industry in that country.

I remember attending Shelby Mid America in the 2000s and seeing Dennis driving and racing what I recall was a SPF. I believe he also competed in the Run and Gun competition with the same car. I also knew of the connection of his father racing in the 60s. Was either Olthoff an owner in SPF? What was the connection?

Tom

[tomshep]

Originally Posted by ERA 626

Hi-tech is the parent company for Superformance. The factory in South Africa builds both the SPF cars and the CSX cars. They are completely different cars.
I am beilng told CS was having quality issues with the other buiders of the continuation cars. So he contracted Hi-tech to build the CSX cars. As a part of the deal (money grab) he had to license SPF. I am in no way saying anything negitive about SPF cars as they are very nice cars, the Quaity on the fit/finish comong from the SA factory is amazing. This is why CS contracted Hi-tech to Build the CSX cars.

I am friends will Bill Denbeste he has several million dollars in Cobras in his showroom (cobra wall) I was able to see the differences on the HST CSX cars, the Hi-tech CSX cars. it becomes obvious the quality differences between the cars. Needless to say I liked the Hi-tech SA car. However that being said the finished car is only as good as the person or company finishing the build. Bill has several Kirkhams several CSX cars and 2 CSX 3000 series cars, the collection of cobras in his windsor showroom is impressive. In the same building is the Shelby engine Co. very nice shop.

Great info and helps fill in the gaps some.

I see Hi-Tech being mentioned here and other responses. Did they exist before SPF? I though SPF was started in South Africa. Which came first?

What does HST stand for? What number did they stop building in the CSX run? I am guessing HT picked up right after?

All I remember is Shelby working with the prison system to build his cars in the 90s(?) and then I read how it went to South Africa and SPF was providing the rollers.

Please correct or add as much as possible. I'm trying to learn this history.

Tom

[snakeeyes]

Originally Posted by tomshep

I remember attending Shelby Mid America in the 2000s and seeing Dennis driving and racing what I recall was a SPF. I believe he also competed in the Run and Gun competition with the same car. I also knew of the connection of his father racing in the 60s. Was either Olthoff an owner in SPF? What was the connection?

Tom

I believe Dennis was one of the first SPF dealers in the U.S.

[snakeeyes]

Originally Posted by tomshep

Great info and helps fill in the gaps some.

I see Hi-Tech being mentioned here and other responses. Did they exist before SPF? I though SPF was started in South Africa. Which came first?

Tom

It’s easy to get confused because there are actually two Hi-Techs in Cobra lore. The first was begun by Tom D’Antonio in, I believe, Arizona in the 90s. Tom is actually a Club Cobra member who goes by “Tjd” so maybe he’ll stop in here. THAT Hi-Tech didn’t stick around too long but while they existed they built some of the most accurate replicas out there. They were the first replica to build a frame so accurate that original Cobra parts were interchangeable, and they offered aluminum body options before that became common.

The second Hi-Tech is the South African one. My knowledge about where they fit into things is limited so I’ll let others take up that thread if they want, but I don’t believe there is any connection between the two companies beyond the name.

[TimG427]

The first Hi-Tech company built my replica of CSX 3002 with all the correct details. It is a great car. I was the second owner

[twobjshelbys]

I don't know that HST stood for anything... It was the name of the company, HST International from San Diego. Their primary business was armor stratified vehicles. HST and Hi-Tech were building cars at the same time. HST also built some carbon fiber cars. (I had one.)

[ERA 626]

I think HST cars were being built in Mexico, there were quality issues. Some were very nice some were Bad...
I have seen an example of a CSX HST car where the rear wheels off sets are wrong, the carbon fiber body work is BAD... I think (I may be wrong) but Shelby contracted Hi-tech in SA after the quality issues at HST.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by ERA 626

I think HST cars were being built in Mexico, there were quality issues. Some were very nice some were Bad...
I have seen an example of a CSX HST car where the rear wheels off sets are wrong, the carbon fiber body work is BAD... I think (I may be wrong) but Shelby contracted Hi-tech in SA after the quality issues at HST.

HST was based in San Diego with manufacturing in Tijuana.

This is the first I've heard of quality issues with HST (of course, there can be what some considered quality issues with all of them though), and I'll reiterate that the quality of HST was considered higher than HiTech at the time as dealers requested HST cars.

The carbon fiber body on mine was perfect.

Shelby contracted with HiTech because HST couldn't build enough. They were very small. The Cobra business was in some ways a hobby, er, passion, of the owner of the company, but they couldn't build enough.

I got excellent support from HST. I had a huge door crack due to a rock and sent the door to them for repair. Not only did they have the right color to repaint it, but they had MY PAINT!!! They had some of the original paint still in the can. The match was perfect.

The guy that ran the Cobra portion of the business was a former French race driver.