Diamond Edition 2022 Shelby CSX $1.2mil

[1985 CCX]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

I believe Shelby already offered a carbon fiber bodied Cobra in their Continuation Series, even they didn’t get $1M for it.

Exactly, guess the autoclave bodies are much more $$$ ?

[CompClassics]

Just a different way to lay up composites. The autoclave procedure with what they call a pre-preg composites yields a more precise and stronger composite part overall but as far as bodywork goes its overkill as the body is not so much a structural member in this application.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

I believe Shelby already offered a carbon fiber bodied Cobra in their Continuation Series, even they didn’t get $1M for it.

Yes, as I mentioned earlier HST built (I'd heard) 7 carbon fiber cars but I think there may have been as many as 10 with some coming later in time. Two or maybe three of them including mine were in the CSX400xLA series. There was a premium over fiberglass but not all that much since as I said before it was simply carbon fiber mat in the same resin method used for laying fiberglass.

There was someone who has been referred to on the forum that was in, I think, Phoenix area(?) that made some carbon fiber bodies using a similar technique. Can't remember who it was. Like the new Shelby, they were remarkably light.

Carbon fiber construction is a mystery to me. The one used in my car was I consider decorative. The one used here seems semi-structural in that it is rigid but not, as in construction, "a bearing wall". Then you have frames made out of hand laid carbon fiber, example is the new version of the Ford GT and others that use CF for truly structural body parts. The methods and material must differ.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by eschaider

IF I had the money to buy one of those, I would add the extra dollars to buy a billet chassised, aluminum bodied Kirkham.

From the September 2011 issue of Hot Rod magazine: "The price tag for the research and development of the original billet car was north of $1 million. Now that the hard work is done and CNC programs have been written, KMS says it can reproduce the car for between $300,000 and $400,000."

Of course that was over 10 years ago and a normal KMS roller base cost (without any options) was $56,995 at the time according to the article. So I guess a new KMS billet chassis car might be in the same price range as one of these Diamond Editions.

Still, but if you could get an original Cobra for $1.2 million, who would want one of these Diamond editions?

On the other hand if you wanted the ultimate KMS and had the money, wouldn't you take a KMS billet chassis car over a non street legal Shelby Diamond Edition that comes with BF goodrich tires?