We talk about how many original Cobras are left, but...

[klayfish]

...how about the ones that aren't still on the road/in a museum? There were approximately 1000 made, give or take a few, and probably 75% or more are still around.

Has anyone kept records on the few hundred that are gone? Is there record that they were definitely destroyed and scrapped? Accidents? Fire? Put in the crusher? Is it possible there are some unaccounted cars sitting in the proverbial barn somewhere? Or a wrecked one sitting in someones garage that is not on the registry?

Steve

[mrmustang]

SAAC has quite a bit of information from the national database. Far more than their last registry (1997), so much so that the next registry will be a two volume set...........


Bill S.

[Ron61]

I know of one that was definately destroyed. It was wrecked at LeMans in 1965 I think it was. It hit a small English car from the rear after dark and the other car never had the lights on. Both cars exploded and the Cobra was totaled. They brought it back to Los Angles and cut it up with torches and threw the parts in a garbage dumpster. I have some pictures in some book of the mess it was in.

Ron

[Thorin]

Bill

Do you know when the next Shelby Registry will be coming out?

David Lowell

[computerworks]

Last published schedule indicated June 2004...

...but, sometimes that slips.

[LURK]

Originally posted by Ron61


I know of one that was definately destroyed. It was wrecked at LeMans in 1965 I think it was. It hit a small English car from the rear after dark and the other car never had the lights on. Both cars exploded and the Cobra was totaled. They brought it back to Los Angles and cut it up with torches and threw the parts in a garbage dumpster. I have some pictures in some book of the mess it was in.

Ron

Just happened to have that book handy! The race was 12 Hours of Sebring, 1964. Driver Bob Johnson somehow only got a black eye and a broken nose. The car is completely unrecognizable- a picture of it is in Dave Friedman's Shelby Archives book.

-JT

[computerworks]

...and, as if by magic, that car drives around today!

[LURK]

Originally posted by computerworks


...and, as if by magic, that car drives around today!

Is that the one on eBay?

-JT

[computerworks]

no.

it is CSX2259... carries the CSX number but it is known that it is a "phoenix-from-the-ashes" and not the original roller.

[LURK]

That 'ol Shelby magic! There's got to be more to THAT little story...

-JT

[computerworks]

http://www.clubcobra.com/t48048.html

[LURK]

Shouldn't you have just said "Do a search, numbnuts!"?

Thanks for the link. Excellent thread- good Saturday reading for sure. Helps to be Lynn Park to have a Cobra rise from the ashes I 'spose.

The more I see, the more I believe we're all just a bunch of poser wannabees compared to those guys who strapped themselves into the REAL Cobras (dented, dirty, trunks held closed with bungie cords, questionable steering, rear end problems and trophies).

-JT

[Ron61]

Lurk,

Thanks for correcting my mistake. I went and got my book after I logged off and saw that I had posted the wrong race.

Ron (CW)

Thanks for posting the picture and verifying what I had heard. I heard that they saved the CSX number from the car but had never seen anything or anyone until now that could actually verify that they had reused it.

Ron

[Cal Metal]

Accounting for the number of cars still in existence is quite easy--the Registry does that. The problem is with wrecked cars that have come back to life using parts from others that makes it quite difficult to give an accurate number of true original cars in existence.

The role of thumb is this: typically, in the run of the mill, grocery getter, mom and pop sedans the survival rate is around 1% after 25 years. Sports Cars, such as the Corvette/Cobra have much higher rates of survival. I think 75% of '53 Corvettes are accounted for. Cobras are probably even higher--despite the rebodies/rechassis cars out there.