Continuation Cars

[DonnieG]

I am looking at a Superformance car and am being told it is a continuation car. I thought they were just licensed by Shelby and the only continuation cars were CSX? What am I missing?
Thanks

[JBCOBRA]

I believe you are correct and didn't miss a thing.

[Silverback51]

Same company manufactures the Continuation CSX series and the Superformance cars.

The Superformance cars are authorized by Shelby. The CSX cars are manufactured to Shelby's designs and they are different than the Superformance designs.

[CobraEd]

If they are not original (real), . . . . then they are continuation cobras as licenced by Dr. Shelby.

.

[CSXDreamer]

I thought that hizhonor, Mr. Shelby, put his blessings on the Superperformance a couple years ago and most likely recevied a few rubles for his trouble. Then there were stories that he is actually selling "continuation" cars made from frames that he registered in California around 1967/1968 after production of the 427 stopped. These are probably the ones that go for a flat half-million and get a "CSX" prefix serial number. Next, there is probably a signifcant connection from the cars he sells with Kirkham. And lastly, some of these cars can be had with a fiberglass body and some with an aluminum body from a former MIG plant in Poland and an additional 20-30K. You can probably search this topic or wait for more posts from those with more exact knowledge of this whole situation.

[computerworks]

The cars that are sold by Shelby Autos (CSX4000, 6000, 7000 and 8000) have been dubbed by them as "continuation" cars, regardless of which outsourced manufacturer supplies them.

Hi-Tech of S. Africa is one vendor of SA's; they also produce the cars sold as Superformance.

Shelby Licensing has granted an "authorized replica" license to the cars sold as Superformance. They do not have CSX numbers, nor are they considered Shelby products.

They are not built to SA design specs and differ in construction from the cars sourced to SA.

[Excaliber]

If I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm wrong, as to specs:

SPF runs CV joints for the rear axles, for example. CSX cars do not? Just one example of the differenct specs from SPF to SAI. Like Sears Die Hard batteries are actually made by Johnson Controls Inc. But SOME years they were/are made by a different company, still sold with the Sears brand name. The difference between a Sears battery and a Walmart battery, both made by the SAME company but sold as different brands? The specifications! One "name" carries greater weight (and price) than the other. One could make a case for Shelby specs being superior to SPF specs, or not. But it is difficult to argue the SPF NAME carries greater weight than the Shelby name, even if the cars were 100% identical (which they are not).

SPF pays a fee to be affiliated with SAI and receive it's "blessing". A fact that not all manufacturers are happy about. In fact, are ANY other manufacturers happy about it? I don't think so...

[REAL 1]

What Ron said.

Also please add:

An authorized SPF is just that.... a replica of a Cobra authorized by Shelby.

A continuation Cobra is just that... a Cobra and listed in the SAAC registry as a genuine Cobra.

Flame on.

Takes care.

[DonnieG]

The fact that this guy on Ebay is calling his Superformance car a continuation car, I think he's wrong. Just my opinion. I'm actually bidding on the car, looks like a nice car.

[REAL 1]

A Superformance is NOT a Continuation Cobra. Period. Either this guy doesn't understand the difference or is not being straight.

[computerworks]

...I mean...it's like Pavlov.

You ring the bell...and it's, like: Hi Evan

:-)

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by computerworks

...I mean...it's like Pavlov.

You ring the bell...and it's, like: Hi Evan

:-)

Here's my site suggestion. We should title every thread from now on with the word "continuation". Evan may just get sick and tired of looking through each thread each day and finally give up.

We definitely needed more clarity on the subject.

[dcdoug]

There are two vendors of the component CSX rollers for Shelby. Hi-Tech in S. Africa and HST in Mexico. I think HST has been building them nearly since the Continuation Series 4000/6000 cars were introduced. Hi-Tech also started building CSX cars a few years ago under license from Shelby (I think as part of a settlement to a lawsuit.....), but there are a number of differences between the CSX cars and the Superformance cars. Even things like the basic frame are different (square frame rails on Superformance and tubular frame on CSX, etc)

[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by computerworks

The cars that are sold by Shelby Autos (CSX4000, 6000, 7000 and 8000) have been dubbed by them as "continuation" cars, regardless of which outsourced manufacturer supplies them.

FWIW, the Shelby Autos web site describes the 4000, 7000, 8000,series as component vehicles not continuation vehicles.

Most likely to deal with the federal safety and emission requirements for new cars.

[Excaliber]

More clarity? I don't think that will help much. There is sufficient data available for one to come to a conclusion on these matters: Real, unreal, licensed, completion, continuation, genuine, original, small block, big block, Evan class. Wait, I'm getting carried away, maybe we need more clarification...

Only TWO vendors for SAI? I think they recently added a third for alloy bodies out of England.

[Anthony]

The "Original" "continuation" cars were the 45 or so "original frames" "constructed in the '60's", that Shelby decided to complete in the early, mid 90's, utilizing the remaining serial numbers CSX30xx left over from the original S/C comp car production. I believe about 5 or so of these cars have been made, all eligible for historic racing, at about $500,000 price tag.

Not long after production of these "continuation" cars started, Shelby came out with the CSX4000 car series, "newly made" cars at a much more reasonable price. These were I believe initially referred to as the "component" cars, ranging from about $50,000 to $90,000 for a finished roller. At some point, after the "original" "continuation" cars ceased production, or at the very least, were not promoted any longer, the component cars began to be referred to as the "continuation" cars, maybe really like
the "replica" "continuation" cars.

Superformance became involved in the production of the CSX4000/6000 cars and also had a licensing agreement with shelby as an authorized replica, although the Superformance car still is faithful to its "original" design, and the CSX4000/6000 cars are faithful to the "original" "continuation" cars, as well as the "original" cars.

Where everything stands now, I don't know.

[dcdoug]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Only TWO vendors for SAI? I think they recently added a third for alloy bodies out of England.

Forgot about the carbon fiber (is that what you are talking about?) I thought HST also built those, but I did hear something about a possible 3rd vendor, but didn't sound definite when I heard it.

Oh, on the VINs, as I heard it Shelby issued all of the VINs back in the 60s (or at least said he did) and then told DOT that the cars had been work-in-progress since 1968 and somehow got them to buy off on it. So they all have a legal 1965 MSO, but have to be sold as compontent rollers to avoid having to meet modern safety and emission standards. They use the same body molds and an updated version of the same frame.

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by Anthony

The "Original" "continuation" cars were the 45 or so "original frames" "constructed in the '60's", that Shelby decided to complete in the early, mid 90's, utilizing the remaining serial numbers CSX30xx left over from the original S/C comp car production.

...minor correction: the "orig" frame cars were dubbed "completion" cars, finsishing the original run of s/n's from the 60's

The newgen 4000's were the "continuation" cars

[Got the Bug]

Originally Posted by REAL 1

What Ron said.

Also please add:

An authorized SPF is just that.... a replica of a Cobra authorized by Shelby.

A continuation Cobra is just that... a Cobra and listed in the SAAC registry as a genuine Cobra.

Flame on.

Takes care.

Have you written some sort of keyword email or IM notification system that sets off an alarm when the word "continuation" comes up?

[Excaliber]

Those cars built from "left over frames" in the wharehouse (actually new frames built by McCluskey) are the ones typically referred to as the "Completition" series cars. The Continuation name would apply to the current CSX cars.

Oops, I see Ron beat me to it.

Carbon Fiber? Heck I forgot about those! HST made them you think? The English alloy thing has been on and off for years, last I heard it was back on?