Anyone for a Cobra Raffle?

[Merv and Sharon]

Shelby raffles off last 50th-anniversary Cobra - Autoweek

From the article:

Shelby is celebrating its 50th anniversary in style, first at the Detroit auto show with a few black-and-gold Shelby Mustangs, and now at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona with the last example of the 50th-anniversary Shelby Cobra.

The car won't be sold to the highest bidder though; it will be raffled. Tickets cost $25 apiece or five for $100. The winner will be announced next January. All proceeds will be donated to the Carroll Shelby Foundation, a charity that Shelby started to provide financial support for children battling life-threatening diseases. Shelby American built 50 of these anniversary cars to celebrate five decades of high performance. All sold out within hours, but this one was repurposed for charity. All were painted in Shelby black, with a wine-colored interior, special badges and wire wheels. The Cobra is powered by a 289-cubic-inch V8 that makes 475 hp and 435 lb-ft of torque. That power will motivate the small roadster that weighs in at just 2,200 pounds.

And:

Win a Shelby!!

And you can see why they sold so fast. Great price! However, getting 475hp out of a 289 is interesting ...

http://www.shelbyautos.com/images/pdf/50cobra.pdf

[Rob. Smith]

Winning the Cobra for 25 bucks would be amazing....getting the thing here would be terrifying ! ( customs,dings etc)

[Merv and Sharon]

I just can't believe the prices they quote for their cars. You could barely build a decent car here for that price, unless I am missing something.

[Rob. Smith]

You're right Merv, Cars over there are like 'Thongs' you just use em and throw them away. What freaks me out is what they pay for old muscle cars...the price for a big house here...and a few years of rates ! My $68,000 Nissan sells for about $26,000 over there ! All the kids buy em !

[Merv and Sharon]

Yes Rob, modern second hand cars in the US seem to plummet in value, Porsches for example. However, when I occasionally watch the Mecum auctions, I am ready to jump up with my bid on some of their offerings. Those Shelby American Cobras seem well made, well priced, have all the right provenance and will retain their value. I would love one.

[Philm]

beautiful car.

I bought some tickets.

Phil

[Merv and Sharon]

Like you need another car? Now, if you win Phil - that could be a car that was shared around with the less fortunate?

[Philm]

As Rob says, I will have it for $25 bucks.

They just look right, and to be a special, 50th anniversary, would be something to keep.

Got to be in it to win it.

Phil

[Merv and Sharon]

Pity they closed Jan 12th.

[Philm]

Not closed, Jan 2013 is the draw.

Phil

[Merv and Sharon]

You are right! I have been buried in another task and didn't notice that. One to it ..

[CMY-427]

I wouldnt mind buying a few tickets in this myself, however does anybody know what sort of taxes etc would be applied at this end??
I dont have a problem with any of the "normal" import costs etc but would this be classed under the "Luxury Car Tax" scheme etc etc?? I guess it would be classed as a "New" car and so on.....
It sounds cheap at a few hundred dollars worth of tickets but it may end up costing in the tens of thousands....over and above the normal associated import costs

[Philm]

It would be a nice problem to have.

You could bring it in with no intension of registration, you do not need an import permit and I assume no taxes etc etc.

It would be such a hassel to look at getting it registered, the left hand drive the obvious.

See how you go with a special permit every now and then, who knows.

AS if we would need to worry, they will probably sell 2 million tickets.

Phil

[750hp]

Originally Posted by Philm

You could bring it in with no intension of registration, you do not need an import permit and I assume no taxes etc etc.

You need an import approval to bring in ANY car into the country. Even trying to import a racing car (that could never be converted into a street car) is a massive drama. Without Dept Infrastructure approval, if customs open your container and see a car without approval papers, it's a world of pain.

From their website:
An Import Approval must be obtained for a vehicle to gain customs clearance at its point of entry to Australia. Vehicles that arrive in Australia without an Import Approval generally incur significant storage costs until an Import Approval is issued.

It is strongly recommended that you do not ship your vehicle to Australia until such time as you are issued with an Import Approval. If you ship your vehicle before receiving an approval and your vehicle arrives before the application is processed, you may incur storage costs from the shipping company/freight forwarder. You may also be open to prosecution, as it is an offence to import a vehicle without an Import Approval. Importation takes place when a vehicle is landed within the port of intended discharge and not once the vehicle clears customs control. If the import application is not approved, you will have to either export the vehicle or have it destroyed at your own expense. Destruction will need to take place under Customs supervision.

[Merv and Sharon]

Still would be a nice problem to have. Prizes have a special category in income taxes, I believe, but perhaps not in customs. Or perhaps I could keep in it NZ and go and drive there each year for a month or so ....

[Philm]

They have really made that difficult.

Is this a new thing, with race cars?

Phil

[Rob. Smith]

No Phil It applies to all imports and it goes as far as photographing the car 'as purchased' and doing the same when it arrives...It can be rejected if any changes have been made and you have to return it or destroy it. Hot rods , mustangs customs etc. Bloody sad !