Announcement - South Africa CSX4000 Cars

[brentfenimore]

On behalf of Carroll Shelby and Shelby Automobiles, Inc., I would like to make the following statements:

Since its conception in 1996 the CSX4000 427 S/C Cobra has maintained the original chassis configuration, shape and interior of the 427 S/C products we built in 1965 while utilizing the improvements in engineering, material and component performance that are available today.

The product that is being assembled at our facility in South Africa has not wavered from the standards of the units produced in Las Vegas but rather taken a few steps forward in optimizing the original configuration and performance of the 1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra.

The engineering, configuration, assembly procedures, components and quality control of these component vehicles are being taken to the next level of excellence by utilizing all resources at our disposal in order to deliver authentic products to the hands of Cobra Lovers at an affordable price world wide. All products are produced under the direct supervision of Carroll Shelby and his team of engineers, technicians and product development personnel. A few of the improvements include increased footbox capacity, front & rear aluminum uprights, increased spindle & bearing sizes as well as lowered seating and improved overall handling performance on the track and street.

Carroll Shelby has not and will not compromise the integrity of the designs that won the World Championship back in 1965 as well as dominated racing in the United States throughout the sixties. Shelby has worked with multiple suppliers worldwide in order to achieve the product that is known as the CSX4000 and this is merely a step to bring these suppliers together in order to reduce costs and pass them through to the end user.

The next generation of CSX4000 products that promises to be the ultimate in performance, durability and collect ability is the Carbon Fiber Bodied 427 S/C. This product is in the final development stages and will be available for delivery in mid to late November. The target price of this model is $55,000.00 however we hope to fall in below this target by utilizing the same team philosophy we have in place on the fiberglass units that are available at $39,995.00.

The plant in Las Vegas will continue to produce the aluminum bodied CSX4000 vehicles as well as the CSX7000 & 8000 Cobras. We also have a complete performance division that will continue to deliver high performance upgrades, enhancements, engines and Shelby Performance Products. Our corporate headquarters will continue to be at the Las Vegas facility and we plan to deliver several other quality products from within its walls over the course of the next few years.

Yours truly,


R Brent Fenimore

[computerworks]

Brent... thanks for the timely update and information on this new product offering.

You've seen the "buzz" that this has created since your announcement at Monterrey. I'm sure there will be questions about the package and its various changes.

Please check back to this thread frequently. so that these questions can be addressed by an SAI representative.

Moderator Note....

This product announcement has been posted in the Manufacturer's Forum. Please use this thread to address specific questions about the product to Brent Fenimore or other SAI reps.

Please continue to discuss all the other "aspects" (as we have been doing) in All Cobra Talk on the existing threads... or feel free to editorialize on a new thread in that forum. This thread will be moderated for content.

Thanks
Ron
ClubCobra Moderator

[KobraKarl]

Mr. Fenimore, Thankyou for responding .

Aside from the changes to the uprights , will will the rear suspension and differential continue to be identical to original ? will the frame continue to be a direct copy of the original ? will the new body be a "faithful reproduction of the original?.

Is there any chance a precise list of deviations from the original design be made available?

KK

[CSX 4027]

Will the 7000 & 8000 glass cars be moved to South Africa for prodution as well?

[pk]

If these Cobras are truly the equal of the "Vegas Cobras" SAI will have a runaway hit on their hands. Shelby has an opportunity here to make a quality product at a competitive price. I for one wish them luck and hope the car is as good as they say it will be.

I always said if SAI would/could lower their price to be competitive(without lowering the quality) they could dominate the market!

pk

[brentfenimore]

For those that are not up to speed on SAI products, the CSX7000 is the 289 FIA model that has been in production for the past two and a half years and the CSX8000 is the 289 Street Car that has been in production for the 16 months.

R Brent Fenimore

[pk]

....and these cars (7000, 8000) will be made where?
pk

[Tom T.]

pk--Brent said in his post above that they will continue to be made in Las Vegas.

TT

[pk]

sorry

guess I'm just a bit excited

pk

[brentfenimore]

The differential will be identical to the current product in fact it will be supplied by SAI through our current resources. We are looking at the 8.8" Ford with CVs in place of half shafts but feel that through quantity we can get the original diff down to an affordable level. The uprights as well as upper and lower control arms are interchangeable with the originals which quite honestly means current owners of CSX4000 Cobras can upgrade to the new suspension. The only change to control arms is the front upper design that was changed to accommodate an improved ball joint design. The frame itself has not changed from the original configuration and the body is built to the same data as the original although we have made it symmetrical from left to right.

R Brent Fenimore

[KobraKarl]

Thanks ,Brent,

Thats what I was hoping to hear.

KK

[Excaliber]

Sounds great Brent, thanks for keeping us up-dated on this important turn of events.

Ernie

[BANDIT 1]

Originally posted by brentfenimore




The next generation of CSX4000 products that promises to be the ultimate in performance, durability and collect ability is the Carbon Fiber Bodied 427 S/C. This product is in the final development stages and will be available for delivery in mid to late November. The target price of this model is $55,000.00 however we hope to fall in below this target by utilizing the same team philosophy we have in place on the fiberglass units that are available at $39,995.00.

What is the difference between the $55,000.00 "Glass" bodied Cobra and the one selling for $39,995.00?

Will the aluminum bodied Cobra's come down in price?

[Bud Man]

Bandit:

Carbon Fiber $55,000

Fiberglass: $39,995

That's the difference.

Bud

[pk]

and alum. is 70,000?
pk

[mikiec]

Is the 39K the standard price or just a short term introductory price?

Mike

[BANDIT 1]

Mr. Bud Man:

Thanks for pointing out the difference. I hope the batteries are going to be located where they belong, in the trunk. Are these cars going to be made just to fit the 427/428 engines? If Shelby wants to "modernize" the Cobra's, he should use the best Ford Big Block engines made, the 385 series engine. They could call it a 557 S/C Cobra.

[Tom T.]

FE BE BEST!

TT :<)

[pderouss]

Sounds like all the elements are now converging back together again and that AC, SAI and Superformance are all directly intertwined through the good offices of Mr Price.

I presume that the carbon bodied car will be the same as the AC Cobra CRS that was previously built in Brooklands (England ) using a body produced in South Africa. When my alloy bodied car was being built there there were a number of these in production and on sale complete for GBP 40,000 ($72,000). The downside was that they only came with a stock EFI 302 turning out around 240bhp.
The quality of the body is outstanding and it is also very light and very strong.

By the way the alloy AC cars are still assymetrical - it's all part of the charm!

[btsai]

Mike -- I believe it is introductory pricing. Slight increase after the initial sell-in (like $2-3K).

Ben