It’s a plain fact that there are more kit car Shelby Cobras in the world than there are the real deals. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe homage car may be a pretender to the throne, but will its price have you saying: hey, let’s pretend?
Well there we go. Yesterday’s tidy and proper 1975 Moto Guzzi earned itself a solid 70% Nice Price win. That was the first vote of the week to land on the side of good and not evil and it made me have to do a little happy dance. Let’s see if we can make it a two-fer with today’s screaming yellow zonker of a fauxbra.
Do you believe in blasphemy? You might remember the scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian where a bunch of women disguised themselves as men just so they could participate in the stoning of a man who had allegedly blasphemed, having spoken the unspeakable in praise of his evening meal. Hilarity of course ensued.
This “1965 AC Cobra” could be considered blasphemous. Not because of its fiberglass body mind you, there’s no shame in that, lord knows. No, the aspect of this car that might offend your core sensibilities is that the engine powering it is not the expected FoMoCo big block but a 383 stroker from that marque’s cross-town rival, Chevrolet.
Now, it’s long been a recipe for success to mate a ’32 Ford (or it’s aftermarket fiberglass doppelgänger) with the cheap and easy horsepower that a Chevy small block affords, but a Chevy-powered Cobra? Well, That’s a whole ‘nother thing entirely.
Okay, I’m over it.
What you might not get over is the anodized red rockers on this Chevy V8 mill, which will no doubt have you thinking of the original Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar and of course that leads to you singing “I Can’t Drive Fifty-Five” under your breath while you make little bull horn jabs with your hand in the traditional rock concert fashion.
Now, if you’re not going to drive fifty-five what better car not to do it in than a Cobra? This one looks to be a runner, however don’t bother with the videos linked in the ad to confirm that, as they are nothing more than 5-second clips, shot portrait style, of those rockers and a quick fire up. Boring!
No, we’ll just need to go by the sellers words and not his actions, and the ad has plenty of the former. It notes that along with the Chevy V8 the car carries a working Muncie four-speed and ford 9-inch rearend, and that the engine has been gifted with a number of new ignition and fuel delivery parts.
The frame is some sort of kit car job and while the car looks like your standard 427 there’s a couple head scratchers about its presentation. First off, the seller says that it’s got more foot room than a Factory Five car, and then there’s the weird cut-down windscreen that looks like it’s off of an MG Midget. What’s up with that?
On the plus side, the car comes with five-point belts, a roll hoop, and from the back it looks like aKim Kardashian bending over. Oh mama!
You get a bunch of extra parts along with the car - side vents, an oil cooler, a couple of wheels and a steering rack, for what that’s worth. The needs are some minor fiberglass work (check out that front fender lip), paint, and what’s described as some miner tuning so be prepared to get out your lanterns and pickaxes, people.
Strangely enough the car comes titled as a 1965 MGB from Massachusetts. Now, I can’t think of what part on this (maybe the front suspension subframe?) that could have come from a B, but whatever, that at least should help with license and insurance here.
The asking price for this Chevy-obra is $18,750. Alternatively, the seller would trade it for any of a slew of other cars if that’s what you happen to barter. What do you think, is $18,750 a fair price to put a Cobra - this particular Cobra - in your garage? Or, is that price just snake-bit?
You decide!
Los Angeles Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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