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This man wants to
sell you a Cobra, once again No, the sixties have not returned, but one of it's heroes has. I suppose you've heard that Carroll Shelby has hung up his chef's hat and has been busy building cars -- not bowls of chili. Although Shelby American never went out of business, its biggest claim to automotive fame of recent years was the input Carroll Shelby had in consulting with Chrysler Corporation, helping get the Dodge Viper and the more recent Viper Coupe into production. Any enthusiast of the Shelby American legacy can see more than a casual resemblance between the original COBRA and the Dodge Viper. The same can be said of the World Champion COBRA Daytona Coupe and the Viper Coupe. Today's Viper Coupe is definitely the younger brother of designer Pete Brock's original F.I.A. race car. Is it any wonder then, when Chrysler's Plymouth division set out to build a factory hot rod -- that it's styling queue was the infamous '32 Ford ? Let's face it, I've named three old Fords that have looked pretty hot in their modern day Chrysler incarnations. Back to the future indeed ? Carroll Shelby has been getting a lot of press in recent years regarding the popularity of the COBRA as a kit car. He's long felt that who would be better to offer the COBRA as a kit car but himself? So, now we come to another Shelby American vehicle, the CSX4000 component COBRA. The car is sold from the factory as a component car, which means you get to deal with a single source supplier for all the parts you need to build the car of your dreams. However, you will need to deal with a registered Shelby American dealer for assembly, unless you're going to build one yourself. Shelby American does not offer a factory built car. When you take delivery of your component COBRA, there's no warranty. You buy it -- you build it (or get it built). Therein lies the big difference between buying a CSX4000 and a new Shelby Series One. click on a photo below to enlarge The subject vehicle for our story is owned by Mr. James Binder of St. Clair Shores, Michigan. James took delivery of his car from the nearest Shelby American representative, located in Holland, Michigan on the West Michigan shore. Although Jim has always wanted a COBRA for his very own -- he has bigger plans for this subject vehicle. Jim is on an aggressive schedule to get the car fully constructed in time for the big Autorama Hot Rod show held at Detroit's Cobo Hall Exposition center. That date of February 1999 is fast approaching, but in my conversations with Jim -- this is one dedicated Shelby enthusiast. Once Jim has completed his COBRA, he plans to become a very active dealer for these cars here in the southeastern Michigan area. Looking at the car as a whole, I must say I was very impressed with the CSX4000. The car is very well constructed (even though you have to take it all apart to paint it and build it properly) with a very solid frame and suspension setup. The fit and finish of the GEL coated fiberglass body is terrific. This car is not for those unsure of their mechanical abilities however, because there is no instruction manual supplied with the car. The word from the dealer is "Once you've built one, you'll know how". I plan to follow Jim's progress on the car. I hope to get body off frame as well as finished product photographed for all to enjoy.
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