1965 Shelby Cobra

1965 Factory Five Cobra Daytona Replica The first evolution of the Shelby Cobra was the Shelby Daytona coupe which racked up wins in numerous races in 1964 and 1965. The first GT class win was at the 12 Hours of Sebring, driven by Dave MacDonald and Pennsylvania native, Bob Holbert. The actual car, (CSX2287), is here in Pennsylvania at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. It went on to set land speed records at Bonneville in 1965. Though not as frequently replicated as the Cobra, street legal Daytona copies do occasionally show up at car shows. For consignment, a 1965 Factory Five Cobra Daytona replica with a title verified 3,829 actual miles, a 347ci stroker V8 up front, real knock-off wheels, and a two stage coat of paint that will grab attention just before the epic shape of the car is noticed. Exterior The fiberglass body is painted World Rally Blue and shines from stem to stern. The nose of the car features clear covers on the headlights, a pointed nose with gaping lower air intake that is flanked by fog lights and four amber marking lights. The front of the body is one piece and houses an open scoop, encapsulated with aluminum panels that lead to the fan and radiator. The smooth body leads back to an upturned rear with integrated wing and a flat fascia that was intended to shed turbulent air at high speed. Four small, circular taillights are the only thing disrupting the back panel and of course, there's a place for your license plate. The vast rear window provides a look through the roll cage right to the cockpit of this speedster. Black side pipes vent from the front quarter, and 18-inch American Racing Shelby wheels are also black with silver inner rims and real knock-offs. A Shelby snake is on each front quarter panel as well, just above the hood release and a race style gas cap emerges from the rear quarter panel. The only imperfection is some touched up scrapes on the bottom lip of the intake. Interior A simple black plastic panel is embedded on the inner doors and contains the door opener only. Plastic windows on the doors will do their best to keep out the rain, if you dare. Step over the aluminum plates on the sills to find bomber style black vinyl seats, taller than you'd find in a Cobra, but prepped for a five point harness if you wanted to go that route. A simple, wood rimmed steering wheel fronts the notorious simple dash, similar to the real thing, with basic gauges on a black vinyl boxed dashboard with various unmarked toggle switches in the center. One creature comfort the race car did not have, of course, was air conditioning, but our replica has it and controls on the dash. The big, square center hump houses a long shifter and carpet covers the floor. A black roll cage is behind the seats and frames the rear shelf, also covered with carpet for modern use on the street. Drivetrain Lift the front and reveal a 347ci stroker engine with aluminum heads, an Edelbrock intake manifold, a Summit Racing 4-barrel carburetor, and headers. You WILL be opening your hood at car shows and fortunately, this is an attractive powerplant with plenty of polished aluminum, clean surfaces, and a very cool double snorkel air intake. A T5 5-speed manual transmission is on board and sends power to 4.10 gears in back while disc brakes are supplied on all four wheels. Undercarriage All's well underneath where a tubular frame allows access and view of all components including the coil overs on front and back. The exhaust goes from the headers to the side pipes. Knuckles and other wheel components are clean. We note some residual oil on the pan but no active leaks. Drive-Ability This may have a few creature comforts to soften the driving experience, but there's nothing softening the exhaust note. No mufflers, no sound proofing, and not much distance between you and the big pipes to the side. The raucous note is met by the acceleration underfoot and the