In a recent story about the Martin Auto Museum in Phoenix, we showcased an extremely rare 1965 Shelby Cobra (signed by the legendary Carroll Shelby himself) as one of the “crown jewels” of the 170-vehicle private collection. The market for authentic Shelby Cobras is sky-high, with some cars reaching as high as the eight-figure price range. Luckily, there are ways to buy a Cobra lookalike that looks the part – but does so on a much smaller budget.
The Pick of the Day is a 1967 Shelby Cobra replica listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in West Hollywood, California. (Click the link to view the listing)
“Professional paint work with painted stripes,” the listing says. The rich red color (which the seller calls Lava Orange) is complemented by chrome bumpers, side-mounted exhaust pipes, a tubular rollbar and a set of aluminum wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires. According to the car’s Vehicle Identification Label, the State of California classifies the car as a “Specially Constructed Vehicle.”
Cockpit features for the two-seater include a wooden steering wheel, saddle-colored leather bucket seats, lap belts, map pockets and a leather-wrapped gear shifter. The VDO instruments show an indicated 4,212 miles on the digital odometer – a figure reflective of the mileage driven since the build was completed. The carpeted trunk houses the battery and a fire extinguisher. Overall simplicity is the name of the game – there is no radio, no climate-control and no convertible top. The car is intended for fair-weather joyrides only.
The build started out as a fiberglass kit from Shell Valley Classic Wheels in Platte Center, Nebraska. Shell Valley’s website says, “While many kit car companies have entered and left the industry, Shell Valley has continued to be the leader in kit car replicas because of our dedicated and talented staff and our thousands of satisfied, loyal customers.”
Despite the car bearing 427 emblems on the front fenders, power comes from a 460ci big-block V8 that is fed by dual four-barrel carburetors. The seller says that the car is “California compliant.” Finally, the floor-mounted shift lever may look like it controls a standard transmission, but the car is an automatic.
The asking price is $89,990 – a decent chunk of change, but still far less than you’d pay for a real Shelby Cobra (if you can even find one for sale at all).
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
