1965 Shelby Cobra

The Carrol Shelby name is no secret in the world of car enthusiasts. He has a lengthy list of vehicles that had roles in their development. Some more famous than others and there is few that would disagree that the Cobra of 1965 is the most prominent of all his creations. The Shelby Cobra/Daytona was commissioned, built and driven to do one thing – beat Ferrari in the 24hrs of Lemans. After the huge success the Cobra was rolled out and continued to receive significant praises for its power and style. Fast forward to present times and people were disappointed with the sports cars that were rolling out of the factories and the lack of excitement and performance they offered. Entering the market were a handful of companies building replicas or recreations of famous cars from the past. One of the most popular was the Shelby Cobra of the 60's and the company Factory Five Racing opened up their shop in 1995 to build models that would be sought after and desired for their quality, craftsmanship and performance.

In 2004 this gorgeous Cobra Mark III replica from Factory Five Racing was commissioned to be built by a gentleman out of OH where he special ordered the kit and had a high dollar performance shop build the car for him with unique and desirable components and options. All parts were brand new along with transmission, engine, suspension, electronics, trim and fabrication. The car received a 392 V8 crate engine from Ford Factory Racing. It has forged internals, aluminum heads, Demon Carburetor with K&N air filter, 9:7:1 compression and hydraulic roller camshaft. Dual exhaust with exhaust guards completes the sound that only can be described as mean. According to previous owner the engine setup was generating horsepower of 430. The chassis caries coil over suspension, independent rear suspension, Cobra Mustang brakes, and tubular upper and lower control arms and was painted prior. The inside of this Cobra is remarkable with the attention to detail and proper parts and accessories added to allow this one to stand out from the other back yard garage mechanics that build some of these kits. Leather bucket seats with Simpsons 5point harnesses are installed and believe it or not they are also heated. Auto Meter gauges with fuel, fuel pressure, oil pressure, water temperature, voltage, clock, RPM and speedo are accurately installed into the gorgeous carbon fiber dash piece. Dual fan switches are easily turned on or off with a flick of switches and the lights and turn signals have the proper period correct look and function properly. Carpet kit was installed and compliments the whole package along with the stainless look pedals. Carbon Fiber shift knob has a nice touch and has the proper feel and location as the originals. Further interior features are the proper wind deflectors, sun visors, rear view mirror, racing steering wheel with Cobra badge, fire extinguisher mounted between the two seats, and dash mounted horn button. The highlight of this car other than the above mentioned is the fit and finish of the body and the remarkable paint job that is on this Cobra. 100's of hours were spent to get the fit of the doors, trunk and engine lid to line up properly along with the show winning paint job that was applied. Six coats of clear coat were put on this car and the phantom black paint is to a mirror finish. However, the paint shop did not stop there, they custom painted dual stripes on the car that are perfectly lined up down the middle of the vehicle and nicely accented by a dark crimson red stripe on both sides. This is quite remarkable as many of these replicas have poor paint or off center stripes. Then the painter air brushed the cobra symbol on each side of the vehicle as well as the front badge which is usually a riveted or taped on steel emblem. Finally there is a Cobra ghosted in on the front hood along with a ghosted in checkered flag on the front and back of the car. It is truly a work of art and the paint job alone would cost well over $20k to duplicate if not more.

This Cobra is in amazing condition both inside and out and carries a strong presence on the street or sitting still. The sound of the engine and exhaust is very intimidating and the looks complete the package. Further enhancements include carbon fiber engine sills, quick fuel gas cap, 15in AC knockoff wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT II white lettering tires and front and rear compartments with piston shocks to stay open and to close properly. Car comes with a large file of owner's manuals from the components and features when the car was built along with receipts and wiring diagrams. All features appear to be working properly and the car is truly a joy to drive wherever you may desire.

To see over 80 photos of this car, including under carriage please visit our website www.grautogallery.com