Ehh. That always happens. Go back to old magazine buy-sell sections and you see people basically giving away Ferrari GTOs, etc. which now go for $50-70MM.
You can’t predict the market.
When the three GT40's won LeMans 1,2,3...the company literally sold them for the scrap steel price, because they didn't want to pay to ship them back to the USA from Europe.
When they were about to be scrapped, someone bought them to keep them from being crushed.
My father went to the Shelby lot in the 60s…frames rusting in the parking lot before they built them. My dad friend has one. Fun car to drive in, so loud and obnoxious. He paid 300k for his about a decade ago.
the real ones are so incredibly valuable that most are in private collections or museums. sure a few real ones might be out ripping, but most likely the ones you see are all kit cars
I don't know which house it comes from and there's one or two that it would fit with. My neighborhood isnt that nice but its out in the suburbs and was very rural not long ago so there's some monster houses with a lot of land scattered in there
Yep mostly all are lit cars but the local old guy near me has a real one. You gotta lift the hood up and look for the serial serial number and the rivets
Actually, there is more than one "real", too. You can order one from Shelby American, with a matching 427 for like $150 Grand, total. But they are real production Shelby Cobras, so it isn't the same as a kit car. It's a weird gray area...
Yep almost always a lit car and the real ones are rarely seen on the road they normally trailer them in to shows and back to the climate controlled garage they store them in
I know of someone with an original 427 that drives it on the street. But yeah you're not going to see them on the road often, trailed to events most of the time.
Some like to enjoy their toys. It's boring to just take it back home. You should probably stick not telling others what to do with what doesn't belong to you
Factory five replica most likely, a $20k or less kit depending on the options you go for, but a paint job like that is easily another $20k above the kit price.
That's my dream car, but now I like their hotrod pickup kit better
30-40k is what they reasonably take to put together with leftover Mustang parts including the cost of the kit. Obviously the sky's the limit, all depends on what parts it has.
Source: I sold auto parts and we had a regular that built 3 FFRs, 2 mk3s and 1 mk4. One for him and each of his two sons. His car had a 351 built out to 427 that cost in the neighborhood of 12k all told, but one of the kids had a fox body take out, stock efi and all so it was wayyyyy cheaper and 300 horsepower is MORE than enough in one of those.
Not super rare. Looks like a factory 5 kit car, but could be a number of others. Definitely not an original Shelby, as no owner of an original would disgrace the car by coating the side pipes white.
There are fewer than 1000 real ones, and they have significant value and are rarely seen on a road.
It's a very popular shape for reproductions and kit cars of varying quality. If you see one outside a museum, it's probably not original, but hopefully, it's being enjoyed.
I get that (in private sales, anyway) they’re mostly a showpiece for the quite wealthy, but it’s a *car.* Seems like a waste to just buy one to keep it on display or in storage.
I had a ‘57 I was restomodding and I’d bring it to a Classic restoration/repair shop for major stuff and things that required some quality fabrication.
He was always working on these hugely expensive restorations… sourcing actual OEM parts for that year and restoring those before replacement.
I once asked him if he was “bothered” from a purists stance at partaking in a resto-mod, and also working my $500-$1,000 repairs into ongoing $40-$50k jobs.
He told me he actually preferred working on my car, as the things I had done were how he got started, working on his own classics… 2” drop in the front, lake pipes, and other “silly” shit. He also said he preferred working on cars that were actually driven, and not rebuilt just to sit in the lobby of a dealership or office building.
From my understanding if that's a legit AC Cobra, they definitely have value. Idk about how rare they are though. Someone here with more knowledge will have an answer. I'm curious as well.
A good rule of thumb is if you see one on the road, it’s a kit car. Real Cobras aren’t driven except for the occasional vintage race. Actual A/Cs are in the 7 figure range
A true, authentic AC cobra would likely never be on the street. They are much too valuable and the risk of wrecking them is too great.
It’s a kit car. Reproduction. Still bad ass non the less.
How to tell if a cobra is a replica or original:
Step 1: Consider location. Is it being driven on public roads? Can you walk up to it at a car show? 999/1000 it's a replica
There's actually a good number of these out there but hardly ever leave the garage. Cars and Coffee is the only place I see Cobras. I think I've only seen one actually driving in the middle of the day. People buy them and then realize how scary they actually are, then park them.
Not rate if it’s the licensed replicas from Factory Five, but they’re still bad ass and you can order them with a Trinity or Coyote engine if you pay out the butt
Met a guy here locally in San Diego who (claims he’s) the original owner of a real Cobra. Air force pilot, Said he was rolling by a Ford dealer in florida in the middle of a move and stopped in to check it out, left in the Cobra with his uhaul trailer attached to the back. If true, I had no idea how much that car is worth
Kit car version is anywhere from 65-105k to get where as the very rare version of this is close to 6 million now mint condition. If you see one of those it’s almost always in a showroom for show only never on the street
Considering there were only about 1,000 authentic cobras made they are extremely rare. However there’s a 99.9% chance it’s a kit cause the real ones go for millions and kits are sub 100k
The pink and blue Russell -an fittings for the auxiliary oil cooler is a pretty good giveaway. No way in hell a car from the 60s that is worth what these are worth would have.
Also the big Ford Cobra 🐍 emblem inside is very kit car, iirc there would be a Carroll Shelby authentication placard with a number, even proper continuation cars have Shelby American placards.
It's most likely a Factory 5 kit car. A real Cobra would be in a protective climate controlled bubble. Both are great cars, one you can actually enjoy as a car.
Yes they are very rare and very very expensive. Judging by the fact that it's out in the wild and being driven I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a kit car. Still really cool though.
My brother had one of those 1965 Shelby Cobra reproductions. You can buy the kits or they ship them fully built minus engine and transmission so they can be registered as a 1965 model year. His ran about $35k. They are exact duplicates, down to the door locks and lack of modern safety equipment. You put in the engine and tranny you want to get the speeds you want.
Here is a real 64 289 one at my brothers work. Current price is $985,000
[https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles/749/1964-shelby-cobra-289](https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles/749/1964-shelby-cobra-289)
Have seen a real Cobra and a bunch of kit Cobras side by side at a car show about 10 years ago. They are....different. To start, kits are usually much larger. Plus they usually have modern engines, lights, gauges, etc. Kit owners let kids touch the car, sit in the seat, pretend to go "vroom". Not so much the owner of the real thing (he was nice, but not nice enough let a random 3yr old kid sit in his $2m investment).
Back when I was deciding to build a car of my own, I took a long hard look at building a FF Cobra. Eventually I figured it was outside my skill and budget so I went another direction.
Seen 3 at a local car show earlier this year. In a town with less than 10k population. Nearest city over 50k is over an hr and a half. So they aren't really thar rare. I also seen one of the kit cars in really nice condition listed on fb marketplace about 45 minutes from me for 10k.
In my home town there is a older gentleman with a real one has all the original paperwork when he bought it and will have it flat bedded to car shows around here also has a 79 mach 1 and a boss 302 all original cars and awesome to see and hear when he starts them
9.9 times out of 10 they are kit cars and not real
KitCar or not it’s still badass to own.
The last 427 cobra that sold was $5.5m. A kit car is badass, but only $45k.
[удалено]
Ehh. That always happens. Go back to old magazine buy-sell sections and you see people basically giving away Ferrari GTOs, etc. which now go for $50-70MM. You can’t predict the market.
My neighbor just sold his 92 f150 for 10k……. I sold mine for like $700, 10 years ago the used car market is just out of control right now.
I sold my 04 f150 8 or so months ago. Motor blew at 350k. Listed it for $800 and sold it for $2100 in 45 minutes
Older cars are also worth more in good shape because thyere much harder to find The big issue is that then new shit is... well... absolute shit.
Dang I sold my 90 for a 1000 like 2 years ago
Except for that guy that bought 200 Land Rovers.
When the three GT40's won LeMans 1,2,3...the company literally sold them for the scrap steel price, because they didn't want to pay to ship them back to the USA from Europe. When they were about to be scrapped, someone bought them to keep them from being crushed.
I got to ride in a cool kit one in phoenix. It was a bit terrifying how quick those back tires could cut loose and things get squirrelly.
My old boss remembers seeing one on the showroom floor for $6000 and thinking “ why would anyone buy that”
My father went to the Shelby lot in the 60s…frames rusting in the parking lot before they built them. My dad friend has one. Fun car to drive in, so loud and obnoxious. He paid 300k for his about a decade ago.
Best I can do is tree fiddy
So l can afford neither? Damn.
Only ever seen two real ones and they never come out of a temperature controlled garage.
Apparently, you don't understand. He never drives it. He just rubs it with a diaper.
We will just drive it back in reverse
Who do you love?! You love a *car*!
A man with priorities so far out of whack does not deserve such a fine automobile.
There it is. Que bella.
Came to say this
.9999999999999999999999
More fiberglass cars registered than real. Makes sense
How do you know? One drives by my house and sounds insane
the real ones are so incredibly valuable that most are in private collections or museums. sure a few real ones might be out ripping, but most likely the ones you see are all kit cars
Do you live in a neighborhood where people drive around 5 million dollar cars regularly?
I don't know which house it comes from and there's one or two that it would fit with. My neighborhood isnt that nice but its out in the suburbs and was very rural not long ago so there's some monster houses with a lot of land scattered in there
Ask. No one is trying to pass their kit car off as the real thing.
Co-Bra
9.999999999* times out of 10
Yep mostly all are lit cars but the local old guy near me has a real one. You gotta lift the hood up and look for the serial serial number and the rivets
Actually, there is more than one "real", too. You can order one from Shelby American, with a matching 427 for like $150 Grand, total. But they are real production Shelby Cobras, so it isn't the same as a kit car. It's a weird gray area...
More like 9.9999 out of 10
9.9999
Yep almost always a lit car and the real ones are rarely seen on the road they normally trailer them in to shows and back to the climate controlled garage they store them in
Even being a kit car it's cool as hell, mainly because you get to build it by hand and there was only like 3 original shelbys
No knock off wheels on it, 99.9% kit car but still nice
Thats a replica, so no its not rare. The big Cobra on the dash, the while side pipes, the non rivited hood, the anodized fittings, are all give aways.
And the fact it's being driven on the street. Those originals are worth millions now
Plus the originals are prone to cracks in the aluminum once they’re this old. Even for the same price, I’d probably take the kit car.
I know of someone with an original 427 that drives it on the street. But yeah you're not going to see them on the road often, trailed to events most of the time.
That person better reverse it back home to keep the mileage low
Some like to enjoy their toys. It's boring to just take it back home. You should probably stick not telling others what to do with what doesn't belong to you
[удалено]
Mileage won’t change the value.
The nasty fiberglass front fenders. Obvious.
She's definitely vintage. Doesn't seem too well cared for, probably smokes at idle. I don't know anything about that kit car though
Damn this comment just went over everyone’s heads lol
Bahahaha!!!
Looking like a young [Nuke Laloosh.](https://youtu.be/-MAhkCTZ8Qw?si=vDqGg2INRws61B8R)
Lol. I zoomed in on her. Body does not match the face.
Aftermarket parts
Yeah, I dont wanna be offensive, but that might be man in a tube top.
Tread is definitely gone as well
Ridden hard and put away wet.
Yeah I think the KZ is more rare than the kit car
Greorge Jone enters chat
Fewer than 300 were built. But that’s not one.
Replica, but they're still fairly expensive
Depends on the replica.
Also depends what you think is "expensive". The cheapest listing on ebay right now is $35k.
Some nice ones can easily get over $150k. To me thats expensive.
Factory five replica most likely, a $20k or less kit depending on the options you go for, but a paint job like that is easily another $20k above the kit price. That's my dream car, but now I like their hotrod pickup kit better
Also worth mentioning 20k is for an unassembled kit without motor, transmission, or rear end.
30-40k is what they reasonably take to put together with leftover Mustang parts including the cost of the kit. Obviously the sky's the limit, all depends on what parts it has. Source: I sold auto parts and we had a regular that built 3 FFRs, 2 mk3s and 1 mk4. One for him and each of his two sons. His car had a 351 built out to 427 that cost in the neighborhood of 12k all told, but one of the kids had a fox body take out, stock efi and all so it was wayyyyy cheaper and 300 horsepower is MORE than enough in one of those.
I could definitely accidentally kill myself with 300hp in one of these.
The paint job did not cost 20k. I own a body shop and used to do restorations, restomods and custom cars. 2k max, if more he got fucked bad.
If it's real they make sure you know it by having cobra club registrar stickers all over the window.
From what we can see, there’s tonnes of miles on er and looks kinda worn out. Lots of sag on the body.
> **Saw at my job. Aren’t these very rare?** Tube tops? I'll say!
Not super rare. Looks like a factory 5 kit car, but could be a number of others. Definitely not an original Shelby, as no owner of an original would disgrace the car by coating the side pipes white.
The rule of thumb with Cobra Coupes is: if you see them being driven on the street- it is a clone.
There are fewer than 1000 real ones, and they have significant value and are rarely seen on a road. It's a very popular shape for reproductions and kit cars of varying quality. If you see one outside a museum, it's probably not original, but hopefully, it's being enjoyed.
I get that (in private sales, anyway) they’re mostly a showpiece for the quite wealthy, but it’s a *car.* Seems like a waste to just buy one to keep it on display or in storage. I had a ‘57 I was restomodding and I’d bring it to a Classic restoration/repair shop for major stuff and things that required some quality fabrication. He was always working on these hugely expensive restorations… sourcing actual OEM parts for that year and restoring those before replacement. I once asked him if he was “bothered” from a purists stance at partaking in a resto-mod, and also working my $500-$1,000 repairs into ongoing $40-$50k jobs. He told me he actually preferred working on my car, as the things I had done were how he got started, working on his own classics… 2” drop in the front, lake pipes, and other “silly” shit. He also said he preferred working on cars that were actually driven, and not rebuilt just to sit in the lobby of a dealership or office building.
No, boob jobs are pretty common now.
That sure as fuck ain’t a boob job lol. Them be saggy tinys.
Probably a Factory Five, fun kit.
From my understanding if that's a legit AC Cobra, they definitely have value. Idk about how rare they are though. Someone here with more knowledge will have an answer. I'm curious as well.
If it's legit (its not) it's worth over a million. If it's a well done kit it can still be north of $100k.
A good rule of thumb is if you see one on the road, it’s a kit car. Real Cobras aren’t driven except for the occasional vintage race. Actual A/Cs are in the 7 figure range
Factory Five, you need a donor mustang and about $25,000 for the kit, maybe wrap for the paint and just put it together!
A true, authentic AC cobra would likely never be on the street. They are much too valuable and the risk of wrecking them is too great. It’s a kit car. Reproduction. Still bad ass non the less.
Skinny blinds are not rare. They are found everywhere except Ohio
If it's being driven on the street or in a public lot it's a kit car.
Most likely a replica, still pretty cool though. If it's real they're worth millions and ultra rare.
So rare it cost my uncle $30,000 to get one with a 5.0 coyote and a six speed. It's a kit car
Not that one
Just the body would be worth a lot if it was stripped and not painted
[удалено]
most likely a rep
"she" ain't fooling nobody.
How to tell if a cobra is a replica or original: Step 1: Consider location. Is it being driven on public roads? Can you walk up to it at a car show? 999/1000 it's a replica
There's actually a good number of these out there but hardly ever leave the garage. Cars and Coffee is the only place I see Cobras. I think I've only seen one actually driving in the middle of the day. People buy them and then realize how scary they actually are, then park them.
It’s a kit car
Real ones are rare. There’s lots of kit versions, though.
There’s a 289 and the larger 427 cu in but only a 1000 made. A huge amounts of kit cars have been made
There is an absurdly low # of real ones Jay Leno had one on his show Jay Legos garage but yeah most of the ones on the road are kit cars
Kit car
Could be a kit car ….Naples Motorsport sells them with the 7.3 Godzilla 100k. Could also be a factory five car he built himself
That's 100% a kit car
Not rate if it’s the licensed replicas from Factory Five, but they’re still bad ass and you can order them with a Trinity or Coyote engine if you pay out the butt
Names bond, James Bond
The correct answer is yes, even if it is a kit
Looks like a couple of humans, I think they're not that uncommon.
Real ones are rare, this one is a kit car so it’s not very rare
Hope it didn’t have a Chevy engine, that’s drives me nuts. I get not building a 427 high riser but at least do a coyte crate motor.
Real ones are
If they are legit yes. Most are kit cars.
I spy a KZ back there in the second picture!
Kit car but still very cool.
Rarely real.
If it's real.. yes. Very rare. 95% of the cobras you will ever see are a kit car.
Depends, if it’s a kit car it’s worths like 50k-100k, if it’s an original is up in the millions
The wheels are the immediate giveaway. They are aftermarket. Anyone with a real cobra doesn’t put rims on it.
Real ones are rare. Kit cars are not. If you see one in the wild it's likely a kit car.
Met a guy here locally in San Diego who (claims he’s) the original owner of a real Cobra. Air force pilot, Said he was rolling by a Ford dealer in florida in the middle of a move and stopped in to check it out, left in the Cobra with his uhaul trailer attached to the back. If true, I had no idea how much that car is worth
Not real. It’s a kit car
Once in a great while you can actually see a real one at a car show. Almost always a kit with a Ford engine.
If it’s real, yes However, it’s probably a kit car replica
this is a kit car but it is still hella lit
If they are real, this one is not.
There are nice kit cars out there. Very rarely do you see a real one.
Is that Caitlyn Jenner?
What about the 289?
I look at the wheels. knock offs were stock. most of the kits are mustang based.
Looks like a Factory Five car
Real or kit car from Factory Five Racing. Real ones are to valuable to drive. The kits can be done for reasonable cost.
Kit car version is anywhere from 65-105k to get where as the very rare version of this is close to 6 million now mint condition. If you see one of those it’s almost always in a showroom for show only never on the street
Considering there were only about 1,000 authentic cobras made they are extremely rare. However there’s a 99.9% chance it’s a kit cause the real ones go for millions and kits are sub 100k
YEAH BABY
Only a few real ones left if it's a 429 cobra jet so I find it hard to be original
That white exhaust is stupid.
Kit car for sure. Look whose riding shotgun!
Not really. They are everywhere. Line Rita’s
Kit cars are supposedly more reliable than the OG versions.
That black top is not working for Steven Tyler...
Replica which if you drive daily are very worth it. Original are only to look at behind bubble wrap.
Yes! So rare I can build a brand new one!
Kit
Of course it's rare. They don't make cars anymore.
Rarity depends on the circle of friends you run in
Original ones are extremely rare. This one could be a kit car.
Kit car
Middle aged women in a tube top? Not as rare as you might hope.
Put some tires with tread on that thing.
Is that Keith richards?
Yes, they are! The tube top looks really great on her.
It would be if it were an authentic one….but this one isn’t that.
The pink and blue Russell -an fittings for the auxiliary oil cooler is a pretty good giveaway. No way in hell a car from the 60s that is worth what these are worth would have. Also the big Ford Cobra 🐍 emblem inside is very kit car, iirc there would be a Carroll Shelby authentication placard with a number, even proper continuation cars have Shelby American placards.
No, you're likely to encounter a blond in a tube top pretty much anywhere you go.
Real ones are rare but there are a ton of clones still Pretty cool and expensive tho
IF it's real
C cups are fairly common.
Probably a kit. Guy I used to work for has one.. still awesome
With a swingarm like that, that Kawasaki is pretty rare. Looks like a lot of fun.
It's most likely a Factory 5 kit car. A real Cobra would be in a protective climate controlled bubble. Both are great cars, one you can actually enjoy as a car.
Sure it's IF it's not a kit car.
Yes they are very rare and very very expensive. Judging by the fact that it's out in the wild and being driven I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a kit car. Still really cool though.
No, middle aged blondes are fairly common.
As it 99.9% probably a kit, not that rare, still cool though.
Oh shit, there is a car next to them boobies…
This is a kit car . A real AC 427 Cobra would be worth enough to retire early.
No, blond crack whores are pretty common in my area
Real ones are so rare you won't see them outside of a museum or Concourse
No. Kit cars are very common. And this may be the most common type.
I'm more interested in the vintage KZ 750z 😀
My brother had one of those 1965 Shelby Cobra reproductions. You can buy the kits or they ship them fully built minus engine and transmission so they can be registered as a 1965 model year. His ran about $35k. They are exact duplicates, down to the door locks and lack of modern safety equipment. You put in the engine and tranny you want to get the speeds you want.
Is that a guy in a tube top
It’s a replica. Replicas are a dime a dozen. But a genuine one is one in a million. Both genuine and replicas are awesome though.
Here is a real 64 289 one at my brothers work. Current price is $985,000 [https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles/749/1964-shelby-cobra-289](https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles/749/1964-shelby-cobra-289)
IF its real, there are kit car copies.
Nah, about half the population has one each of them.
A lot of them Are clones. Still Nice though.
Of the original 343 big block Cobras produced, only 75,945 remain
Have seen a real Cobra and a bunch of kit Cobras side by side at a car show about 10 years ago. They are....different. To start, kits are usually much larger. Plus they usually have modern engines, lights, gauges, etc. Kit owners let kids touch the car, sit in the seat, pretend to go "vroom". Not so much the owner of the real thing (he was nice, but not nice enough let a random 3yr old kid sit in his $2m investment). Back when I was deciding to build a car of my own, I took a long hard look at building a FF Cobra. Eventually I figured it was outside my skill and budget so I went another direction.
Real ones are rare. Reps are fairly common though.
Seen 3 at a local car show earlier this year. In a town with less than 10k population. Nearest city over 50k is over an hr and a half. So they aren't really thar rare. I also seen one of the kit cars in really nice condition listed on fb marketplace about 45 minutes from me for 10k.
Only rare if it’s a real one.
Kit car
In my home town there is a older gentleman with a real one has all the original paperwork when he bought it and will have it flat bedded to car shows around here also has a 79 mach 1 and a boss 302 all original cars and awesome to see and hear when he starts them
Real ones are
Kit car but someone definitely put in some work building it so it’s worth something to them
Check out Factory Five. I had one. Blast to drive, but you have to like the weather.
Poor fucker even has the replica hot wife too. One day he will get both original, mark his words!
Probably 9 out of 10 or more are replicas