Stories regarding 427 or 289 cobras.

[Greg]

For all those that were enjoying these cars "back in the day", I'm curious, was a 66 427 or 289 cobra an affordable and relatively "easy to find" hot rod in terms of 70's money or really expensive to most people back then?  As I understand it, the average wage was around $8K and wondered if for most people these cars were out of financial reach.  I'm sure some of you have great stories to tell of deals of the day.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

There were $5000 Cobras - but like you mention over 6 months of wages so out of reach then and farther out of reach today. There were a lot of Shelbys for $1000. I purchased 6S843 in 1975 from a guy who was going to get his motorcycle repossessed. I gave him $140 cash to pay off the note and a 1968 Tbird a guy gave me for putting a waterpump in his 62 Tbird. I bought 68 #135 (around 1978?) out of a body shop for storage fees around $300. The kid that owned it was down here from Alaska going to school. He was however doing more partying than studying so daddy made him go home. Every piece of fiberglass was broken the console was missing and it had Ecoline van seats in it. The 428 was gone replaced with a 390. I kept it a few weeks and sold it for $700. Both were rust free SoCal cars which today would bring a big premium by itself.

[Steve McDonald Formally known as Mcdonas]

In 1973 I could have traded my 66 GT350H and $3500 for CSX2027.  For years I thought the VIN was CSX2017, but since found out different. My car had about 75-80,000 miles on it and the Cobra had 14,000 on it. Red with black interior was an original260 car retrofitted with a 289 had 2AFB's on it and the Webber's and intake in a box in the trunk. No roof and no heater made it a no sale for me. The guy also had a wrecked 427 Cobra off site for $1500, had a bad motor ( 2 spun rods and a a spun main) and had damage to the right front including a bent frame rail, he wanted $1500 for that one and car, he still reminds me of that today

[Greg]

Awesome stories, thanks for sharing!

[gt350shelb]

In 1999 I started the restoration on a csx3000 car  i will need to dig up the car number .
It was used in a bank robbery in NY near Albany . The story was  it was pushed off a  dock  into a waterway  after  the robbery .
and years later the police dept would "clean out the waterway" it was a hot spot for dumping cars .
  The contractors would come in with a crane and a bucket and pull cars from the  water and scrap them .
They pulled this cobra out  dropped it on shore line and drug it up hill with tow truck (upside down) and off it went to the scrap yard.
The current owner at the time  ....got a phone call from his buddy at the scrap yard  " hey we have some funny british car here with a  big ford engine in it  maybe you want it.   so he went and looked and bought it on the spot .
He brought car back to his shop and took it apart and cleaned and preserved everything  before  starting to collect parts  .
then the police dept showed up wanting a paint sample for a crime investigation.  he cut a section out of the nose and gave it to them . during the police chase  after the robbery  the car struck a person  and they were matching the car to  that .

The chassis was very well preserved  after being under water for multiple years . When i cut end of chassis open  there was still some water inside . this was about 20 years after it was pulled out .  Car is  fully restored  now ! 

[mark p]

Cool stuff. Thanks for posting.

... and where's Grumpy? He should have at least one story about that dis-assembled car in the photo thread?

[Rocket]

In 1967, I was looking to buy a '66 Shelby(GT350), and test drove one at Richardson Ford in Albuquerque , Nm. As we walked thru the show room, to the salesman's office we walked by a 67 Cobra. The salesman said "How about I sell you this one". I asked the price, and he said $5,000. My words to him were"I don't want one of those damn foreign cars, I want a Shelby." Ron

[CSX 4133]

That is a great story gt350shelb, thanks for posting it.

[Steve McDonald Formally known as Mcdonas]

In 1999 I started the restoration on a csx3000 car  i will need to dig up the car number .
It was used in a bank robbery in NY near Albany . The story was  it was pushed off a  dock  into a waterway  after  the robbery .
and years later the police dept would "clean out the waterway" it was a hot spot for dumping cars .
  The contractors would come in with a crane and a bucket and pull cars from the  water and scrap them .
They pulled this cobra out  dropped it on shore line and drug it up hill with tow truck (upside down) and off it went to the scrap yard.
The current owner at the time  ....got a phone call from his buddy at the scrap yard  " hey we have some funny british car here with a  big ford engine in it  maybe you want it.   so he went and looked and bought it on the spot .
He brought car back to his shop and took it apart and cleaned and preserved everything  before  starting to collect parts  .
then the police dept showed up wanting a paint sample for a crime investigation.  he cut a section out of the nose and gave it to them . during the police chase  after the robbery  the car struck a person  and they were matching the car to  that .

The chassis was very well preserved  after being under water for multiple years . When i cut end of chassis open  there was still some water inside . this was about 20 years after it was pulled out .  Car is  fully restored  now !

Article in Hemmings Muscle Machines
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2015/10/1966-Shelby-427-Cobra/3749026.html

[shelbydoug]

There is a story also of a 289 in a land fill in the Albany area.

[gt350shelb]

Article in Hemmings Muscle Machines
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2015/10/1966-Shelby-427-Cobra/3749026.html
[/quote]

that would be the car 

[Greg]

That is an awesome story, I wonder how many times the fellow said "I'm done" I'm selling it like it is!  I'm glad he persevered and all the hard work paid off!

Thats what you have to love about this hobby.

[shelbydoug]

Article in Hemmings Muscle Machines
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2015/10/1966-Shelby-427-Cobra/3749026.html

that would be the car 
[/quote]

Yep. That's the one.

[gt350shelb]

bring back the cobra  stories