Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted)


>I have a few questions regarding (real) Cobras. In general, I want to know
>how 'exotic' these cars were considered back in the 60s. If you were of car
>buying age in the 60s, I'd like to hear about what the Cobra market was
>*really* like back then.

Yes (I hate to admit it) I was in the buying age then and I did. The 289
Cobra is still in my garage. The market was a bit upscale. You had to be
and ardent sportscar buff to actually put down the $6K for a Cobra. Lite
weight, no roll-up windows, hot feet, wind noise, exhaust fumes, exhaust
noise, bumpy ride, you really had to want one of these pocket rockets. Not
a daily driver.

>First, how accessable were these cars to the general public? Could anybody
>purchase one or were they strictly sold only to racers?

A lot of these cars sat on showroom floors for a long time. The market had
pretty much had its demand filled. I am guessing that the 427 market was a
lot of 289 guys moving up.

>Secondly, if you could buy a Cobra back then, where would you have gone to
>purchase one? Were they sold through Ford dealers, AC dealers, or where?

Ford Dealers, and some specialty guys I would imagine.

>Lastly, how much were Cobras new (both 289/427 models) compared with the
>general musclecar market of the time. For example, was a 427 Cobra 3 times
>the cost of a big block Vette, etc? Would buying a Cobra back in the 60s
>be comparable to buying a Viper or ZR-1 today?

The base price on a Corvette in 1963 was $4100. The 289 was $5995. Later on
the 427 Corvette was probably not much more (I think the L88 engine was
only a $475 option, the big brakes cost a ton, $1200 as I remember), but
the point is that a Cobra probably cost 30 to 40% more.

A Cobra had a lot more going for it in the terms of appreciation value. It
was a World Champioship Car, a successful racer of the likes only the
TDF,SWB and GTO Ferrari could compare! While the Viper and the ZR-1 (both
great cars) are unique and fun, they have no credentials IMHO!

I think a used ZR-1 is the greatest buy of the last 15 years!

Ron Tredway
Nor-Cal Shelby Club


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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Roland Dudley <(email redacted)>

>
> Yes (I hate to admit it) I was in the buying age then and I did. The 289
> Cobra is still in my garage. The market was a bit upscale. You had to be
> and ardent sportscar buff to actually put down the $6K for a Cobra. Lite
> weight, no roll-up windows, hot feet, wind noise, exhaust fumes, exhaust
> noise, bumpy ride, you really had to want one of these pocket rockets. Not
> a daily driver.

Well, mine WAS a daily driver for about two years! Of course my
previous daily driver had been an Austin Healey 3000. One cross country
trip in the Healey convinced me that it was NOT a daily driver. Don't
get me wrong, I still have a soft spot for Healeys; it's just that my
butt is getting too old to take that kind of abuse. I certainly agree
with the rest of Ron's comments: noisy, exhaust fumes, bumpy ride and
an uncomfortably hot cockpit, which I hardly noticed after the Healey.
The Healey didn't have roll-up windows either so that wasn't a
particularly big deal to me. In fact, the Cobra was actually drier
inside in the rain, if you can believe that. And it had a heater that
actually heated the inside of the car in the winter.

The lack of roll-up windows reminds me of an incident that took place
while I was living on the East Coat in the late '60s. I was struggling
with the snake's side curtains when some young guy driving by in a
GM muscle car of some sort yelled over to ask if my car was a Cobra.
When I answered yes he stopped to watch me fiddle a while then drove
off in a fit of hysterical laughter.

Roland