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Cobras


cobraman

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Nice! Which is your favorite type, the 260/289 or 427?

If you don't have any Exoto 260/289s in your collection, many of them are on sale at the moment for $100. They're a great value at that price.

Also, do you happen to have the giant GMP 1:12 289? Those are just so, so nice. I think they're better than the Kyosho 1:12 427. Looks like prices have gone through the roof, I lucked into a perfect blue one for not a bad price earlier this year. I also have a red preproduction version which is pretty neat.

The only Cobra I wish was out there is a really nice 1:18 427. Yat Ming has their cheap one, Kyosho sells a similar one with better paint and wheels and a few bits, and the Shelby Collectibles version is more correct in terms of the shape, but the detail's not on the same level as the Exoto 260/289.

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Brian, I like all Cobras. I don't care if it's an early 260 or a 289, 427, slab slide, fat fenders, side pipes or no side pipes, AC's or Daytonas. I still have a lot of Cobra's I need to collect. I do not have any Exoto's. Did not know they were on sale. I kind of drew the line at the 120.00 dollar limit. I have another hobby which can be expensive so I have to divide my funds. Also I have a mortgage and utilities and car insurance which my wife insists we pay. : ) I have to be happy buying the lesser cost Cobra's. There are so many different ones out there.

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Oops, looks like prices are back to normal. But if you sign up for their emails they have sales constantly. Just wait for another one where they have the Cobras for $98....normally they'll have the black hardtop street car, some of the racing versions, and some of the Datyonas at those prices.

Looks like they also are introducing an FIA body style car too...another one for the list!

Street Cobras: http://www.exoto.com...AttributeId=404

Racing Cobras: http://www.exoto.com...AttributeId=296

Cobra Daytonas: http://www.exoto.com...AttributeId=158

PS: I asked Harold at Historic Racing Miniatures about releasing a kit of the AC A98 Coupe raced once at Daytona...he said he'd been thinking about it, so you could encourage him! :)

Edited by GirchyGirchy
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Really nice looking Cobras Ray ! Good luck finding an Exoto that is affordable now days , I've never seen any " on sale " .

I bought this one about 10 years ago and thought it was too expensive at $160 but bought it anyway ! Glad I did since I'll never be able to afford one again .

08.jpg

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Really nice looking Cobras Ray ! Good luck finding an Exoto that is affordable now days , I've never seen any " on sale " .

I bought this one about 10 years ago and thought it was too expensive at $160 but bought it anyway ! Glad I did since I'll never be able to afford one again .

Huh? They're constantly on sale, with Cobras and Daytonas often at $98. Such as this one right now:

http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=296&ProductId=1901&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Exoto%20Inc.&utm_content=

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Thanks for the link Brian . I check the Exoto site from time to time and honestly have never seen ( or noticed ) any priced that low .

You should definitely sign up for their emails - they send them often and will include the sale items in them so you don't have to hunt around on their site.

They had the pretty maroon w/gold stripe 289 for $98 recently but looks like it's all gone.

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so follow that link above to exoto, and now you find a formerly 398$ (kind of optimistically priced if you ask me) 1962 260 AC Cobra competition car for only 98.95! thats 1/18 scale. seems like a pretty good deal to me.

but the cobra daytona coupe above is the bare metal finish car, a limited edition of i dont know how many. i bought one too. i am not positive but i dont think you can find these for 98$. if you can please point me to it because these are very nice!

cobradaytona1.jpg

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but the cobra daytona coupe above is the bare metal finish car, a limited edition of i dont know how many. i bought one too. i am not positive but i dont think you can find these for 98$. if you can please point me to it because these are very nice!

You're right on that point - they don't offer the $98 deal on all cars for sure.

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so follow that link above to exoto, and now you find a formerly 398$ (kind of optimistically priced if you ask me) 1962 260 AC Cobra competition car for only 98.95! thats 1/18 scale. seems like a pretty good deal to me.

but the cobra daytona coupe above is the bare metal finish car, a limited edition of i dont know how many. i bought one too. i am not positive but i dont think you can find these for 98$. if you can please point me to it because these are very nice!

cobradaytona1.jpg

I haven't seen one for sale in a while but I'm sure they are getting expensive ! I think the Exoto $ Value is probably a bit high .

Capture1.jpg

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Yea, I think between 610 and 615. I have been collecting them since about 1995 or so. There is a lot more that I would like to have but just can't afford. I have them in plastic, die cast, crayon, white ware, pewter, crystal, resin. My family will pick up one for me if they see one. I have several dupicates so my real number maybe closer to 580 or so if you don't count them.

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Cobraman;

Just a tidbit for you to get "green" over....my senior year of high school (1965-66) my wife's best friend's father bought a 427 Cobra. I'm not sure if it came stock with the 2-4bbls, but that's what it had when I saw it the first time. Evie Moffat was her name, come to think of it. We lived in a very small Northern California town (Loomis) where every kid was high on muscle cars and hot rods instead of drugs back then. Our town only had two small, old gas stations, and several of my buddies worked at "George's Union" on the "main drag", which was actually old Highway 40 going from Sacramento to Reno.

Evie's dad brought the Cobra over one day for all of us to see (and hear). None of us were experienced enough to get behind the wheel, but he let George take it for a blast up the street. In those days no one had 10" wide tires on any hot rod or anything else. They looked enormous...especially on such a small car. Now, a number of the guys had big HP cars like Max Wedges, 409's, and other major muscle. But all of them were 3500-4000 lb heavy metal and pretty much straight line slugs. Not many Corvettes or anything like that because they were too expensive. But all in all, it was a more-than-typical race (drag) car paradise.

So, George climbs into the driver seat, and Evie's dad next to him. George gets out on the "highway' with our Constable, old Percy, keeping an eye on things. The road was clear so George blasts off heading North toward the old grammar school. He was gone so fast we stood there with our mouths open. None of us had seen that kind of acceleration off the Sacramento Drag Strip. None of us had seen it up close. George and "dad" came back for another run, this time with "dad" in the driver seat. Percy turned on his cop lights to keep any school kids or moms off the road. This time we went up to the "Frosty" to see the car go by (about 200 yards). Yeah, right!

"Dad" gives the big 427 a few revs, runs it up to (I'm guessing) about 3000 rpms, and drops the clutch. The wheels barely spun (unlike our rubber-melting antics when we raced or "exhibited speed", these babies grabbed tight and quick. Quick isn't even the right word. It was past us so fast we really didn't get much of a look except a blurr. The real thing I remember was George in the passenger seat with his mouth wide open and his eyes open even bigger (George was Japanese, so that was hard to do but fun to see). That Cobra was an absolute rocket ship!

I don't know how fast it was 0-60. Probably not measurable with our stop watches. I don't know what it's quarter mile time might have been, but it was one helluva lot faster than anything on any street ... ANYWHERE. I've never seen any car so quick, and I drove a modified ZR-1 for about 10 years with even (slightly) larger rear tires. I never forgot that sight over 45 years ago. "Dad" didn't leave the car stock; had it custom painted...42 coats of a purplish hand-rubbed laquer that was dazzling. He was taking it to the Sacramento Autorama when one of the fuel lines came loose and spewed 100+ all over the front fenders and cowl (not to mention the engine compartment). I was heading of to college at the time, and the last I heard Evie's dad was so sickened by the incident he sold the beast. I'm sure to this day he kicks himself at the thought of letting a $million car go to someone else. But if there was a "once-in-a-lifetime" ride to have and have fun with, this was the one.

That picture sticks in my mind today: the blur of the Cobra, George's open mouth, and all of us gaping as they flew by. George's Union station is long gone, and George passed away a number of years back. ButI'll take that secen with me to my grave...and I'll bet the rest of the "kids" will too.

Anyway, that's my "hands on" realtime Cobra story from seeing the original thing in action and treated like the brute it was rather than a museum piece.

:)

Edited by deja-view
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Awesome story, thanks for sharing! I'm guessing there are many, many similar stories where people sold their Cobras for $2-4k and are kicking themselves to this day.

For those interested, Exoto's having another sale - one of the Daytona coupes, one of the GT40 Mk IVs (which I recently bought and was amazed - the paint's gorgeous, detail fantastic, and flawless fit and finish), and three of the racing Cobras:

Daytona: http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=158&ProductId=1266

GT40: http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=164&ProductId=1319

Cobras: http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=296&ProductId=1901

http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=296&ProductId=1902

http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=296&ProductId=1903

http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=296&ProductId=1913

You'd really like the GMP 1/12 #98. Pricey, but nice detail and great finish.

cobra004-vi.jpgHosted on Fotki

And, the real thing:

cobra98-vi.jpgHosted on Fotki

Looks like Exoto's coming out with a 1:18 version at some point - another one for the collection!

http://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&CategoryId=296&ProductId=1893

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Good story Ken. Thanks for posting. I hope to have one ( not a real one ) someday. I came close to one about 7 years ago. There was a place in California not far from where I lived at the time called Dayons House of Cobra's. My wife and I went there and they had about a dozen or so finished and ready to go. I drooled over them awhile and then started asking questions and prices. I sat in a few ( not an easy car to get in and out of if your a big (fat) guy. I spied a nice looking red one in the corner. It was red without the stripes and had the chrome roll bar and side pipes and the bumper jacks. It was powered by a 351 and had an automatic. The automatic appealed to me because the foot box is so narrow. Shelby too I understand did build a few automatic cars. They were asking 25,000 for it and I thought that was fair. I looked into and was approved for a second on my house and thought I would go for it. Before getting the loan I backed out. I decided it was not the right time. My daughter was still in college and thinking of going to law school which she did and still is. I don't have to tell anyone with childeren how expensive 7 years of college can be. She is in her last year of law school now and I retire about the same time she will be finishing school. I plan to get some type of "play" car but what it will be I don't know.

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