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Lori and I will be at the Thursday evening dinner, the Friday driving tour, Saturday show and evening dinner and will attend the Cars and Coffee on Sunday.  Our Cobra, CSX2367 is being delivered today.  We are also showing our 1961 Maserati Vignale Spyder in the Vignale class.   Please say hi when you are at Amelia.

These yellow caps are a nice looking detail.  Although last time CSX2367 was judged at a SAAC National, the judges suggested I swap for black valve caps.   I've been at this long enough that I have learned to carry swappable spares of the various "questionable" items for my cars.  Last time CSX2367 was judged at SAAC I had both my painted wheels with whitewalls mounted to the inside and the chrome wheels that the first owner, Joe A, had bought when the Cobra was two weeks old along with the receipt from Gotham Ford for those wheels.
We are talking the Cobra to Amelia in 2026, I suppose I'll have to decide which wheels and valve caps....    This is a fun hobby!    Dave

The Amelia Island show, March 5-8 2026, has a Shelby class.   Lori and I will be there with CSX2367.   As we get closer, I'm thinking we could get together - maybe a meal, try to run together during the Road Tour, etc.   We've rented a VRBO for the week, I might even have a spare garage space.   Dave Wathen. You cannot view this attachment.

Great show today, glorious spring day after some rainy days.  150+ Ford related vehicles, bout 1/2 Shelby related.  50th anniversary of the chapter.  At Ford World Hdq which has a pleasant open park setting.  You cannot view this attachment.

CSX2367 was repainted to Highlander Green, a Lincoln color, in 1964 to fulfill an order for a green Cobra from Gotham Ford.   Highlander Green is available in most chemistries from the usual suppliers.You cannot view this attachment.

I run BF32s (with the star logo) in CSX2367.   Standard dual point distributor.   We do a lot of local shows and driving events so the plugs are somewhat "stressed".  I've never had a problem.  I do remove and clean about once per year.   Dave.

My "vote" is for the original BF32s.   We drive CSX2367 about weekly during good weather, sometimes 25 miles for a cars and coffee and sometimes a couple of hundred miles for an event, and these original plugs do well.   I do use high octane "race" fuel that is available at several stations on Woodward Ave.

My own preference is to keep my collector cars as originally delivered, I figure that's part of the fun experience.     Dave

Tom Cotter posted a new "Barn Find Hunter" about Herbie Hancock's Cobra.  It's worth watching.  Dave

The video of this episode of Tom Cotter's program has posted on YouTube.   Just look for "Barn Find Hunter".   The 42 minute video covers many interesting cars stored there, plus maybe 10 minutes on the two prototype Cobra's and uses CSX2367 as contrast.  Jim Maxwell provides some good perspective on the cars.   The prototype Cobra section is at about 30 minutes in, but the whole program is fascinating. Tom and his crew do a great job.    I had difficulty posting a link, so just search on however you get YouTube.     Dave

More photos at Old Fort Wayne

Lori and I drove CSX2367 to The Detroit Historical Society's warehouse Tuesday morning (30 miles, 32 degrees!) to provide our Cobra as comparison to the two prototypes stored there.  Tom Cotter was filming two episodes of Barn Find Hunter - one on the 200 donated cars stored there at old Fort Wayne and the other episode on the Cobra Cougar and the Bordinat Cobra, both built on Cobra tube chassis.  These two cars have been seen at a few shows over the years, neither currently runs, and they are in ok condition.   I'll post when this episode is available to watch, should be a fun show.   The cars are all stored in car cacoon  bubbles, and are a wide variety from Brass, to Scarabs, to multiple prototype/show cars.  Dave

My opinion, as somebody who drives CSX2367 to many local gatherings and events, is that replicas are a confirmation of the ongoing attraction of our Cobras.   Most car people know that there are many, many clones and replicas of Cobras.   And are pleasantly surprised when they realize that our Cobra is real.  The license plate is "64REAL" and I quite often lay out a copy of the original window sticker, invoice, etc.

What other car has this popularity 60 year later? - the replicas still being built are proof that the Cobra was, and is, a vehicle of great significance.  We should feel flattered.

The huge advantage that we all have is that SAAC does such a superb job of tracking and documenting all the real cars so that there are very few disputes.  Thank you Ned.

This reliable registry is much less available for many other collector cars, from early GTOs to many Corvettes.   I tried to acquire a Dtype Jaguar once that had unclear provenance, until I inspected the floor plan which proved that it was a well modified Etype. 

So again - thank you SAAC for the registries.  Getting fooled that a continuation/replica is a real Cobra is unlikely.    Dave

HI I have much experience with Nick.  All good.   He is well known in the Cobra community for making parts and rebuilding assemblies for original Cobras.   CSX2367 has several of his parts on it which have survived scrutiny for its SAAC Premiere awards, plus Lori and I drive the Cobra so the parts function fine.

Plus Nick and Bonnie are great people.   A story - back 10 years ago when the Shelby tributes were held during Monterey week we had CSX2367 at the Carmel on the Sea event, moved it to a parking spot on the street after the show, and were with several other Cobra couples at a fun restaurant.  Phone rang - "Dave - they are towing your Cobra!!" - it was Nick and the local police were clearing the streets using a flatbed truck.  I got there in time.   Dave

We had our Cobra at the new downtown Detroit Concours (ex-Meadowbrook and St Johns) over the weekend.  The judge with the hat while I'm flashing the lights, horn, etc is Jean Jennings.  She was editor of Automobile Magazine for a decade and is in many photos with Carroll Shelby from those years.
Memories...

There were concerns about this traditionally large multi make invitational show surviving takeover by Hagerty and the move to downtown.  It went great.  Lori and I have participated since the Meadowbrook days, and some of the fun support events have returned, like an entrants strolling dinner Friday eve and a black tie event Saturday evening.  The DIA grounds have enough grass and trees to make the setting comfortable, and the organizers worked out all the logistics of parking, security, meals, etc very well.

CSX 2367 won its class of 50's and 60's sports cars, which had a real range including a Cunningham, Nash Heally, Kaiser-Darrin etc.   

Dave

The original exhaust manifolds on CSX2367 have Jet-Hot coating about ten years old and holding up well  I drive the car quite a bit.   
Since I "stray" into Jaguars and Mercedes I've tried a variety of coatings   Cera Kote works well too.   
Dave