HURRICANE MOTORSPORTS REPLICA, 427 V8, TREMEC 5 SPD, FORD 9", WILWOOD DISC BRKS

1965 Shelby Cobra Description

Admit it, you've been kicking around the idea of building a Cobra for years but you've just never gotten around to it. Isn't it time to admit that buying something like this incredible anthracite Cobra, made by Hurricane Motorsports, is a better choice? Drive now, no worries, and you can get old behind the wheel rather than in the garage.This is Cobra done right. The goal was to have a real gunmetal gray Cobra and the guys spraying the paint on this one nailed it on the first try. It's not traditional, but then again, it's not supposed to be. Instead, it's sinister, purposeful, and yes, tasteful, a Cobra for any event. The look is unmistakable and they spent a ton of time on the fiberglass tub to get it to shine that well. The hood scoop is riveted in place, so it has an authentic look, and all the familiar Cobra styling cues are intact, from the bumperettes to the side pipes to the roll hoop behind the driver's head. Finish quality is exceptional, and aside from some very, very minor sigs of use over the course of 4601 miles, it's show-quality in almost every way. The silver stripes are painted on, not decals, and they wrap neatly into the hood and trunk jambs, a sure sign of professionals at work. The look is just drop-dead gorgeous.The black leather interior looks pretty standard for a Cobra, but look a little closer and you'll find wonderful upgrades throughout. First, those seats: check out the deeper padding and improved bolstering over the originals, as well as a matching center armrest. The forward-canted shifter looks right, too, but it's now connected to a 5-speed manual gearbox, making this a car that really can be driven anywhere in comfort. A set of RJS 5-point racing harnesses are probably a good idea in a car with this much go power and the beautiful wood-rimmed Shelby steering wheel highlights a very nicely finished interior. Those vintage-looking gauges do a pretty good impersonation of vintage Smiths dials, including the reverse-rotation speedometer, but they're reliable modern pieces from Auto Meter, who obviously understands how passionate Cobra builders can be. No heater, no ratio, nothing that will slow the car down, and that's just as it should be, but nobody will feel short-changed by the accommodations. The trunk is neatly finished with black carpets, and offers a surprising amount of storage space for the next Cobra get-together.The engine displaces the magic 427 cubic inches and delivers the kind of eyeball-flattening acceleration you'd expect. It looks right with a small air cleaner atop a giant Demon double-pumper, and with the expansion tank up high, its Shelby DNA is clearly visible. It starts easily and idles well, with none of the reported fussiness of an original, and they shaved a ton of weight using Edelbrock aluminum heads on top. There's an electric fan up front to keep it cool and custom long-tube headers dump into the famous side pipes that sound spectacular. A Tremec 5-speed manual transmission is a big improvement over the original Toploader 4-speed, and with an overdrive, the acceleration-happy gears in the 9-inch rear are not a problem. The rectangular tube frame chassis features tubular A-arms up front, rack-and-pinion steering, and super strong Wilwood 4-wheel disc brakes, so don't be afraid to use it as intended. Beautiful Halibrand wheels with knock-offs complete the authentic look and carry suitably fat 235/60/15 front and 295/50/15 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials.Complete with build receipts and a dyno sheet, you can buy this Cobra replica and know exactly what you're getting. As I said, this is how you do it right. Call today!