Garage Find: 1965 AC Cobra Kit Car
The Shelby Cobra kit car has to be, by capita, one of the most frequently discovered models in unfinished form. You know how the boom and bust cycles always lead to some new construction homes remaining unfinished for years at a time? Well, the Cobra kit car is the four-wheeled equivalent of an overly ambitious housing development. This one was supposedly found in a garage riding on a Corvette chassis and drivetrain and is listed here on eBay with bids to $4,151 and no reserve.
The seller is a familiar face around these parts, as he has a knack for finding barn find cars, trucks, and motorcycles from all over Florida (and we’re guessing beyond, given how frequently he finds new inventory.) The kit car looks like it was well on its way to being a fun and fast project, especially with those aftermarket wheels that I think are worth a pretty penny. The Cobra has some body damage, however, with evidence of some work done on the rear taillight panel on the passenger side.
The interior is largely unfinished, though it’s impossible to accurately assess just how much wiring work remains to be done. The seats are generic aftermarket buckets, and I would toss those eventually in favor of some Recaros or Scheel seats. The seller includes photos of various body panels that are included with the Cobra but I don’t see a windshield in any of them; regardless, if you figure out who manufactured the original kit, it shouldn’t be too hard to reach out and ask for a replacement piece of glass and accompanying frame to be sent (assuming the kit builder is still in business.)
The Cobra is titled as a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette, as that’s the chassis it’s built on and the car that the engine came out of. The Corvette does not run but the seller confirms that the engine still turns over by hand. The prospect of finishing a project that stopped at any unknown point can be daunting, but these are pretty easy cars to figure out from a DIY perspective. And certainly, with a no reserve listing and cheap bidding, you’d be hard pressed to find a new kit and all the necessary pieces for anywhere near the current bid price.
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Comments
Proportions look off and those tailights?
tail lights are perfect.
I built one of these thirty yeas ago. Kit from Indy, no longer in business. Need to find door hinges, door latches, hood mounting arrangement. Used MG windshield and
Posts. Construct dash mounting and dash.
Run Corvette side pipes. A lot of work
But fun to build.
Are the proportions off on this type of build, using a Vette frame?
Keep the buy in price reasonable and it could be a good one to complete.
Yes. Original was 90″ Wheelbase. C3 Corvette is significantly longer. I’d pass…
where is the car located? Did I miss that?
Engine doesn’t run. Hood won’t close. Flakey body. Worn out underpinnings. No vision behind it. No future ahead.
OK Bub
no vision behind? no future ahead ? you must live in a State were you can buy weed.
Just call me Swami, dogwater
This thing has slap dash written all over it.
best states in the country ol man.
ok bub those ststes are the best-buuuub.
Unless you can get this thing for a song, I say “stay away”. I would NOT describe this as an AC Cobra kit car, because it is only a vaguely Cobra-inspired look. It could be enjoyable to turn into something you can drive and have fun with, but one would need to get it for a price that does not strain the wallet.
Looks cool, but. I think a bit more thought needs to go into this one. For example how do you put in brake fluid?
through the bleed valves, dummy!
I have never seen a Cobra or Cobraesque body on a Corvette chassis that didn’t look just plain weird – wrong proportions, wheel base and track never look right. This is a “car” that if given to you for free will cost too much to make into any sort of credible Cobra. Buy it for the chassis and part it out . . . except the eBay bid is too high for that to make sense. Online auctions just don’t have any credibility in my eyes anyway – no way to stop the shill bidding, and I’m not sure the auctions want to either.