Cobra kit cars remain one of the more frequently abandoned projects in the enthusiast world. It’s amazing that so many people pay the piper the first time around and then the car just sits, but it seems to happen an awful lot. I would imagine most of these cars that remain unfinished at this point are with their third or fourth caretaker who also is not going to get around to it, which makes it even more incredible to think of how many transactions that one kit car has spawned. This particular Cobra replica was originally made by Classic Motor Carriages out of Miami, Florida and is offered for sale in Voorheesville, NY.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Chuck Foster for the find. So, the first challenge with buying an unfinished kit car is whether you’re getting all the parts. I think the safe bet is no, you’re not – there’s going to be parts you have to track down, and that’s not a big deal because these kit car companies are U.S.-based and the recipe is pretty well established by this point – right? Well, yes and no. If you’re buying a Factory 5 kit, sure, you can call them up and they’d likely help you. If you Google the name Classic Motor Carriages, you quickly learn this company was not an ethical organization and has caused enthusiasts considerable heartburn over the years.

This is not a knock on the seller or the authenticity of what he’s offering. It’s simply making the point that not all kit cars are created the same, and for some of them, the support you find on the other end is going to vary from company to company. In the case of CMC, which has since re-branded, it was hit with a lawsuit in Florida where it had to pay restitution to customers it has misled into thinking they would receive actual car bodies and parts for their orders, which often didn’t happen. In the case of this kit car, the seller is including a small block Chevy as the powerplant, but you can obviously make your own choices there.

The company once known as a Classic Motor Carriages is now known as “Street Beasts”, and from what I’ve read, the same people are at the helm. However, one would hope that with a fairly messy history, they are working hard to avoid making the same mistakes twice. This Cobra kit car comes with the “… doors, windshield, side pipes,” but the seller does allude to some parts having gone missing. Reach out to the seller here on Facebook to ask what components you’ll need to track down, and then make an offer on what could be a fun winter project. Would you keep the SBC or go with a different powerplant?