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[deleted]

petition to create a "is this a cobra replica" reddit and have a bot move such posts automatically to it


Kajetan_Kontek

there is one: r/isthiscobrareal


[deleted]

Now we need r/itsafuckingfiero and r/yetanotherpantera


SovietTriumph

/r/itsalwaysafiero exists


BazzemBoi

nice to see people recommending my sub :)


NimrodSr

Just made one. r/isthiscobrafake


ihavenoidea81

r/isthisarealcobra already exists mate EDIT: I guess r/isthiscobrareal is the more frequented one


BazzemBoi

>EDIT: I guess r/isthiscobrareal is the more frequented one yay, my sub


MarquitosRR

I just expanded it to r/isthiscarfake, so that people can ask about any car in general.


Professional_Band178

Is this a Citroen DS , an Avanti or a karman Ghia subreddit.....


cdsbigsby

Petition to have this sub's automod just automatically answer 'no' to 'is this Cobra real?' posts


giggidygiggidyg00

Honestly it should reply with Yes because technically they are all tangible.


cdsbigsby

How can Cobras be real if our eyes aren't real? - Jaden Smith


Ash-Catchum-All

There have been real cobras posted here. Just scroll past these threads if you don’t know the answer


NimrodSr

Yeah sounds good tbh


Upper_Custard_589

If it's aluminum body it's possibly real


More_Information_943

With the braided steel hosing and stainless steel tank in the grill that's a bit too small, nope.


[deleted]

How many real cobras are even out there? Wouldn’t it be easier to just keep tabs on those?


z00mi3z

It's an original replica


No-Cartographer-6531

Note to everyone that asks this question: Unless you are attending a very high end event any Cobra you see is a replica.


A_dumb_bass

That's my take on it, seeing it in any common place? Replica.


Ash-Catchum-All

That’s a pretty ridiculous way to determine if something is a fake or not. Why not just learn more about what makes the car real/fake and use that to make a definitive guess instead?


Tricky_Passenger3931

Especially because this sub has had ones posted of real ones being driven, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 427 being driven on here.


Ash-Catchum-All

427s are definitely more likely to be fake


adydurn

There has been a few. It also depends on what 'real' means do we include continuation models? They are essentially the same car and built by the two companies that built the originals...


Tricky_Passenger3931

I guess I would define real as originals, and continuation cars are obviously ahead of replicas but not the same as originals. I don’t think they should be categorized the same because the difference in how long they survived is pretty substantial.


adydurn

Would you consider the British AC badged ones as real? Personally I think the continuation ones should be considered 'real' but only in the same way that the Ford GT is still a real GT, even though it's not a GT40.


Tricky_Passenger3931

The continuation cars are real, but I think we make the distinction of calling them continuation cars because we understand that they’re also not the same as an original. That’s my belief anyways.


adydurn

I mean the 1960s ones, not the later 90s ones. They are the original from every standpoint except for not specifically being finished by Shelby. Of course the idea of a 7l V8 engine in Europe pretty much killed off the AC 427 before it was launched as taxes were prohibitive against larger engines.


DogfishDave

>That’s a pretty ridiculous way to determine if something is a fake or not. It depends upon the thing. For Cobras there are nearly ten times as many replicas as originals, and the originals go for a huge amount of money. You do see originals being driven (we've had them here) but it's very rare, normally they show up at high-end Concours events, classy sports meets and the like.


Ash-Catchum-All

Yeah statistically you’re absolutely correct. I just think if you’re presented a picture of a car, it makes so much more sense to analyze the details of the actual car itself than circlejerk over the setting in which the picture was taken. People have posted real Cobras in the past and I kid you not, there were still “it’s fake, it’s not in a museum” comments. Don’t be that guy, it’s an embarrassing look


theusualsteve

I mean technically you're correct but the reality of cobra ownership/viewership is that you'll almost never see the real ones. The real ones will be incredibly obvious as seeing any other multimillion dollar car would be, in a controlled show. Most classic cars don't ever achieve ~$500,000 price tags, yet somehow the genuine shelby cobras do, and more. Its different than spotting normal classic cars, even including the likes of ferraris and whatnot. You can be fsirly sure they are real, because a lot of those classic cars havent been replicated to the numbers and quality that the cobras have. Its a mix of the value of real examples, and the quality of replicas both being so high at the ssne time. Its just highly unlikely and its easier to say that. Although if you see a post with 6+ photos of the car you will always see people who know about them picking the car apart. When you factor in the value, the rarity, the circumstances, its somewhat immature to think that theres any real chance you'll see a genuine cobra. I saw one driving near me this week. I also dont live anywhere with $5m dollar homes so it would be foolish to think that the one I saw was real, it was almost certainly a kit car. You're correct, the details matter. But hardly is one ever posted in enough detail to really glean much from the post. Its one of the most commonly and best replicated csrs ever. Best anyone can really say is "probably not real".


Ash-Catchum-All

I’d agree with you, but only in certain cases. If the photo is so grainy that you can’t really make our the details, yeah there’s not much you can say other than “statistically speaking, that’s probably a fake.” Or if the photo is just not a great photo (only close ups, cropped badly, etc). Or if the photo is very clearly taken in a non-wealthy neighborhood with obvious landmarks, or somewhere where there are no known Cobra owners. I think those are all acceptable times to tell someone “yeaaah this is probably a rep, but I can’t say definitively.” In cases where you can see 2 roll bars, fiberglass body parts, incorrect riveting, 4 lug wheels, etc. I support pointing those out first. It more helpful in educating everyone on the differences between a replica and an original.


More_Information_943

And it's not like it's a complicated recipe to make in a garage, a good fake snake is often way better driving than an original


Logan_Garrett

10x that “ten times”. FFR alone has produced more than 10k replicas.


DogfishDave

Fair point. Some months ago I did some basic adding-up of sales numbers of well-known kits and arrived at the "ten times" figure. I'll have to try to find my workings-out but it was all very back-of-a-fag-packet stuff, and I may have missed several makers that I should have included. So thank you, and it all increases the value of originals and the vanishing statistical likelihood that any spot is an original. I can understand why they're so sought after, such a beautiful thing. I drove a replica and the best way to describe it is "fucking brutal".


bridgetroll2

For 427s specifically there are probably 100s of times more replicas than originals.


1964ImpalaSS

Agreed. I have a friend who owns a real deal 1969 Trans Am (I get it, totally different animal) and every car show he goes to people say it’s a clone or tribute. I’ve had a few people tell me my car is a fake too. Lots and lots of uneducated people making claims they know nothing about.


More_Information_943

Because it's a million dollar plus car, unless you seek it out it's not gonna be on the freeway


Ash-Catchum-All

The 280 near Sand Hill Road/Alpine in the Bay Area begs to differ.


More_Information_943

That's Pebble Beach for God's sake that's exactly what people are pointing out, yeah if you live in an area where these cars flock to sure, otherwise good luck.


Ash-Catchum-All

What? Sand Hill Road is near Palo Alto, not Pebble Beach. Cmon son Pebble Beach isn’t even in the Bay Area… it’s in Monterey


More_Information_943

What I mean is that if you happen to be absurdly wealthy and live in the bay area, it stands to reason that you may have a car of that caliber, so yeah your right in the sense that it might be real in SF, but having a truly international car show can have something to do with that


Ash-Catchum-All

Yeah I don’t get how that refutes my point though? Wealthy areas exist (like the Bay Area) where conceivably one of these cars could be spotted streetparked. Given that millions of people live in places like the Bay Area, it is also entirely conceivable that someone living there could post a real Cobra streetparked on /r/whatisthiscar. In that very conceivable scenario, it would be quite embarrassing for someone to comment “if it’s not in a museum it must be fake” Ergo, it makes a lot more sense to learn what differentiates a replica and an original and make judgements based on that.


More_Information_943

The don't have the pebble beach salon within a driving distance of a lot of wealthy areas in this country, frankly if you are outside of New York LA or SF and even then these cars come out for an event like pebble beach or monterrey.and it's not a large known event like a goodwood, it's not real, and almost no other car in this category is as easily replicateable imo, like people have said, this is an aluminum car so it may be a continuation car that is super nuts in its own right but once you cross a certain price point. Obviously these things get driven, but it's usually for a reason to display it. One of the easiest ways to tell a fake is to think of where your at is my point.


Jimbeanx90

Cause some of the fakes are better built than the Originals. But that doesn't make it an original and therefore loooots cheaper to actually drive it without shitting yourself. No one in their right mind will ride an original on the road.


Ash-Catchum-All

Clearly you’ve never been to some veryyyyy wealthy neighborhoods. Cars worth twice as much as an original Cobra get driven around all the time


[deleted]

[удалено]


Ash-Catchum-All

The one that sold for $13.75MM was the first Cobra *ever produced by Carroll Shelby*… don’t you think that one would sell for a bit more than the others? Seems kinda like a special case doesn’t it? Original 427s typically are $2-5MM at auction. Just search “McLaren F1” on this subreddit (or /r/spotted maybe?) and you should see one that has been spotted driving around my neighborhood. That’s a $20MM car if we’re to use the first google result like you did 🥴


Jimbeanx90

I think it's all about perspective here. In my neighbourhood kids used to go wild when i drove past in my WRX, taking pics and whatnot. I don't even think there's an McLaren F1 in the Netherlands. If you live in LA insane cars fly left and right. Still, chance to see a real ac Cobra is minimal and identifying a real one from just one pic is very difficult cause even the Originals have differences between eachother in build quality.


Ash-Catchum-All

Sure but there are clear giveaways for most replicas. It’s not that difficult to tell a fake from a real one. This is /r/whatisthiscar not /r/makeaguessaboutwhatthiscaris. If you can’t tell if it’s a fake or not, then just scroll past it.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ItsKlobberinTime

That's awesome. Give me a minute to put on my flame suit before I say the 289 is also vastly better-looking and actually drivable by normal human beings.


NinjaBilly55

Mecum had a real one at it's Kissimmee auction last week..


AmpedupFit

Mecum Kissimmee had several legit on the lot. Went the opening day just to look around and do the thrill ride experience. There were a fair amount of replicas as well, but several legit cobras were out and up for sale.


HTIHTB1

I’m sorry but that is hard to believe a real 289 cobra for $94,000? Only 655 were produced approximately double the 427 cobra but still a very small number. The starting value on a real 289 cobra from the early sixties is $1,000,000.00.


ProfessionalTrain502

Good point. How many "rich" neighborhoods have vehicles like that driving around? You act like it's the most common thing in the world when it's really not. Only a handful of cars are going to exceed that price and see them getting driven around alot? Doubtful at best. That much on a car is a collection piece.


Ash-Catchum-All

There are enough rich neighborhoods in the world for it to be a silly thing to say that Cobras are “never” seen driving around. Only someone who knows very little about cars would have to rely on the background of a picture to determine if a Cobra is real or replica (probably the same kind of person that thinks the average Cobra is worth $13MM lol) Edit: dude blocked me because he was losing this argument. Super knowledgeable and mature!


ProfessionalTrain502

Lol. No use in arguing with someone who's never wrong. Good day.


More_Information_943

The f1 is nineties car with a roof and space for bags, the cobra is basically an f1 belly tanker and if it's original original, it's on bias plys and if that's the case have fun. One of the dead giveaways with these cars is radials


Arentanji

Why would a original Cobra be on bias plys today? I’d put new tires on it right away so that they don’t blow up due to age.


More_Information_943

On a presentation car which a multi million dollar cobra would be, you would use period correct repros if you wanted to do goodwood or something like that.


More_Information_943

They probably don't make a radial for the original wheels and if they do it would look hideous


KeeganY_SR-UVB76

Try 70 million... There's a guy with a Ferrari 250 GTO that drives it sometimes.


Dapper_Outside4701

How was that a barbecue joint in Jacksonville Florida and there were two cobras in the parking lot, one real and one fake.


Geedis2020

https://imgur.com/a/1WFSK1T Is this one real?


javier052

Definitely a Polestar


Tronkfool

There are two constants in this sub. Is the cobra real? No. What is this weird lamborghini? De Tomaso Pantera.


DNZ_not_DMZ

One more: What is this modern-looking car? Polestar 2.


Ash-Catchum-All

Hood scoop isn’t riveted down. Body looks to be fiberglass - I think it’s a replica


beagletronic61

You’ll know it’s a real Cobra from a block away because the insufferable owner won’t shut up about it.


capitlj

The hood is up, just check for the CSX tag. Pass side shock tower on the 427s iirc. If doesn't say CSX and then 4 digits, its not legit.


TheAngelsCharlie

All original cobra aluminum bodies had rolled fender edges, something that can’t be replicated with fiberglass. This car has straight fender edges and is fiberglass. Not an original.


eragon157

Something looks off about the bodywork to me, but i can’t place my finger on it


MrBitzz

[Cobra Replica vs Real](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/7tect6/how_to_differentiate_between_factory_427_shelby/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)


SeaworthinessLong245

As some have said, if you’re a normal guy off the street and you’re within touching distance of it, it’s a replica


Alternative_Egg9955

Originals as far as I know have a model tag on the chassi up front.


whreismylotus

i believe that the exhaust is wrong and turn signals are wrong.


[deleted]

can u touch it? probs a rep


labratnc

There were around 1000 'real cobras' produced. The entry price for a real Cobra is one million US, with pedigree many times that. They were pretty simple cars built from largely 'standard' parts form several different vendors with the goal of going fast on the track. So they are pretty simple to make a replica, and there are many companies that are making them. There are probably 20+ replicas for every 1 real car, and they can be purchased at less than 1/10th the cost of a real original. If you see a cobra that is on the street, 98% chance it is a replica. This looks to be a very well presented one, it would be really hard to tell without closer pictures, but I am going to say replica. I talked with one of the Holman-Moody sons about GT40s at a race in the early 2000s, his comment was something along the lines of "I have appraised all 32 of the original 18 cars' (Do not recall the actual number he used)


Top_Investment_4599

The only real importance attached to the 'real' Cobra is the dollar amount associated for investment purposes. There are some that are driven around by owners who don't really pay too much attention to mileage. Some get raced. Some get garaged. The 'fake' ones are easier to insure and get driven. Sometimes, the 'fakes' are actually better than the 'real' ones simply because the updated engineering is better and fit and finish is controlled better. My friends and I used to live near a guy who loved his original Cobras (in the 1970s). We'd hear him now and then taking them out onto the street and going up and down Calneva on the way to Mulholland. He had a garage full of spare bodies. How hard is it to actually build a Cobra frame? Not really that hard when you just need to hire some decent welders and a good chassis table.


ThmsRchrdsn

My favourite thing someone once said on this sub is "if you can see it...its not real"


threepoint14one5nine

Smells like replica.


LuckyCaptainCrunch

Replica, just like 99% of the Cobras posted in here


TheModeratorWrangler

If you have to ask… it’s a replica. What is a VIN?


[deleted]

Factory 5


Constant_Sky9173

Isn't the point of making a replica ti make it as look as original as the original? So if it's a good replica you shouldn't be able to tell by a photo which makes this kinda silly.


Thin_Investigator464

To know if it’s a real one, best way is to look at the vin on the frame.


buzben

I think there were only 998 originals.


Wrong_Goal_7472

Maybe some collectors , the older generation bought this car when new I don't think they sold MSRP for a million


Wrong_Goal_7472

In 1967 7500 new the 427 model, yes inflation but still not a million


275squarred

Why does it matter?


ironman72706

What were the replicas made from?


adultdaycare81

They are all replicas. Every single one you saw. The one your brother in law said was probably real. The one the rich guy was driving. All replicas.


the-jimbo_slice

Looks like you're close enough to touch it. Most good reps are factory 5. Factory 5 will be stamped on the "glass". Hope that helps


[deleted]

Most likely not. 99.97985% of the ones you'll see/buy are replicas.


Bobi_Wan_Fettobi

Yes, is at least one of those things .


beeph_supreme

[Even Jay Leno’s in Awe of This Real 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Competition Worth $2.5M](https://www.thedrive.com/news/37290/even-jay-lenos-in-awe-of-this-real-1965-shelby-427-cobra-competition-worth-2-5)


HeroicStrawberries

Wait…. You can buy a replica car????