1965 Cobra by Unique Motorcars 427 Aluminium Shelby Block

The owner is 82 years old. He loves this car and hates to let it go, but he's practical too, and realizes it's time to let it go. He loved to show the Cobra and really liked to drive it on the Gold Country roads around Grass Valley, CA. He didn't drive it a lot for two reasons: They are snow birds and only spent five months in northern California where the car is kept covered in a climate controlled garage and admittedly the Cobra is a little too much car for him. Hence the Cobra only has 3843 miles. The owner is retired engineer so when the Cobra arrived from Unique Motorcars of Gadsden, Alabama, he disassembled, detailed it and sent the body to one of northern California's premier body/paint shops. It returned with a beautiful wave free and orange peal free baby blue metallic with white Novice stripes.He is also an engine guy and built the Shelby aluminium FE block that is a powerful torque monster that will hold together with a SCATT rotating assembly. It is topped off with a streetable solid lifter cam. It has aluminium Edelbrock medium riser heads, Preformer RPM intake manifold and carburetor. It does not run over 180 degrees. It has a Pertronics ignition system for reliability. Exhaust and mufflers are ceramic coated. The sound is awesome! This Cobra does have all the right stuff and yearns to go on track days. The driveline is teamed up with a McLeod clutch, Tremec TKO 600 and a Jaguar 3:90 rear end with double coil overs. All that fun is applied to the pavement with Nitto Extreme Performance tires 275/50R17 rear and 245/45ZR17 front. Coil overs control the front suspension. With the big block weighing in at about the same as the 289/302 engines, the handling is about the same as a small block Cobra: Balanced.Obviously, no expense was held back to make this Cobra exceptional.
I am a car guy and I'm helping him find a new home and owner for his prized Cobra. I put the car on a lift and thoroughly examined the whole car. I wish to be honest in my observations:
Frame and suspension components have been power coated. Everything is VERY clean with no fluid blow back. There is no rust or corrosion anywhere.Engine compartment is clean and show-worthy. No grease or oil anywhere. There is discoloration on the headers/exhaust. The underside of the hood is finished and painted to match the body. See PhotosElectrical wiring is labeled and bundled with no sign of abrasion of overheating. Wiring instruction manual is included along with all other documents.Instruments are Stewart Warner- all work and are clean and not faded.Interior is stunning! White leather used for bucket seats. High quality matching vinyl used for dash, doors, console and rear divider. The rear divider has the Cobra logo embroidered on it. The interior is clean with no marks or mars. It has black cut pile carpet showing no wear. Drivers seat is adjustable. Both seats are fitted with black Crown 3" race type seat belts.All of the chrome is in excellent condition- no scratches, pealing, dents or flaws.Wheels made by PS Engineering Torrance, CABrakes are Wilwood. Stops firmly and quickly with no pulsing.Windshield glass is clear with no rock chips or scratches. Wind deflectors are Cobra and plastic.Trunk is carpeted and clean. The battery is located here in a hard plastic mounted case.Weather stripping is like new. The doors and trunk lid fit and function perfectly.Wheels are 17" GT-40 type reproductions by P&S in So Cal.The fiberglass body is not thick and bulky like most other replicas. The fender flares have the thickness and feel of a C2 (midyear) Corvette. There are no observable cracks or bubbles in the fiberglass.FE motors are notorious for dripping oil out of the rear main. This one will leave only a spot on the floor the size of a nickel after a hard run.It is a blast to drive.
Engine is somewhat reluctant to start because of large overlap of the cam COMP cam 282 duration .571 lift.Cam is a solid lift/flat tappet cam which requires a zinc additive added to the 20w30 oil.Hydraulic clutch needs to go to floor to shift.Paint is extremely well done. However there are seven very small rock chips below the headlights and three larger chips near the hood (see photo with yellow stickies). There is a rock chip on the left front fender flair and one on the right rear fender flair. It would be an easy fix for any competent paint shop if you feel the necessity.This replica Cobra does not have any of the modern driving aids such as ABS brakes or active handling. The steering is very quick and would take some seat time to adjust to. It is advisable (unless you have already done so) to attend a professional driving school such as Bondurant or Hooked on Driving to help you meet the Cobra's potential.
I WILL HELP IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF SHIPPING HOME OR ABROAD. ENCLOSED SHIPPING IS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS OPEN ROADSTER.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS: Please bid only if you wish to purchase and have your financing complete. I strongly encourage and will help with anyone who wishes to do a pre-purchase inspection. THE CAR IS BEING SOLD AS IS/ WHERE IS. This auction acts as a legal binding contract to the purchaser. An immediate non-refundable $250 PayPal deposit is required. The balance to be paid via a bank money wire transfer only. The car will only be released after all funds have cleared. The car is being advertised locally therefore this auction may be terminated. Negative feedback bidders or less than 10 feedback bidders: Please contact me before bidding. The car will not be released to a shipper until all funds have cleared. The car is located near Grass Valley, CA about 50 miles NE of Sacramento. If you wish more information or additional photos please contact me through eBay or call 530 575-1941. Dave