Condition:	Used	VIN (Vehicle Identification Number):	SP01219
Year:	2002	Engine:	410cu V8
Make:	Superformance	Drive Type:	RWD
Model:	427 MKIII Roadster	Mileage:	3,000
Trim:	2 Door Rroadster	Vehicle Title:	Clear

I am ECSTATIC to offer for a sale this beautiful Cobra recreation from Superformance, the ONLY licensed Cobra from Carroll Shelby licensing.  It has been EXTRAORDINARILY well cared for, drives like a DREAM, feels near brand new and looks absolutely stunning in Lamborghini Titanium over Black Leather.  This is a long ad, but please be sure to read the entire thing – there is a lot of wonderful detail to cover!  Let’s dive right in!
Background:

This 1965 Shelby AC Cobra recreation came from Superformance and is specifically is car #1217, a 2002 Superformance MkIII 427 Cobra Roadster.  The Superformance (SPF) brand by a huge margin are the best recreations available.    What makes them so good?  To begin with, unlike most other brands, the fiberglass body is finished beautifully from SPF.  Most of the cheaper companies require EXTENSIVE work to the body for fitment and waviness.  SPF goes to far lengths to assure that their body’s fit tightly and beautifully from the factory with ZERO waviness.  Check out the pictures below.  LASER straight.   Carroll Shelby himself said: “I’ve endorsed and licensed the car for being as close to correct and well-built as possible.”

What else separates SPF from the others? To use SPF’s own words, “The Superformance replicas are the result of attention to detail and engineering. Almost all manufacture and design is done in house at Superformance except where some parts are better designed by specialists, Superformance partners with Dana, Bilstein, Wilwood and others for design input and specific NEW components. No used parts are fitted to the car. From the ground up most components are designed specifically for the Superformance rolling chassis. This consistent approach to manufacturing and attention to detail results in proven world-class performance with fit and finish second to none.”

I couldn’t wordsmith it any better.  The engineering of the car makes for an investment, rather than patched together kit.  Consistency is achieved through a state of the art factory.  Superformance prides itself on the quality of its design and manufacturing processes, and the excellence of its of high performance products. All quality control is to international ISO standards and must meet stringent in-house inspection processes. It is this dedication to consistency that sets them apart from the competition. The plant, is the largest and best equipped in the industry, employing over 500 people. Facilities include an air conditioned composite shop, state of the art paint shop, and a fabrication shop that includes 14 CNC machines, presses up to 1300 tonne and a full range of metal working equipment and skills. All trim and wiring looms are also done on site, as is the final assembly. SPF even have their own chrome plant on site.

Why go through the effort of explaining all of this background?  Because SPF is looking to make an EXTREMELY high quality car, not just a replica body that someone with who knows what kind of skills will assemble in their garage.  All of this adds up to a car that retails for over $90k new, and for you Californians, that is BEFORE being able to even register it!  Let’s chat about this for a moment.

Title and Registration:

This car is SB100, California VIN’ed, registered and titled!  Only 500 of these registrations for replica, recreation, home-build, dune-buggy and special constructions are given each year.  They require loads of leg work and hoops the DMV makes you jump through.  This is DONE!  Moreover, no smog ever in CA for life!  Ready to be enjoyed in CA, any other state, or internationally!  If you live outside CA, please check local laws, I do not know the requirements for each state specifically, though CA is usually the hardest bar to pass.
The Condition and Service:

This Cobra come with very high quality standard equipment!
– Hand laminated fiberglass body with reinforcing inserts.
– Heavy duty TIG welded ladder frame chassis with crumple zones
– Fully independent front and rear suspension.
– Limited slip differential.
– Willwood power-assisted vented disc brakes (4-pot calipers.Front, Single-pot calipers back)
– Custom crafted coil-over shocks.
– Aluminum pin drive “Halibrand” style wheels (Knock – off) with 15” tires.
– Side and rear view mirrors.
– Original style pedals, catches and fittings.
– Original style shifter and hand brake lever.
– Carpeted interior and trunk.
– Aluminum finished firewall.
– Sun Visors and wind wings.
– Wipers & Washer, heater/defogger.
– Leather seating surfaces (drivers adjusts.)
– Original style latch-lock seat belts.
– Moto – Lita wooden steering wheel.
– Monza style filler. (locking gas cap)
– Aluminum, single core hi-performance radiator, shroud and dual fans.
– Oil cooler and braided lines.
– Stainless steel fuel tank. 17 gal. (Pressure tested.)
– Original style side pipes and headers to accommodate Ford based V8 engine
– Original style gauges (Smith) and switches. (Lucas.)
– Reverse 180mph speedometer
– Stainless steel roll bar, chassis mounted

Want to read even more?  Check out SPF’s page
http://www.superformance.com/mkiii_specs.aspx

Now that we have a great idea of the body and chassis, let’s the overall build and condition!

The Condition and Build:

Let’s start on the engine and drivetrain:

-ENGINE

Along with the chassis, only 3,200 miles grace this engine.  Under the hood is a balanced 351 cid Ford Windsor V8, bored & stroked to 410 cid, with Edelbrock Victor Jr. manifold and matching aluminum heads topped with a Holley double-pumper carburetor just rebuilt less than 100 miles ago.

It’s outfitted with forged pistons, H-beam rods, Crower roller cam and roller rockers, remote-mounted oil filter fitted with SS braided hoses and ANSA fittings. Bottom end is fitted with girdle. MSD 6AL ignition for spark. No expense was spared in the engine’s painstaking construction by Probe Industries.

This engine is a MONSTER.  The Holley was just recently rebuilt and runs like a machine of war!  Starts right up with ease, hot or cold.  No smoke, no stumbles, no issues.  This Cobra is mind-warpingly fast.  Weighing in at 2,400lbs, this bad boy will embarrass even brand new supercars!

-TRANSMISSION

Power is routed thru a 10-1/2” McLeod clutch to a Tremec 5-speed transmission that spins an 8.8” IRS, with 3.83:1 gear ratio.  Trans shifts cleanly and shifts are positive.

-EXHAUST

-Street version–style undercar exhaust is routed through ceramic-coated headers that exit out the rear through a pair of throaty and mellow mufflers with nice chromed tips.  Side pipes look good, but are hard to live with.  Way too loud, burned ankles, and fumes at stop lights.  The rear exit pipes are by far the best answer.  They sound VERY good without a skin graft needed!

-SUSPENSION

Now for the real treat.  Fully independent, A-arm, coil over suspension in the front and rear!  This Cobra is out to HANDLE.  No straight axle kit car junk here!  This suspension feel wonderful!  No bangs, no rough ride, no clunks! The shocks dampen wonderfully!  The car is tight in corners, and comfortable on the straights!  Rubber bushings are in great shape, no degradation or rubber coming apart.

-BRAKES
The Wilwood 4 piston front and single piston rears bite hard under a heavy foot but are linear and comfortable for a casual drive.  The pads are street pads that require no heat up time.  A wonderful braking system from one of the world’s best in brakes!

-STEERING

Steering is very tight, no dead spots or play!

-BATTERY
Brand new battery!

Let’s continue to the exterior:

-PAINT and BODY
The paint is INCREDIBLE.  Shiny, beautiful, Lamborghini paint was recently waxed by a highly acclaimed detailer here in LA.  It looks FANTASTIC. In any of ads I usually rate the paint and will say something like 8/10 or 9/10 etc.  And no matter how new and beautiful the car, I have never said a car is a 10.  THIS CAR, is a 10.  I can not find a single flaw.  Why?  It is a BRAND NEW paint job with only 100 miles of driving since painted in January.   This car was painted black from SPF when new, but after some years and some miles, it was time for a color change.  The car was handed off to Lasky Coachworks of Los Angeles for gorgeous paint job!  What kind of work does Lasky provide?  Keep at eye out at Gooding auctions at Pebble Beach for the Ferrari Daytona he is finishing restoring.  This was a near $10k paint job in Lamborghini Titanium silver.  It is simply stunning and drapes over the car like it always wet.  The pics do not do a enough justice!

-WHEELS and TIRES
Halibrand-style knockoff wheels wrapped with Bridgestone radial rubber keep car planted to the road. 85% tread left front and rear.

BUMPERS and CHROME
The bumpers are in wonderful shape, chrome is shiny and flaw free.  No chipping or discoloration!  Chrome on the windshield frame, and mirrors are beautiful!

-GLASS
Not to let a pebble defeat this car, the windshield is great shape, with no chips or sandblasting.  It is beautifully clear glass that makes a world of difference.

-SOFT TOP
An option from the factory is the vinyl soft top and hard plastic side windows.  These are in beautiful shape, come in vinyl cases and were only placed on the car once during early fitment tests.

-TONNEAU COVER
Also an option from the factory is the vinyl tonneau cover.  This cover too is in wonderful shape and fits snuggly over the cockpit!

-CAR COVER
Also from SPF, the car comes with a flannel custom fit Superformance car cover!

Onto the cabin:

-SEATS
The premium black leather seats are beyond fantastic!!!  Please pause for a minute and look at the pics below – they appear as they just rolled off the assembly line.  Look at the texture, the totally zero wear, the deep color…Perfect!!  They are incredibly supportive with what feels like zero foam wear. The leather and foam is SO soft and comfortable.  I TRULY love driving this car.  You sit in perfect steering wheel/pedal distance in these buttery soft seats!  The leather has been extraordinarily well cared for!  The underside of the seats are even clean!  The springs look like they just got a brand new coat of black paint.  The sliders are smooth and work great.  The leather has been recently cleaned and conditioned as well!  Words and pictures do not express how wonderful it is to spend time in these licorice colored beauties!   And there is an added secret to these seats: they boast hidden seat heaters for those chilly nights or cool morning drives!

-DASHBOARD

ZERO cracks.  ZERO lifting.  Beautiful shape!!  Smith’s gauges look gorgeous and work wonderfully.  Oil temp gauge in place, but no sender was run to it.

-DOOR PANELS

Gorgeous panels, wonderful map pockets and carpet!
-CARPET
VERY beautiful carpet in the car!  It has been shampooed and cleaned as part of the overall detail.  It is incredibly clean, has no heel wear or stains – check out the pics!  Carpet in the trunk is in VERY nice shape!

-RADIO
Though the intoxicating engine note is music enough to most, there is additional music is provided by a Sony AM/FM/XM hidden-face radio with a concealed 300 watt amp, two front-side speakers and a hidden floor-mounted subwoofer, with a 6-CD changer tucked away in the luggage compartment.

-ALARM

Security provided with a K2000 car alarm with keyless entry remotes.

The Experience:

How is is possible to sum up this driving experience?  Even when approaching this Cobra, you can feel how special it really is.  It’s not just any recreation.  It is the only licensed Cobra from Shelby, which, short spending double for a CSX continuation car, or $1mm on a original, it is the closest recreation out there. The quality is FAR beyond any of of the other replica brands. A turn of the key and the engine roars to life and settles down into an aggressive idle.  The clutch is very easy to modulate and a light lift alone is all that is needed to get you rolling away.  Perhaps, you need to gently cruise out of town first, rowing 1st, 2nd and 3rd weaving slowly through the streets.  The steering is direct and gives good feel and the engine is tame and easy to drive.  The highway on-ramp approaches, a blip of the gas and a downshift to 2nd, you reshuffle yourself in the drivers seat a bit knowing what is about to occur…and here it comes!  WHAM, the car squats in the back and begins to struggle for traction and gobble up road.  2nd is a long gear but you are at redline very quickly.  A decisive shift to 3rd and the power has not let up as things start to get quite fast and still you hunt for traction!  Dare you grab 4th gear with your foot still buried?  Maybe later, as you settle back down into a calm highway pace!  This care is a high quality, MONSTER that is absolutely stunning!

Vicarious driving aside, this Cobra is a dream to drive. It is tight, very comfortable, very quick, nimble and smooth.  THIS is the Cobra to understand what makes Cobra’s so great.  There are few cars from the that can feel pure, powerful and historic – this Cobra recreation is it!  I hope you can tell by my long ad that this car is an amazing pre-owned and beautiful Superformance Cobra.