CSX2603. What's the deal?

[FL SAAC]

It all boils down to the " interpretation of those words "

Didn't Shelby loose his California DMV manufacturing license over these "continuation" cars? I remember it was a big mess, they claimed that they were original frames but they turned out to be a modern reproduction out of the southern CA.

Did it end up in legal trouble for 'ol Shel?


https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-15-vw-23029-story.html

[Coralsnake]

Heres the article from Autoweek in 1992

[Coralsnake]

[Coralsnake]

[Coralsnake]

[Coralsnake]

[Coralsnake]

There are people on both sides. If I recall correctly he was challenged on the amounts of money that actually made it to the kids.

[Bob Gaines]

Didn't Shelby loose his California DMV manufacturing license over these "continuation" cars? I remember it was a big mess, they claimed that they were original frames but they turned out to be a modern reproduction out of the southern CA.

Did it end up in legal trouble for 'ol Shel?


https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-15-vw-23029-story.html

More of a problem for the owners given after CA figured out that the chasiss were recent made that the owners could only register the continuation Cobras as off road only in CA.Other states where not as harsh.

[427heaven]

Once a SNAKE OIL salesman always one. This is when his loyal, faithful, followers including myself thought differently about him, and started to separate from the same old same old. Troubles followed him from this time forward.  More twists and turns then an Agatha Christy novel.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Didn't Shelby loose his California DMV manufacturing license over these "continuation" cars? I remember it was a big mess, they claimed that they were original frames but they turned out to be a modern reproduction out of the southern CA.

Did it end up in legal trouble for 'ol Shel?


https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-15-vw-23029-story.html

More of a problem for the owners given after CA figured out that the chasiss were recent made that the owners could only register the continuation Cobras as off road only in CA.Other states where not as harsh.

CS only built a few (3-4?) cars before it fell apart. He saw the price originals were bringing and wanted a piece of the pie. The story was created. I never saw all 50 chassis. I did see all the parts he had recast and machined to make the cars. They were at McClusky's when Kopec sent me to see CS and get photos for the article. A guy in COCOA was working for him at the time. CS sent him to DMV with all the MSOs to get titles. At the time there was CSs car one that was completed and going to Japan and one in process. Once DMV got wind (I've always wondered who dropped the dime - probably someone who had gotten stung with one of the rumored to be 26 air Cobras) that the cars were not original '65 and new manufacture they cancelled the titles and demanded their return. Recently SA has again drug out the unused numbers with the specific disclaimer that they are for off road use only. I don't know if any/all have sold I couldn't find them on their website. Probably the most authentic replica is the CSX1000 series that CS built in conjunction with AC cars.

Found this on the rebirth of the 3000. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170808006368/en/Genuine-427-Shelby-Competition-Cobra-Racecar-Production-Goes-Full-Throttle
Very interesting that McClusky knows where to find the parts - probably still sitting in the bins I snapped them in so many years ago.
I wonder if these are basically a licensed type build since it sounds like SA isn't really doing anything on the cars beyond paperwork??

[shelbydoug]

Are the CSX continuation cars registerable in California? What's the difference between them and the "continuation CSX 3000 cars"?

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Are the CSX continuation cars registerable in California? What's the difference between them and the "continuation CSX 3000 cars"?

CA has some weird - OK gotta use the words kit car registration rules. When they first cracked down there were 100 spots available to register/smog by year of engine - they used the block casting date. After those 100 spots were gone (usually at 8:05am on Jan 2nd) you needed to smog to the current standard of a new car. Now there are 500 spots annually and they apparently don't run out of them. There is also a provision where you can use the VIN assigned by an MSO for your kit by the manufacturer with less than 17 digits.
I'd wager the "missing" CSX 3000 numbers have been tagged in the CA DMV computer as a no-go. They are picky on what they'll let into the state. A friend imported a gray market Smart car that had been federalized and licensed. It was registered in OK and when he tried to transfer it to CA they refused. It had under 7500 miles and was still considered a new car. After it had 7500 miles he tried to register it again and they said it would never be registered in CA it had been blacklisted in the computer as a 49 state car. It took another $1,300 trip to the federal smog test place for a "meets CA standards" tag. I also ran into trouble trying to re register the SHOGUN prototype in CA. It was coming back from Canada and they wanted it to go back through the entire BAR engine swap process even though the original tags and paperwork were intact. The fact I even had the original CA registration didn't matter either they wanted to treat it as a freshly imported foreign car. 

Today it's opened up quite a bit. They must also no longer be checking the block date codes
SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, supported the bill SB100 sponsored in the legislature by State Senator Maurice Johannessen (R-District 4).

Under California's law, a smog test referee compares the vehicle to those of the era that the vehicle most closely resembles to determine the model year of a specially constructed vehicle. The vehicle's owner can choose whether the inspector will certify the vehicle model year or the engine model year. If there is no close match, it is classified as a 1960 vehicle. Only those emission controls applicable to the model year and that can be reasonably accommodated by the vehicle are required. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) registration program is limited to the first 500 specially constructed vehicles per year that meet the criteria.

"In years past, California kit cars and replica vehicles were assigned the current model-year for smog inspection purposes," said Steve McDonald, SEMA director of government and technical affairs. "This policy unfairly subjected kit cars and other specially constructed vehicles to more stringent smog inspection requirements. Thanks to this measure, engines and vehicles will be held to the standards of the model year they represent rather than the more sophisticated vehicles of today. In addition, car owners won't be penalized for having previously registered their specially constructed vehicle."

[shelbydoug]

Could this be why people set the state on fire?

[CSX2259]

It is also interesting how Superformance got away with extending the use of CSX2XXX numbers on Continuation Series Cobras they build under license with SAI.