Cobra Caravan pictures in NYC Dec 2, 1965

[Richstang]

Here's some links to several fantastic vintage pictures found over on the REVs Digital Library website. These photos were taken at the midtown Manhattan stop in the former "Union Carbide Building" 
We see the Cobra Caravan Trailer pictured from both the front and back.   
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=630232&collection=p17257coll1
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=631303&collection=p17257coll1


Inside the building lobby (on the ground level floor) is Carroll Shelby with a few others. The '66 GT350 with a sign board confirms the location.
Note the damage to the front valance. The MFG plate '2S 013' helped Steve Sloan and Howard Pardee to suggest this is 6s120
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=629382&collection=p17257coll1
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=630759&collection=p17257coll1


The CSX3011 Cobra is outside under building in open lobby with trailer parked outside in background
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=631584&collection=p17257coll1


Also parted outside the lobby are two GT350s the R model 5r213 and likely the street model 6s249
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=631645&collection=p17257coll1


The #11 Daytona CSX2286 shown in a side view.
https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=631549&collection=p17257coll1

No pictures of the GT40 P/1004 were found.

[69mach351w]

This is the Stuff I really enjoy seeing!

Thanks Rich for posting.

Rich

[ChicagoChris]

Very cool.
What was the reason they were on display?
Were there that many car racing fans in Manhattan?

[honker]

Rich, thanks for posting, great stuff as always !

There are two threads on this, not sure where to put these ? if it doesn't fit will delete or move.

I hope I'm not getting ahead of you here ? Some stuff I have in my files, which I'm sure you have. Some of this might have been

on forum 1.

The only image I have of the GT40..where is that ?

The schedule on the back of the truck.

A hand out, not mine  internet find

What's the story on the GT350 and truck on a residential street ?

Mike

[6R07mi]

Rich, thanks for posting, great stuff as always !

There are two threads on this, not sure where to put these ? if it doesn't fit will delete or move.

I hope I'm not getting ahead of you here ? Some stuff I have in my files, which I'm sure you have. Some of this might have been

on forum 1.

The only image I have of the GT40..where is that ?

The schedule on the back of the truck.

A hand out, not mine  internet find

What's the story on the GT350 and truck on a residential street ?

Mike

Mike, this photo is on the surface street in front of Cobo Hall, where the Detroit Auto show has been held for decades.
It has been changed and enlarged as you would expect.  The interesting thing is the street is a "U" around the freeway ramp that comes up after running under Cobo Hall.

Back in 2016 at the NA International Auto Show, Ford had J5, 5R002 and I believe #66 2016NGFGT race car there, I'll have to look for my photos.

regards

jim p

[Richstang]

Very cool.
What was the reason they were on display?
Were there that many car racing fans in Manhattan?

The Cobra Caravan was created as a celebration of Shelby American's victory in taking the 1965 World Championship with the Daytona Cobra.
They stopped in 12 major cities in the USA.

It was an opportunity to promote the new 1965/1966 GT350, as we see in the linked REVS photos.

This tour also coincided with the book tour / signing by Carroll Shelby for 'The Cobra Story" published by Trident Press.
I'll add in the link to the REVS Digital Library photo shortly in case anyone missed that other thread.

Edit; link added to book signing photos
http://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=14480.0

[Richstang]

Rich, thanks for posting, great stuff as always !

There are two threads on this, not sure where to put these ? if it doesn't fit will delete or move.

I hope I'm not getting ahead of you here ? Some stuff I have in my files, which I'm sure you have. Some of this might have been

on forum 1.

The only image I have of the GT40..where is that ?

The schedule on the back of the truck.

A hand out, not mine  internet find

What's the story on the GT350 and truck on a residential street ?

Mike

There didn't seems to be a thread specific to the Cobra Caravan.
I recall starting the SAI US Transporters thread a while back, but decided the Cobra Caravan deserved it's own new topic.

There's no order here so you're post just helps to open the discussions. Thanks for your adding contribution...with photos!

That photo you posted with the GT40 was taken in Detroit as Jim noted. That was December 2nd 1965.
The GT40 was also pictured at Hi-Performance Motors on November 17th, at the start of the tour.

Your photo of the schedule on the rear of the trailer was taken at LAX. I believe that was prior to the start of the tour.

The handout / press kit had several pages and photos which we can explore right here in this thread.

The Caravan Trailer on the residential street was taken in late April 1966, after the tour, in Minnesota.
SAI was delivering Dick Roe his new Cobra and 5s048 is pictured getting moved off the truck and out of the way.
5s048 was one of the first built race cars and it must have been sent back to SAI for 'upgrades" to R model specs.

[Side-Oilers]

Quick question, since The Cobra Story was mentioned above: 

Who was the ghost writer?   Hard to imagine CS actually sitting down at an old "hunt & peck" manual typewriter and working within the margins.   

Although the "hunt & peck" part would provide a chicken farmer a fame of reference.

[68countrysedan]

According to the Cobra Story title pages:

"Produced by Lyle Kenyon Engel"

and:
The Cobra Story
by Carroll Shelby
As told to John Bentley

The copyright is reserved by Carroll Shelby and Lyle Kenyon Engle



Publishing note:

John Bentley was involved in "We At Porsche" published in 1976 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Title page reads:

We At Porsche
The Autobiography of Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferry Porsche
with John Bentley

It appears that Mr. Bentley moved around in automotive circles.

[honker]

Jim P & Rich, thanks for the added info re: the photos I posted. This put me on a search, found some more stuff on the Cobra

Caravan. I think these things were part of a press pack, and maybe something that was handed out to the public ?

Mike

[honker]

This I think was also part of the info handed out with the tour. The photo is well known to us, I like how in the info they say Carroll

is pictured in his battle dress !

I just googled around and found this stuff, some is on E-bay, reproductions I think it says in the description.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Shelby-Cobra-Caravan-with-Carroll-in-Cowboy-Hat-Press-Photo-Release-0007-/333151501729


Mike

[Richstang]

This I think was also part of the info handed out with the tour. The photo is well known to us, I like how in the info they say Carroll

is pictured in his battle dress !

I just googled around and found this stuff, some is on E-bay, reproductions I think it says in the description.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Shelby-Cobra-Caravan-with-Carroll-in-Cowboy-Hat-Press-Photo-Release-0007-/333151501729


Mike

Mike,
I believe there were only SIX (6) photos with short articles (each within a single page) included with the Caravan press kit.
You have identified three of those photos/articles in you two posts above.
Feel free to add the other three for everyone to see. (or I can, later)

There have also been two early Cobra photos from press releases occasionally mixed in with these Caravan press kits
(Both were 2000 series Cobras; a white Cobra with CS standing behind it and a dark color Cobra by itself parked on grass)
They are likely press release from earlier years that were put in these Caravan press kits for safe keeping.

[honker]

Rich, in those photos you posted of the Cobras, are those taken at the Ford Design Centre ? That wall in the distance behind the

dark car looks like the one at the centre ?

Now this is very cool  has any ever seen one of these ? It was part of the John Atzbach collection, and made out of ceramics,

don't know what scale they would be ?

Mike

[Dan Case]

(Both were 2000 series Cobras; a white Cobra with CS standing behind it and a dark color Cobra by itself parked on grass)
They are likely press release from earlier years that were put in these Caravan press kits for safe keeping.

Regarding post #11, I believe you will find that:

Image  shelby19620001a_138474.jpg shows a right drive ACE RS2.6 complete with rear drum brakes.

Image shelby19620002a_170623.jpg shows the Cobra prototype CSX2000. The car was actually bright yellow in color at the time but looks "white" in a black and white picture.

For a brief period of time the Ken Rudd (Ruddspeed) ACE RS2.6 (Ford I6 engine) and the Carroll Shelby Enterprises / Shelby American Cobras (to get Ford V8s) chassis were built at AC Cars Ltd side by side. Both cars enjoyed a Ford connection with demands for Cobra chassis pushing Mr. Rudd's version aside very quickly. Mr. Rudd's connection to AC Cars and his chassis version predated Cobras.

[Richstang]

(Both were 2000 series Cobras; a white Cobra with CS standing behind it and a dark color Cobra by itself parked on grass)
They are likely press release from earlier years that were put in these Caravan press kits for safe keeping.

Regarding post #11, I believe you will find that:

Image  shelby19620001a_138474.jpg shows a right drive ACE RS2.6 complete with rear drum brakes.

Image shelby19620002a_170623.jpg shows the Cobra prototype CSX2000. The car was actually bright yellow in color at the time but looks "white" in a black and white picture.

For a brief period of time the Ken Rudd (Ruddspeed) ACE RS2.6 (Ford I6 engine) and the Carroll Shelby Enterprises / Shelby American Cobras (to get Ford V8s) chassis were built at AC Cars Ltd side by side. Both cars enjoyed a Ford connection with demands for Cobra chassis pushing Mr. Rudd's version aside very quickly. Mr. Rudd's connection to AC Cars and his chassis version predated Cobras.

Dan,
Thanks for your input! Previously, I had this light color Cobra in the press photo identified as csx2000...
However, the side emblem is much lower on the fender than the one found on csx2000.
Maybe the photo was re-touched to correct the emblem position. This larger photo does look like pearlescent yellow.

Thanks again for identifying the second car as an ACE. It does have a different look to it, although that could be the color.
I'm not intimately familiar with the differences.