Went to a car show in SC #2

[69mach351w]

Here is photos of the second AC Cobra tribute/replica/continuation...or whatever it is.

[BGlover67]

Wow, that is one detailed show board.  Only one big problem, it's not a real SHELBY!

[69mach351w]

I know, so what is it?, that's what I'm asking

[2112]

A Watts Link on an independent rear suspension? WTF?

[Don Johnston]

Maybe a Lone Star or Ultimate Classic Cobra from Texas?  Don't know if they are Shelby licensed manufacturers and could call their replicas "continuation" models.

[Bob Gaines]

It looks like the tag mentions the name that might be a derivative of the old Contempory Cobra MFG CO. It was /is one of the many to come out with a Cobra similar. Interesting look of the VIN tag to trying to mimic the vintage Cobra's.

[Bill]

It's a Contemporary Cobra, in the early days, Contemporary and ERA were top of the replica food chart.

CCX not CSX start to the VIN is the clue, as is the Contemporary VIN tag, this of course being a late "Burtis", as Contemporary sold to his father, who thought owning a replica company would be a great thing for his late 20's son to have. Sadly, the company went under soon after as Peter knew how to run a business, and Mr Burtis did not 

[shelbydoug]

If this is about Contemporary:

I NEVER saw them in Yonkers and I am actually shocked to see that tag. I thought that they started in Mt.Vernon, but maybe "Yonkers" pre-dates that?  After Mt.Vernon they moved to Mamaroneck right near the train station.

Peter would show up regularly at Sunday "car shows" with one of his cars, circa 1978 through 1981. The car he was showing had a chromed Jag rear that hung out worse then a chromed Pantera rear would have. Dark red or maroon as I recall?

He didn't take criticism well and was really there just to sell his products.



He was building Cobra Coupes the one time I was at the shop and that was in Mt.Vernon. About 1985. I know of one coupe he built and know of the owner who bought it. He had a roadster also and had BB Chevy's in them. At least the roadster did.

The Coupe had cut down Webers on it when I saw it, on a 351w engine.


By the time they moved to Mamaroneck, about  1986-7, he was basically a "detailing by appointment only" as far as I can tell and the door to the shop was locked and you couldn't just walk in.

I had "heard" that they were closed down by a personal injury lawsuit but can't confirm that?



The cars were very high quality fiberglass and not junk at all but had some "strange" details like square tube chassis built for them by "Monty" from the "Bronx Alerton Ave" crew.

Very nice high quality stuff but very much how you would build a serious "Pro Stock" drag car at the time. Probably ultimately what turned off potential buyers who wanted essentially a "counterfeit Cobra" that duplicated a production Cobra bolt for bolt?



The nature of the "Bronx crew" here is not to question at all what anyone was building. It is like being a 14 year old and the gang would tell you to shut up or suffer the consequences? It still has no place for any intellectually stimulating discussion at any levels.

Deon Damucci is out of that social environment. I am not. I am an outsider, not from D'Bronx.


I haven't seen a "Contemporary" in years around here.  These pics are just Deja vu all over again?


For all of their shortcomings, the "Bronx group", they are an OK group. Just very suspicious and protective of their own. Occasionally I still run into one of them here or there these days.

Contemporary's cars are of the highest quality for the times. Just outdated by today's offerings. I haven't seen or heard of them building cars since the late '80s. ERA has filled that void happily?

[Bill]

Doug,

    I'm wondering if that is were Burtis lived? Good catch as I did not notice the address lol

I've owned three Contemporary Cobras and should have bought their last FIA when JM was selling it.

[shelbydoug]

Doug,

    I'm wondering if that is were Burtis lived? Good catch as I did not notice the address lol

I've owned three Contemporary Cobras and should have bought their last FIA when JM was selling it.

I'm not sure what "circles" he is out of? I don't know of anyone who knows or knew him personally. That cuts across a lot of demographic lines.

Some of the local parts guys knew of him and guys like Aleberto did also for the same reasons, i.e., buying parts from them.

The only business I did with him was buying a S/C pop-off gas filler cap assembly. In my experience, he was not a friendly guy.

I did a Google on him and nothing comes up locally.



Some results, sound like it could be him but are largely southern California, i.e., LA area results.

You've got me? Possibly someone at ERA would know about him? They were his competitors and the molds for these cars went somewhere and hardly would fit in the "garage" or the basement.


I don't know the entire story on the molding of the Daytonna coupe but I do remember some discussion about that about 1978 that was not complimentary to the owner who permitted that.

I only saw the one Daytonna Coupe and I know who purchased it and where it went to initially.

The owner isn't a know participant in local clubs, etc. His name was Stan and he owned a local deli and hung out with some of the Pro Stock guys. That right there is kind of an exclusive club and explains their attitude towards me?


When I got my C6FE 427 aluminum heads they were hurt and Diamond on LI was the one who fixed them. When I asked for a receipt, you had to hear the crap I had to take from them?

As far as they were concerned they were worth $.23 a pound in scrap. If in fact they actually knew what a GT40 was, that would surprise me, so it was kind of an equal stand off as to who was actually the numb nuts in the group. I vote them, BUT let bygones be bygones, right? 


To Stan, both of those cars, the roadster and the Coupe were "real" Cobras so there was no point in talking to me about anything. They were both in PA the last I know of.

Cobra/Shelby circles then were strange here. We were largely blown off as kids/jerks and guys like Eber sucked all the oxygen out of the room, so in a lot of ways, I was kind of the perverbial "fly on the wall".

Interesting in who becomes the "surviors" though? 

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I had "heard" that they were closed down by a personal injury lawsuit but can't confirm that?

That was Arntz. His girlfriend was killed when one of his cars came apart. Her family sued. When I was at Kit Car there were 52 Cobra kits/makers. ERA was the top and Kubie in AZ was the best value.

[Bob Gaines]

I had "heard" that they were closed down by a personal injury lawsuit but can't confirm that?

That was Arntz. His girlfriend was killed when one of his cars came apart. Her family sued. When I was at Kit Car there were 52 Cobra kits/makers. ERA was the top and Kubie in AZ was the best value.

Arntz was one of the first kit car Cobra. I remember making a stop at the plant on my Honymoon trip back in 1977.

[Bill]

They were his competitors and the molds for these cars went somewhere and hardly would fit in the "garage" or the basement.

Dave Smith at FFR purchased the 427SC molds, believe he also purchased the FIA body molds, but not the chassis jigs.

Coupe wise, I had a hand in finding a buyer for the red Coupe, 1 of 3 reportedly made as turn key cars by Contemporary.

As for Burtis himself, I have no ideas, after Peter B. sold the company, I had already entrenched myself with other manufacturers.....Having fun along the way..........


Bill

[shelbydoug]

It would be interesting to see if there was a variation in the VIN tags. I honestly never remembered looking at them.

There are lots of coupes around now. I haven't noticed if they are all off the one copied coupe or more had been lifted from another coupe/s? I am presuming that it is still just one.

All of the original coupes are different from each other.

I never saw a Contemporary FIA car. ERA was the first one that I saw.

I would presume that the frame jigs are made for the rectangular tubing, are difficult to modify to another shape and buyers preferences are for 4" round?

The couple of jigs that I have seen would be a monster to move. The one Diamond had for the Pro Stock Camaro was built on what looked like 3/4" plate steel?

Normally the owners of that "equipment" don't let anyone near that stuff because of "data theft" issues? 

When I saw Peter's Cobra Coupe in Mt.Vernon, he was like the "long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs". Since it was right inside the door next to the office it was difficult to avoid it. 

I have to presume that a very high percentage of visitors had no idea that it was a replica or what it was a replica of?

[1bigfish]

Some form of plastic.