Early Shelby C4SA Cobra or GT350 intake Rare Piece original not Repro

[mtdubvee]

Early cobra 260HP and 289HP intake manifold. This is an original piece and is marked with raised lettering both HM9424-1 and C4SA9421 and Says Cobra on it.

Intake is in overall great shape. One minor repair on very back that could be smoothed away. Other than that, flawless.

Very rare piece. Correct for early Shelby Cobras.

$1500.00. I will ship

Can text pictures.

[mtdubvee]

Accepting offers. Thanks

[6s1640]

Hi Mtdubvee,

Do you have images you can post?  It would help.

Thanks

Cory

[mtdubvee]

Price Drop...$1500 takes it home. Very rare piece. Thanks

[gt350hr]

    Not used on a '65 GT350.

[Bob Gaines]

    Not used on a '65 GT350.

+1

[mtdubvee]

Ok. I had read a few articles that said they were but I guess not.

[gt350hr]

   Certainly rare but not a part of the 306HP engine package. Dan Case has done a ton of research on the manifold and it's variations. Maybe he'll chime in.
      Randy

[Dan Case]

   Certainly rare but not a part of the 306HP engine package. Dan Case has done a ton of research on the manifold and it's variations. Maybe he'll chime in.
      Randy

They were created for 260 c.i.d. engines and have passages and head side ports suitable for what was considered a modified 260 Ford in 1962 technology terms. They were a regular production option for early Cobras. Yes, some were factory ordered for Cobras with HP289 engines but that didn't mean they were a performance gain. (Based on Registry information most of the factory installed low rise COBRA intakes probably got installed on HP289 engines. Not every option was an 'improvement'.) One original Cobra owner specifically ordered one. He bought the car to race, which he did. He told me that the low rise COBRA intake did not do well at all. More specifically he told me that any brand of stock or aftermarket 4V intake made with a 289 c.i.d. engine in mind performed better during his years of racing the car with a single 4V.

The series started as 1962 Holman-Moody / Ford racing intakes for 260 c.i.d. 4V race engines in Europe.  The first ones shown in new Cobra road tests were literally HM pieces with most of the HM "bird" logo milled off.  The wooden master was modified to replace the 'bird' with a big flat pad. One SA magazine advertisement for new 260 powered Cobras shows one with the big flat pad with an artist drawn in COBRA racing rocker arm cover decal on it. The master was changed to add a Ford / Shelby part number and the raised COBRA lettering.  The next pattern change replaced COBRA with TIGER lettering. The final version went back to a new flat raised boss with no text. Lee Holman told one researcher that he estimated that all total about one hundred intakes were cast and machined. Mr. Holman told the interviewer that they were not good sellers and most of them went (without  any COBRA or TIGER lettering) into marine engines more or less just to get rid of them.

The COBRA lettered ones are rare. I have come across five (including yours) of them. I have owned two and still have one.  Three of them were modified or damaged and unless they get restored (I restored one) they have unique details now. The one I have now is in near mint condition and is the best one I have come across condition wise.  I have tried selling or trading it off a few times without success.

There seems to be near zero market for either XHP-260 or HP260 Cobra engine parts.  I have purchased what I have seen posted in public and usually I am the only one interested. Only a very few cars still have their original 260 engines and even then not everyone is in their car. A friend's Cobra had its engine swapped in 1965. The original 260 long block assembly has been with but not in the car all these decades. The owner has zero interest in doing anything with the original engine except keep it; and then his car came with an iron 4V intake which is still on the engine. Said another way, few early 260 powered Cobras received aluminum low rise 4V intake and at least two of them were HM logo intakes that had been milled to remove the HM logo.

Even though several were factory installed on a few HP289 powered Cobras, I have yet to notice any of the owners of those cars hunting a low rise intake. I have been paying attention to them since 1986 when I bought my first C4SA low rise Cobra intake. I have yet to find a COBRA or TIGER lettered one installed on a running engine. So if you know of one please let me know.

Dan

[shelbyluva]

In case anyone didn't already figure it out, Dan is an amazing source of historical information.