The 7000 Series (289 FIA Model) & 8000 Series (289 Street Model)

The CSX 7000 (289 FIA) is an authentic recreation of the Shelby Cobra 289 model that started it all. The Shelby Cobra legend and racing success began with these cars, terrorizing race tracks around the world from 1962 through 1965. Today's CSX 7000 component vehicle incorporates safety and performance improvements without sacrificing driving excitement or originality. CSX 7000 bodies are available in fiberglass or aluminum. The authenticity of each vehicle is documented by Shelby CSX numbers and a manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) from Shelby American signed by Carroll Shelby himself. Improvements include a stronger steel frame and better alloys used in the components, plus better cooling and additional heat shielding to make these cars safer and more drivable without losing any of their original character.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT:

High-strength fiberglass composite body
Original frame configuration with 3" round tube main rails, .120 wall thickness - 90" wheelbase
Upper transverse leaf springs with lower arms, independent front and rear rack and pinion steering
Baer brakes with Shelby inscribed calipers
Shelby aluminum differential housing, Dana 44 gears, 3.54 differential ratio
Aluminum fender closeout panels, front and rear
Windshield wipers, wind wings and sun visors
16" original style wood rim steering wheel
Signature Series Autometer gauges
4 core aluminum radiator
18 gallon fuel cell

OPTIONS:

Aluminum body available for CSX 7000 series
Show quality paint - red, black, guardsman blue, navy blue and pacific blue
Leather interior package
Side view mirrors
Alternate rear end ratios
FIA Lexan racing windshield
Oil cooler assembly
Heater/defroster
Custom car cover
Tonneau Cover
Map pockets
Floor mats

SHELBY COBRA CSX7000 289 FIA
COMPONENT VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle Type......................................................... Two Passenger Two-door Roadster

Dimensions and Capacities:
Wheelbase................................................................................. 90.0 in.
Track, F/R................................................................................ 51.5/52.5 in.
Length.................................................................................... 151.5 in.
Width..................................................................................... 72 in.
Weight.................................................................................... 2,030 lbs. *
(* Depends on engine and transmission)
Standard Fuel Capacity.................................................................... 20 gallon fuel cell
Radiator.................................................................................. Aluminum

Chassis / Body:
Type....................................................... Ladder Type, Tube Steel 3" Seamless .125 wall
Body Material....................................................................... Hand Laid Fiberglass
Optional............................................................................ Hand Formed Aluminum

Suspension:
Upper Transverse Leaf Springs with Lower A-arms, Independent Front and Rear

Interior:
Seats............................................................................... Vinyl; optional Leather
Carpet.............................................................................. Black

Stewart Warner Instruments: Oil Temp Gauge
Oil Pressure Gauge
Water Temp Gauge
Tach
Ampmeter
Fuel Level Indicator
Speedometer

Tin Kit............................................................................. Optional
Steering............................................................................ Rack and Pinion

Brakes:
Front.................................................. 5/8" x 11.50 OD Disc Dual Piston CR Calipers
Rear................................................... 9/16" x 11 7/16 OD Disc Dual Piston CR Calipers

Differential................................................. 3.54:1, Shelby Aluminum
Half Shafts......................................................... Spicer Split Spline

Exterior
Exhaust............................................................. FIA under car-Side exit dual
Mirrors, Rollbar and Emblems........................................ Cobra Side Fender Emblems

The CSX 8000 (260/289 Street) is an authentic recreation of the Shelby Cobra 289 models that started it all. The Shelby Cobra legend and racing success began with these cars, terrorizing race tracks around the world from 1962 through 1965. Today's CSX 8000 component vehicle incorporates safety and performance improvements without sacrificing driving excitement or originality. The CSX 8000 bodies are available in fiberglass only. The authenticity of each vehicle is documented by Shelby CSX numbers and a manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) from Shelby American signed by Carroll Shelby himself. Improvements include a stronger steel frame and better alloys used in the components, plus better cooling and additional heat shielding to make these cars safer and more drivable without losing any of their original character.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT:

High-strength fiberglass composite body
Original frame configuration with 3" round tube main rails, .120 wall thickness - 90" wheelbase
Upper transverse leaf springs with lower arms, independent front and rear rack and pinion steering
Baer brakes with Shelby inscribed calipers
Shelby aluminum differential housing, Dana 44 gears, 3.54 differential ratio
Aluminum fender closeout panels, front and rear
Windshield wipers, wind wings and sun visors
16" original style wood rim steering wheel
Painted heavy duty spoke rims
Signature Series Autometer gauges
4 core aluminum radiator
18 gallon fuel cell

OPTIONS:

Show quality paint - red, black, guardsman blue, navy blue and pacific blue
Chrome heavy duty spoke rims
Leather interior package
Side view mirrors
Alternate rear end ratios
FIA Lexan racing windshield
Soft top kit
Heater/defroster
Custom car cover
Tonneau Cover
Map pockets
Floor mats

Ever since my days as an impressionable Midwestern youth during the 1960s, the Cobra name has held a special place in the speed-addled recesses of my mind. I can remember watching the faces of the older guys, sitting smugly behind the wheels of their big-block Camaros and Mustangs, drop a notch when the conversation turned to the wild Cobras from the exotic West Coast. It was a clue to this budding driver that the car named after a poisonous snake was on an entirely different level from the machinery racing past Arlington High School. So when the call came to drive one, my enthusiasm was tinged with trepidation. Would the Cobra stand as tall in person as it did in my memory?

Drivers of modern sports cars are accustomed to such amenities as variable-assist power steering and brakes, air-conditioning, and a quality sound system. The reincarnated 289 FIA Cobra has all these and more: As your arm muscles tire, they produce variable power. Ditto the leg muscles for the non-assisted brakes. Fresh air? The open-cockpit Cobra delivers more oxygen than your lungs could ever use. Sound system? What do you think those side pipes are there for?

What this race-bred beast has is raw, in-your-face presence. From the moment the small-block V-8 Ford engine crackled awake, a certain menace was in the air. With skin stretched tightly over the components, there's little wasted space. That's a good thing, as there's not a lot to begin with. On a race car, little means light, which means faster. Make no mistake: This is a 1960s-style race car with a license-plate frame. Only five FIA Cobras were built in 1964, but their winning ways helped secure the SCCA A-Production national championship that year. Our modern example cranked out 350 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque, but buyers can tailor the engine's output to their desires and the thickness of their wallets.

I shoved the shift lever into first gear, my left leg trembling from the sudden workout. Releasing the clutch pedal was like poking a dragon with a stick. Things got interesting quickly. With nothing resembling smog equipment in the engine bay, the iron-block 302-cu-in. V-8 wasted no time swinging the tach needle around in a serious attempt to dislodge the massive rear tires from the tarmac. While the voluptuous hood rose and fell with every gear change, the close-coupled suspension transmitted tons of information to the driver. The new FIA car still uses the early Cobra's transverse leaf springs, but modern tire and shock-absorber technology forgives a lot of sins.

The tachometer has no redline, but the small-block revved faster than the tach could keep up with, anyway. My right arm was busy grabbing gears, while the left was trying to keep the front end pointed in the general direction of the next corner. I breathed on the disc brakes, apparently too hard as the rear end started to pirouette. Flicking the wooden steering wheel and jabbing the accelerator settled the chassis into reluctant compliance with my wishes.

WHAT'S NOT

·Tight seating
·Sets off car alarms
·No cupholders (keep both hands on the wheel, pal)

Article published 01/06/2001 by Speedvision

Asheville, N.C., Jan. 6 — If you hurry and call Bill Fishburne at Vintage Promotions, Inc. (828/274-9696) in Asheville, N.C., you might be in time to get in on a special promotional rental of one of the four remaining seats in the brand new Team Shelby "FIA 289 Historic Racing Series." The fee is $3,650 per event and the 2001 season will span six races, so the total cost for the season comes to $21,900. The "arrive and drive" program includes race prep, the car's transportation to the event and a pit crew.

Originally, Vintage Promotions had computed a figure of $6,000 per race, but this being the first year and the series just getting off the ground, Fishburne and his partner, Jim Harrell, brought the cost down to their break-even point. After placing one tiny magazine ad touting the new series, they received over 70 inquiries and filled half the eight positions available.

Harrell, the owner of Nostalgia Motor Cars, a Shelby dealer in Rock Hill, N.C., where the cars are assembled, first conceived the idea for this series four years ago, but couldn't get it off the ground. A year ago at Elkhart Lake, he reintroduced the idea and Carroll Shelby endorsed the Team Shelby Racing/Shelby Cobra 289 FIA Historic Racer program. Shelby then gave Harrell chassis number 0, a mule of his "new" FIA roadster, in exchange for developing the car into a competition package for the proposed new racing series. This past season, Harrell's team competed in six races, scoring three firsts, two seconds and one DNF.

Cosmetically, the finished competition Cobra looks like the old FIA world-beater. It even has the old buggy springs. One Shelby upgrade on the mule is the so-called "umbilical cord???" a triangulated, small-tube bridge which was originally used on the six Daytona Coupes. This bridge runs from the rear spring perch to the front spring perch, passing through the transmission tunnel and around the motor.

After racing the mule for half-dozen races, Harrell came up with a few mechanical improvements of his own. The Cobra's transverse springs are hard to keep in correct camber and caster adjustment. Harrell modified them with a set of coil-over shocks at each of the four corners. By removing four leaves from the front spring and three from the rear, Harrell was able to fine tune the suspension for better tire wear and adhesion through improved camber and caster control.

You can also buy one of these FIA racing Cobras from Harrell's Nostalgia Motor Cars. Cost for the "new vintage" (our own oxymoron) FIA roadster is $85,000, ready to race in the new series. Buyers will receive a genuine Shelby Cobra of the CSX 7000 series, a 302-powered version of the FIA Roadster which along with the Daytona Coupes (on the faster tracks) beat the Ferrari GTOs and won the 1965 World Manufacturer's Championship for Shelby-American.

This was a golden era in sports car racing and one which vintage racers today only dream they could have been a part of in the 1960s. With Daytona Coupes in the $3- and $4-million range and factory team FIA Cobras into seven figures, the cost to vintage race these thrilling Shelbys is prohibitive for all but the super wealthy. The thought of getting the opportunity to race a competition Cobra--albeit new vintage--at $3,650 per race without ever having to buy a car is, in this Cobra enthusiast's opinion, a fantastic opportunity. The same could be said of the opportunity to purchase a competition-ready FIA Cobra for $85,000.

Shelby Cobra Challenge
The FIA 289 Historic Racing Series is one of two Cobra racing programs being presented in 2001 under the authority of "Team Shelby???" a name owned by Shelby-American, the parent company which builds the Cobra chassis in Las Vegas, Nevada. The second series is called the "Shelby Cobra Challenge." The Challenge cars are based on the 427 chassis, but fitted with a 351 Ford V8. They are being final assembled by Finish Line Motorsports, also in Las Vegas and just a couple of blocks from Shelby's production facility, which produces the Cobra components.

Finish Line's game plan is to sell the racing Cobras to individuals who will recruit a Mario Andretti, an Emerson Fittapaldi, or one of the original Cobra drivers from the 1960s to race their vehicles. Some of the Challenge series races will be support events on CART weekends this coming year. We will have a complete report later on these particular Cobras, which cost in the $100,000 price range.

The Challenge Series will share some race dates with the Historic series this year. One such date already firmed up is at Virginia International Raceway June 8-10. Carroll Shelby has agreed to attend this historic race, which will be a homecoming for him. Forty-four years earlier, in 1957, he won the first race at VIR, driving a 450S Maserati, a car he called "hoss" because of its V8 engine. He beat a pretty good field, including Walt Hansgen and Charlie Wallace, both driving D-type Jaguars and the favorites to win. The Jags out-qualified Shelby, but he smoked them off the starting line in the Maserati and won by seven seconds.

Although all of the 2001 race dates are not yet set for either of these new Cobra series, the first one for the Historic series will be at Sebring the second weekend of March. Look for the full schedule and continuing event coverage here at Speedvision.com's Classic section. — Article published by Speedvision, Jerry Heasley