Live the legend: Shelby FIA Cobra resurrected 50 years on

Bob Bondurant, Phil Hill, Dan Gurney and Ken Miles. They’re all racing superstars who helped pilot the legendary Shelby Cobra to immense success in the Sixties. And now you can drive in their tyre-tracks, with the exclusive, factory-built continuation of the 289 FIA Cobra…

It’s been 50 years since Carroll Shelby introduced the Ford-powered FIA Cobra and, to commemorate the occasion, Shelby American is releasing a limited edition continuation of the car, held to be among the most important in American racing history.

Authentic (and undeniably cool) features such as the period FIA livery, black original-style wheels with knock-off hubs, and widened front and rear wings have all been retained, while integral components have been upgraded to contemporary standards in the name of safety and performance – the brakes and chassis, for example.  

Offered with either a glassfibre or a slightly lighter aluminium body, each of the 50 ‘Viking Blue’ 289 FIAs – internally dubbed the CSX7000 – will be delivered as a rolling chassis. Choice of powertrain is up to you, though we’d stay true to the original and plump for a 289 Ford unit ourselves, with which the car weighs a mere 952kg or, in other words, the lightest Cobra ever built. Incidentally, each car is fitted with a complete side-exit exhaust system for the Ford V8. 

Dropping a powerful American engine into a small, lightweight chassis was a stroke of genius on Shelby’s part, allowing his small Southern Californian shop to take the fight directly to the likes of Ferrari, Jaguar and Chevrolet, across two different continents. The tried-and-tested formula has been imitated by manufacturers the world over ever since. 

Prices start at $94,995 for a glassfibre car, while the aluminium body will set you back $159,995. An iconic shape, a distinctive noise, incredible power-to-weight and exploitable, dynamic handling – the 289 Cobra is every bit as enticing today as it was back in 1964. And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, each car will also be documented in Shelby American’s ‘World Registry’, so there will be a notable absence of critics when it comes to authenticity. The Cobra legacy is safely intact; long may it continue. 

Photos: Shelby American

Classic Cobras can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

1974 Honda CB550K 'Lucy' by Hot Sake Cycles

This pretty little thing is named 'Lucy' and she is the 15th café racer built by Hot Sake Cycles in Orlando, Florida. We were surprised we hadn't heard of them before, but that's probably because ‘they’ are actually a single guy named Shannon Hulcher who builds these professional-looking bikes in his spare time. By day he works as a biology teacher who dissects frogs to show kids how the body works. By night, he dissects motorcycles to show the rest of us how to build a café racer. "I don't have a professional shop" says Shannon. "Lucy is a culmination of skills I've been developing over the years". I wanted to build an ultra light weight bike that would be fun to ride. The whole goal was to make it as light as possible" he says. He started the build with no deadline, but then Cafemoto Orlando asked him if he could finish it for the AIM Expo. With the show only one month away, Shannon got to work.

The build started when Shannon found the perfect donor bike – a stock standard but running CB550K. He started by stripping the bike down, and like most café racers, removed everything that wasn't needed. The frame was modified, detabbed and a rear hoop was fabricated.

The stock 550cc SOHC inline four engine was reconditioned and then tuned. The stock carbs were replaced with performance Keihin 26mm units. The standard pipes have been swapped with 4-into-1 ceramic coated witha stainless shorty muffler that gives the bike a nicer look and a much better bark.

The original CB550 tank has been traded for a Legendary Motorcycles Lyta Sprint tank. To match the lines Shannon hand made a fiberglass seat that sits perfectly with the tank. He also made some special features that aren't as obvious as the tank and seat. "My favorite piece is the one no one ever sees" says Shannon. "The carbon fiber battery tray. I was charging the battery in my GSXR when I got the idea – plastic battery trays weigh less."

For a smoother ride, the old shocks have been ditched for 13.5” remote reservoir alloy shocks. As for the front and rear wheels, Shannon chose Lester mags – 19" X 2.15 on the front and 18" on the back. And the front and rear fenders have been custom made from carbon fibre to make them as light as possible. The headlight is a 7" light from our friends at Dime City Cycles and the tail light is an LED unit.

Shannon struggled to complete the build in a month, with a young family and only working on it part time he was lucky to finish it in time for the show. He was actually still working on the bike at 2am the morning before. "Building the bike was a blur" says Shannon. "I guess that's what happens when you build a bike in a month and you have a day job. But the response to the bike has been overwhelming."

[Photography by Eric Runyon]

via Pipeburn

Contest Cafe Racer of the Year

Trial : Second succès de rang pour Toni Bou

En décrochant à Marseille son vingt troisième succès de rang en trial Indoor, Toni Bou (Montesa Michelin) confirme sa main mise sur la discipline, et porte son avance sur ses rivaux à treize points après la seconde des six épreuves du championnat.

Vainqueur à Sheffield il y a trois semaines, Toni Bou a récidivé  à Marseille en dépit d’une rude opposition emmenée par Adam Raga (Gas Gas), qui talonne de deux petits points le champion en titre au terme de la soirée. Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa Michelin) éliminé en demi finale, Bou se retrouvait en finale face à Raga, Albert Cabestany (Sherco Michelin) et James Dabill (Beta).

La première des quatre zones allait être terrible puisque Dabill, Cabestany et Raga y subissaient un échec, alors que Bou prenait trois points de pénalité dont un pour dépassement de temps. L’essentiel était fait pour le leader, qui voyait toutefois Raga le menacer jusqu’au bout, une nouvelle pénalité pour dépassement de temps voyant Raga terminer à deux petits points de Bou, Cabestany et Dabill perdant toutes chances en subissant un second échec lors de la soirée.

Le championnat se poursuivra le 9 Février à Barcelone, les pilotes Espagnols monopolisant les quatre premières places du championnat avant cette 3^ème étape.

Classement de l’épreuve : 1.Bou (ESP, Montesa Michelin), 4 pts ; 2.Raga (ESP, Gas Gas), 6 ; 3.Cabestany (ESP, Sherco Michelin), 11 ; 4.Dabill (GBR, Beta), 12 ; 5.Fajardo (ESP, Beta Michelin), 15 ; 6.Fujinami (JAP, Montesa Michelin), 16 ; etc….

Positions au championnat : 1.Bou, 40pts ; 2.Cabestany, 27 ; 3.Raga, 21 ; 4.Fajardo, 18 ; 5.Dabill, 14 ; 6.Fujinami, 14 ; etc…