289 FIA AC COBRA - COX 2610

Every real cobra was produced by AC Ltd. in the fl.K., including about 600 289-cid leaf-spring cars. 60 of these were COB right-hand-drive for the U.K.r or COX cars for Europe. The rest were Shelby CSX cars for the II.S. 16 of the 289 cars were FIA or USRRC competition cars, the rarest of all Cobraso which seldom come to market and sell for several million dollars. cox 2610 was built at the AC factory in Surrey, on the original AC Cobra bucks in the late 1990s. It is the last 289 built by the factory, has a 1965-model factory serial numbero and was bodied to FIA competition specifications over a 1965-model . As an original factory car) it is qualified for those exclusive U.S. and international tour and competition eventso including the LeMans \, Classic, which do not permit replicas. '

COX 2610 is an aluminum-bodied leaf-spring FIA , finished in Cobra competition team colors (Viking blue with a red racing nose stripe)' with a black interior. It is powered by a Weber-carbureted 289 C'ID Ford engine, with a top-loader four-speed .

Cox 2610 was initialty retained in England by AC Cars, Ltd. as a display car, and later acquired by Gabriel Diaz of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and imported into the U.S. in 2003. In 2005, the car was acquired by Archie Urciuoli, of Casey Key, Fl. It was awarded o'Best English " at the 2006 Greenwich Concours Europa, and ,oFirst Placeo'for 1958 - 1965 sports cars at the 2010 Lime Rock Historic Festival Concours.

Sources: John owen, Chief Engineer, AC Cars, Ltd; Trevor Legate, author of Cobra - the Real Thing; Jim Price, former owner of AC Carso Ltd; SAAC World Registry, 4th edition; & Car Guy Chronicles AC 289: Cobras from across the pond.

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From: "John Owen" Dear Archie ,

Yes, I am stillwith AC cars and now based on the isrand of Marta

Please advise if I can help you.

Besf Regards

John Owen +356 79299427

John Owen Chief Engineer AC Cars Manufacturing Ltd Mobile: +356 79289427 Tel: +356 21653002 Fax: +356 21653003

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fiL e>. SAAc tlroal) R€qt sTPT Whiler ali of tiro previously rnentioned .EFX504 - Larry Dubas tCOrbuilt. chassis in this to 42T S/O spccs scct.ron worc built bv AC Cars^ .EFX505 - unknou'n l.,tcl. using Cobra chassjs .EFX506 con1po.no11fs and speci{rcalions, onlv III|M_6 is generallv - Sam Feinstein (pA) regardecl rEFX507 as ?i true Cobra, None of the others were onp- - Tom Anronelli (MI) ,ally inte'dc':d oEM508 tr: be compretecl as cobras which wourcl Le - reportedly destroyed; somcr parts said to exportecl to the ll.S. They were built specifically have ber:n purchased by Lynn park (CA) as proto- ibr typcrri, ono-ofTls or chassis only. use in a None of, thesr,: chassis fjt 427 Cobra restoration in_to thc Cobra production schedule (with the exception of, clsx3063). With the erner:gence ol. tlre most recent Cobra_like There seerns to be sonre gray y:ligl"" buiit very close area between what is to origrnal coil specifications c''sidcrr:cl a,,Cobra', and (CSX4000, AC MK IV, Kirkharn, what is not. A case is ofte' etc) the value of these made that Cribras are- chassis as the base for relconstructing the cars exported to Shelby them into a 42g7 Arnerican while those which ,ACs.,,Another Cobra has been greatly were not are dirninished. perspective considers ,,Cobras,, both cars but makes a distinction ,,Shelb.y cox2610 lt

910 11 112t2A20 AC289: COBRAS FROM ACROSS THE POND! - Car Guv Chronicles

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AC2B9: COBRAS FROM ACROSS THH POND! fi suescnrBE ro ouR NEWSLETTER Old Shef' and never touched CoB/cOX Ac Cobras, but they arc authentic Cobras. Here,s f; some history of AC289: COBRAS FROM ACROSS THE POND! plus a stunning example a picture-perfect of First n.tme * (COX) FIA Cobra. rurriltfl

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B*r*tfiril* i:ll',,jW-Lll[: i\l[W li2 j:;i xDlilvi: (ji?AN a(.) 's Cobras started life as AC Ace roadsters shipped from AC Cars, Ltd, Thames Ditton, Surrey, England to Shelby-Ame rican in sourhern California. Lrl.. l,iv111l [ [,/iliCt.l'i. iA.l.tli(li..i_. ljili: I !Y'i Once in Shelby's hands, they receivecl Ford snrall and trig-block engines and - I were finished ro Shelby Col:ra specs. In 1965 ;r new, improvetl coil-spring I ARTICLETOPICS n r:hass;i:; designed with help frorn Forci, rTiore aggres;sive styling anci 4.27 ancl

428-ineh Fnrd motors, chan.ged thc look and pcrformance of the Cobra. AC .,lq1r,1,.-gy, shipped rollirrg wide-body-chassis io Shelb;r until the end r:f 1966.

Alnrost as soon as Shelby Cobr.r production stafted, AC Cars entererj into a

contract witir Carroll Shelby that allowed AC to build AC Cobras, v.rirh 299

engines and four-speed transrnissior"rs supplied by lhelb'7, For clistribution in the UK and [urope. AC28.c): COBRAS FRON4 ACROSS THI pONDI were constructed in two verljions; COB (CObra Britain) right-hand-drive cjone:;tic rnodel and COX (CObra eXf:ort) left- hand-drive export to Furooe rnodcl.

The AC Cobra did not have "Powered By f:ord" baclges, but it had .:r Cnbra emblem on its nose and an A( emblem (r2 'l on the deck. Tntal prcrduction was i:ars - 45 COB and 7 COX niodels. f h.:lssis numbers srarled at COX6001 that was built in October 1963, The last leaf-spring AC Cobra, COX6062, was completed in May 1955. After tlre end of leaf-spring Cobra production there remained an extensive inventory of leftover parts, They were used to assernble some cars after all AC and Sltelbv Cobra procluctiorr enclecl. cagrfifruib. 1t5 AC2B9: COBRAS FROM ACROSS THE POND! - Car Guy Chronictes

In 1966, AC Cars continued in the "Cobra" busine-t:; arrci pror3r-ireC cl,rmestic and expr.rrt AC 2E9 Sprtris in Col3 af rd cox l-rirrr. urrlike Shelbv's cobras, tire iaLesl coil sliring cirassil AC sporl,s ciid rot come vrith a big-block engine, or with cobra emirlems or "Powered By Fortl" ilacjges. A( had little r;se l'or big-block engines becaLrse of niSh fuel costs anci taxcs ancJ fecs relatecl to engine crsplaccrncnt in the UK ancl ,rurope. Tlrc cornbination of a high-re\'!ing snrall-block ntttch-inrproveci and chassis anci suspension producerJ one oi tire nrost roaciworthy, trestdriv'irrgCobraE .l Outofatotdl ol 25AC2Bgsportsbuiltberweer) 966and'l 969,eighteenr,rereRFIDwl-rile JUst :ieven were Ll'lD.

-liw- wild cordswere'awo unr'irished le:f-spring chassis'r, oo;sibly, i\^/o reservec e-rrly s53rr1, number plates. ';r":l': I965cr:ssrsnLrL'e:s.Co,r26I0 zr',cto)262Cappeai'tcbeseq;encedvriththeerrccf leaf,spr:ngCobra i':ctu.ircn lis last small-blotk Cobr; cnassis produceci icr shelby-.Anerica r,,as CS;e6c2. li vvas the lasi cf six Cobra Daytona Coupes and *;as invoicec.l on August 31 , 1 964. The 2 5 COBiCCX coil-spring ca{-s ccntinued 6000- sefies chassis nurnbering, starting with CoB610i. AC cars producecl rr^/o cristorr cars [or. John willment Racing, builtottleaf-springchassis.'l helVillrnentCoupewasactLrallyCSX213t ancl tlreroacjster,CS2131.

The next-to-l.rst AC 2811 was COX6126, l..Hl) car ,,^iithout "; exporte.J to tho U.S. an engine rn.lanuary 19(:9. lt cnde d Up ;rt l-iillnra n & N4 r:r:dy $/hcrc it rcceive t^2.7 d a . Tttc laSt ra r, C0 H0.l 27, lcft tiro laciory u rrf in i5fred irr I 96g attd in tire late-'i 980s, was reirowefed with a Holn-ian & Mootiy 427. lt lvas converted to left-riand-drive. Confusirrg?Vy'ait-tirefe'srTroTe. lltosetvn,ri11syarcrjrnpletedchassisnunrbers*CSX2610arrrjCSX2620_appear

io have remairled LrrriiIri:;heci k)rtg a[ter L-o86127 that wasi last. the AC 289 t.o le;ive t.he I'actory orr JL.rly 1S, 1,)trg. l-.lo'/,/cvor, tt 2.e02.-20A3 tf rcy appeare d carguychronicles.com/ac289-cobras-from-across{he_oond/ 2t5 AC289: COBRAS FROM ACROSS THE pONDt - Car Guy Chronictes

chassis and engine numbeTs, i:uild dates and docurnerrtirrg cars from small, Iorv-volurne

acturers is an age-olci problem. I purchased a 1967 lso Grifo new ancj it came with a ,'Marrufacture/s at.ement of origin" (MSO) confirming model year. lt was powered by a Corvet.te engine 1ha1 had ireen oui c.ri productic;n since the end of the 196.1 mr:del ye.rr. And, factory records show tlrar my Grifo was actuallv built rJuring lhe '1966 model yeari

,55 Archie Urciuoli owns COX2610, a striking, Viking BlLre FIA_bodieC AC Cobra

that captlrres rhe spirit of shelby's five Viking Blue 299 FIA cobras. lt's a cleacr- ringer for a shelby Team car because it iras tire sarne alurninunr body arrd was produced at AC Cars, using original tooling and bocly buck.

Like Shelby's racecars, Urciuoli's roacjster, purchaseri in 2005, has a fiigh- compression 289 lvith four Weber 48lDA carburetors on a COpRA maniiold, headers leading to or"rtsrde exirausts, knock-ofl pin-drive Halibrands, Raydyot n-iirrors, FIA dash layout, lror:d scoop and flareci tenders. Thanks to an altefeci deck lid, holds an FIA-legal sultcdse. LJnlike the flve FIA Teanr racecars, lris foadster was built on a slarrdarcl chassis arid is driverr orr the street, urllike

various Cobra replicas, as an autftefltic AC"prodr_rce

Jtm Price, owner of AC Cars in 2006, rescarclred COX261 0. In a lettor to Archie datnd Junc 1 2, 20C6 he staiecj "v/ith reference your to AC f:lA 2Bg chassis nurnber i610, I cari confirrn tfiat ir was, accorciing to riy l(no\,vlecrge, the last car assembled and shipped frorri tfie AC Firrrrley Plant. lt was builr using all tfre origrrral roclirrg arrd fronr the original drawings and specificalions.,'

COX2610 was not t.he built at tinre AC Cars wa:r proclucing leaf :;pring Cotira:; ancj, even thgLrgh ir. ha:; an authentic FIA alunrinurrr body and early c.hassis, it,s classifiecj ds af )A(: Cars,,Factory Continuittion Car,,. lt wijs bodied (or re-bodied).'rs an FIA model and purchased i)y its previous owner in 2c03.

carguychronicles.com/ac289-cobras-from-acrossthe-pond/ 3t5 AC289: COBRAS FROM ACROSS THE POND! _ Car Guy Chronictes

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*,ffiitffi Like the mythical Pttoenix, AC cars - tn orre il"eraliorl .. or another keeps on rislng; tiorrr r.ne ashes ,l its preclecc'ssilt Tl'rebrandvvasbasedirrtheUKancjMalraandfrasexperiericedar:urr:berofowners,partnersi:ips, joini venillre:; ,lnd L;ankruptc.ies. when la:;i we r,nec.keLJ, (ontinL]es steve Gray ro h.,i.rild AC2g9: coBRAS FROlvl ACR.SS THE PoNl,i as v,'e ll as 427 "Coirrr:l" variants at AC i-le ritagci i.-tci, Br

Fr:rn'roreirrfcrmatiorr aboLrtlhehistofyof AC(arsarrci AC2B9: (-oLlRASFRol\4AcROSs tHEpoNDl,pleasevisir

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1K. factory, carries a 1955-model factory serial number, and was rebodied to FIA competition specifications over a 1965'model chassis.

COX #2610 is an aluminum-bodied leaf-spring FIA roadster, finished in Cobra competition team colors (Viking blue with a red racing nose stripe), with a black interior. lt is powered by a Weber-carbureted 289 CID Ford engine, with a top-loader four-speed transmission,

This information has been confirmed by John Owen, former chief engineer, AC Cars, Ltd; Trevor Legate, author of Cobro - The Real Thing; and Jim Price, former owner of AC Cars, Ltd. The SAAC World Registry,4'n edition, has a full description on p. 910.

Thank you for your consideration Archie Urciuol