Today would have been Carrol Shelby’s 100th birthday
Time to celebrate with another 1/18!
You all know how the story goes. Carroll Shelby stuffs a big America V8 into a small British roadster and the rest is history. There have been countless numbers of replicas, but only a handful of cars were the real deal. Those now sell in the million dollar range. Today marks the birthday of the legend behind the Shelby Cobra, Shelby Mustangs, and countless other automobiles.
This is my Kyosho 1:18 model of the legendary Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Roadster. It comes in all kinds of flavors: silver, red, dark green… but we all know the best is blue with white stripes. I took my time tracking this one down and eventually won an auction for around $45 for this bad boy. Since then, Kyosho has even reissued their Cobra models. There are plenty of other model makers’ Cobra’s too, like Schuco, Road Legends, Ertl, Norev, and of course, Shelby Collectibles.
The Kyosho stood out to me though because of the many details it offer. Tire lettering, a wood-looking steering wheel, carpet, and a fire extinguisher are all included. Plus there’s THAT ENGINE under the hood! Did you know the claw-like bumperettes on the front serve as jacking points? A special jack with a bar inserts into those hooks, and the entire front end can lift off the ground. You can tell this is a real Cobra too, since it has Halibrand knock-offs and not 5-lug wheels.
If you want a Cobra, I highly recommend this one, but make sure you hold out for a good deal to pop up. The two newer Kyosho are in stock just about anywhere, but those retail for close to $200. There are also plenty of resellers on eBay who think these are made of 24k gold. Patience is key, deals are out there to find.
Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in Collections, Fun Stuff
3
