10 replies to this topic

[Martin Roessler]

Hi there,
just wondering if someone could help me with the identification of those 3 Cobra's?
My father took the pictures in the 60's at the Nuerburgring...thats all i know.
I could not find any information about the race (if it was a race) in which they participated.
I'm not very familiar with Cobra's but the one in the last picture has different front lights (covers) than the Cobra's i know.....so.....what drivers..what event...what Cobra's?
thanks in advance Marty

[Tweddell]

hey martin,

The pictures are from the mid sixies and where taken at the nurburgring driving school lessons on the Nordschleife.
You can see at the numbers that the shots were taken the same event. The blue cobra with yellow arches was to be seen also in other national sportscar events in those days, but i do not know the name of its driver and owner.
The red one was rather famous by its modified headlamps, it was exhibited in the racing-car show at Dortmund in 1967, and it was for sale for ridiculous low money in Essen, waiting some time in the backyard of a used-cars-dealer in the very late sixties. The mystery on her headlamps was discussed even by some Cobra-experts.
The results of that and if she survived, I do not know.
klaus

[Martin Roessler]

Thanks Klaus,
i remember that we were talking about the cars before.....i am pretty sure i've seen the blue (purple?) cobra with the yellow arches in an old Auto Motor und Sport magazine...have to check that but all the mags are still packed in the garage....
cheers Marty

[D-Type]

Somewhat OT - With those faired in lights, the red Cobra can never have been intended for the US market. At that time US regulations required vertical lenses. That is why only the Mk1 E-Type Jaguar had faired in headlamps. When Jaguar realised the problem they removed the plexiglass headlamp covers.
Even further OT - the bug eyed Sprite had its headlamps set high to meet US regulations. Healey didn't feel that Lotus Elan type pop-up headlamps would be reliable enough (I suspect Elan owners may agree).

[JtP]

Working from memory, Cobras ran in the World sports car championship in 64. So I would suspect the photos are taken at the Nurburgring 1000kms in 64. Looks like Dan Gurney driving no1 in photo 2. Don't know if its the transfer of photos to posting, but Gurney appears to be wearing pale blue Dunlop overalls and the Cobras ran Goodyear tyres.

The car numbering would come from the fact that the Cobras had the largest engines on the entry list.

[KarlOakie Research]

I think Tweddell has it since the numbers don't come close to the race numbers of the Cobras in either 1964 or 1965 in the 1000 km events.

[Tweddell]

these cars shurly did not ran at 1000km , as the counting there was just the other way, the smalles cars had the lowest numbers. so in 1964 the big cars had numbers around 140, so the ford gt40 at its very first race.
the cobras dissappeared from the international scene in 1967, when the last surviviors in privat hands gave a rather sad impression , only a shadow of its former glory .

[Mallory Dan]

Slightly O/T, but my first ever Cobra memories relate to 2 in a Britsh ModSports race in about 1970. Richard Taft and Shaun Jackson were the drivers, very impressive they were too, to a youngster anyway ! I can't recall how they went on.

[MKIVJ6]

Originally posted by D-Type
Somewhat OT - With those faired in lights, the red Cobra can never have been intended for the US market. At that time US regulations required vertical lenses. That is why only the Mk1 E-Type Jaguar had faired in headlamps. When Jaguar realised the problem they removed the plexiglass headlamp covers.
Even further OT - the bug eyed Sprite had its headlamps set high to meet US regulations. Healey didn't feel that Lotus Elan type pop-up headlamps would be reliable enough (I suspect Elan owners may agree).

Headlight covers were allowed in the US through model year 1967. US 67 e types and 67 275 GTB's all had them.
Cheers

[D-Type]

Rule no 1: 'Check facts before posting'
I have now checked and you are of course correct. The headlamp covers went for the Series 2 from October 1968 to meet US Federal safety rules and some cars before them, the 'series one-and-a -half' also had the vertical lenses (needless to say, my Jaguar book doesn't say when that came out).


(Well, that's December's signature justification out of the way)

[Martin Roessler]

...ok...finally found the pic i was searching for ,wasn't in Auto Motor und Sport but in the "automobil illustrierte" No.8 , 24.04.1967.....
The car competet in the Kraehbergrennen (Hillclimb) and was driven by Bill Chapman....the text next to the picture says that he spun his purple Cobra in the first few bends of the course....
Helmet ,paint scheme and the scoop on the bonnet seem to match the car on the second picture....
Found no information about the other 2 cars .....



source : automobil illustrierte 1967