2009 Auto Speciali 427 Cobra Recreation

This virtually unique Auto Speciali 427 Cobra Recreation (correctly registered on the V5C) was constructed by an engineer with many years of classic car experience, taking more than two years to meticulously build. Continual improvements have been made to the car following the IVA Approval in November 2009. The motor car has covered only 5,600 miles.

The manufacturers of the upgraded chassis and the GRP Body purported that the powder coated space frame chassis was partly designed with the help of a Maclaren engineer, in particular the rear suspension modifications. With double "A" arm suspension using fully adjustable coil covers, the Cobra handles and drives incredibly. The suspension bushes are all nylon and the hub pivots are rose jointed and all fully adjustable.  Ford hubs and brakes are used with up-rated discs and pads to match the performance of this car, overall making it superbly well balanced. The V6 2933cc engine was fully rebuilt in January 2014 (1600 miles ago) by Ric Wood Motorsport, a specialist in creating Ford road/race specification engines with raw power. The gearbox was then rebuilt by Alan Voigts Gearboxes in February, 2014 with a Lotus ratio conversion. Both Ric Wood Motorsport and Alan Voigts Gearboxes have informative websites. The detailed work on the engine includes a full re-bore and hone, new pistons and rods, crank regrind and polish, fast road camshaft, polished and ported heads, new injectors, up-rated oil and water pumps. Being realistic, this easily maintained Ford 2.9 V6 rebuilt engine is much more powerful than any 3.5 Rover V8 engine often used in Cobra Replicas.

The motor car has a re-programmed ECU the engine now produces 330 lbs/ft of torque at the wheels, giving remarkable acceleration. It is equipped with stainless manifolds and S/S side exhaust pipes. A new heavy duty complete clutch has been fitted with actuator arm and cable which is mated to a 5 speed Type 9 gearbox (now Lotus ratios) and final output goes through a Ford limited slip differential, distributing the correct power to each rear wheel as needed.  The fuel system has twin pumps, triple filters and a Swirl Pot (meaning mass-flo injection upgrade) from a bespoke aluminium petrol tank, fabricated in November, 2015 by specialists Cropper and Jones Ltd. A full service of the motor car has been carried out recently.

D345 VMB boasts power steering (rare on Cobra Replicas), a battery isolating switch in the lockable boot and a removable steering wheel. Also fitted is a trickle charger, automatically controlled by the state of the battery. Full weather equipment is supplied, together with a brand new (unused to date) quality mohair tonneau cover with centre zip. The immaculate interior has black leather seats with "Cobra" harnesses. All bright-work is in stainless steel. The rear wing stone guards are genuine carbon fibre. The cabin is fitted with foot rests for both the driver and passenger (unusual in Cobras).

A large file of invoices and paperwork accompanies the motor car, together with the V5C registration certificate and over 200 photos of the build on CD, plus two sets of complete keys.

ADDENDUM -

The vendor tells us that D345 VMB has an efficient heater and is fitted with blue perspex sun visors.

Auction Date: 9 September 2021