Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Continuation CSX6075

A black Shelby Cobra 427 S/C "Continuation Series", chassis no. CSX6075, leaving the Early Rodders Car Meet at United Artists Theatres.

The practice of building factory-authorized "continuations" of rare vintage models is becoming increasingly common, and it often draws heavy criticism, mostly from owners of the existing classic cars who believe it will hurt the cars' values or dilute their significance. Shelby was one of the early adopters of this controversial practice, deciding in the early 1990s to resume production of its iconic Cobras.

I imagine most Cobra owners are sick of being asked "is it real?", especially if they're actually lucky enough to own one of the original 1960s cars but are repeatedly met with skepticism. In the case of a car like this one, the answer may vary depending on who you talk to. No, it's not real, because it was built several decades after Cobra production ended. Yes, it's real, because it was built under official license from Shelby. No it's not real, because it was built and distributed in partnership with Superformance which also builds replica Cobras. Yes, it's real, because it has an actual CSX chassis number and authentic Shelby badging. Don't worry, you're not the only one that gets confused by all this.

That CSX number is often the best way to correctly identify a Cobra's origins. Yes, Superformance is among a handful of well-known manufacturers that build replica Cobras. But the replica cars (including those from Superformance) use unique chassis number sequences and don't come with Shelby badging (though it's no surprise many owners apply aftermarket badging on their own.) CSX numbers are reserved for the official Shelby-authorized "Continuation Series" cars, built in the spirit of the original cars with a few updates and improvements. On these cars, the chassis number is usually displayed on a plaque on the center console. And the series numbering is pretty easy to understand; in this case, the 6000-series refers to a continuation of the 427 S/C (which originally had 3000-series numbers.)

The owner of this car made life easier for everybody by simply using the chassis number as a vanity plate. If you care enough to know, that number should answer your questions. And if CSX numbers don't mean anything to you, the car's authenticity probably doesn't concern you anyway. Sure, this may not be one of the original '60s Cobras. But at least the owner gets to enjoy driving a somewhat rare and legitimate Cobra the way it's meant to be driven without worrying about tampering with a million-dollar piece of history.

What do you think - Did Shelby make the right choice in authorizing the building of Continuation Cobras? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!