FIA Cobra Fia 289 Replica that is blessed by Shelby himself.

Build by John Ohlson who was the crew chief of the racing team of the AC Cobra and the Daytona, who worked with Ken Myles and Shelby himself. John Olsen eventually went back to New Zealand and wanted to build an AC Cobra himself, they were already priceless. He built himself one as he remembered every detail.

Shelby & the AC Cobra
Like many British manufacturers, AC Cars had been using the Bristol straight-6 engine in its small-volume production, including its AC Ace two-seater roadster. This had a hand-built body with a steel tube frame, and aluminum body panels that were made using English wheeling machines. The engine was a pre-World War II design by BMW which by the 1960s was considered dated. In 1961 Bristol decided to cease production of its engine.

In September 1961, American retired race car driver and automotive designer Carroll Shelby wrote to AC asking if they would build him a car modified to accept a V8 engine. Bristol engines for the AC Ace two-seater sports car had recently been discontinued, so AC agreed, provided a suitable engine could be found. Shelby went to Chevrolet to see if they would provide him with engines, but not wanting to add competition to the Corvette, Chevrolet declined. However, Ford wanted a car that could compete with the Corvette, and they happened to have a brand-new engine which could be used in this endeavor: the Windsor 3.6-litre (221 cu in) engine – a new lightweight, thin-wall cast small-block V8. Ford provided Shelby with two engines.

In January 1962 mechanics at AC Cars in Thames Ditton, Surrey designed the "AC Ace 3.6" prototype with chassis number CSX2000. AC had already made most of the modifications needed for the small-block V8 when they installed the 2.553-litre (156 cu in) inline 6 Ford Zephyr engine, including the extensive rework of the AC Ace's front end bodywork. The only modification of the front end of the first Cobra from that of the "AC Ace 2.6" was the steering box, which had to be moved outward to clear the wider V8 engine.

The most important modification was the fitting of a stronger rear differential to handle the increased engine power. A Salisbury 4HU unit with inboard disc brakes to reduce unsprung weight was chosen instead of the old E.N.V. unit. It was the same unit used on the Jaguar E-Type. After testing and modification, the engine and transmission were removed and the chassis was air-freighted to Shelby in Los Angeles on 2 February 1962, By this time the small-block's displacement was increased to 4.7 L (289 cu in). Shelby's team paired this engine along with a transmission into CSX2000, in less than eight hours at Dean Moon's shop in Santa Fe Springs, California, and began road-testing.

A few changes were made to the production version:

• The inboard brakes were moved outboard to reduce cost.
• The fuel tank filler was relocated from the fender to the center of the trunk. The trunk lid had to be shortened to accommodate this change.

Who is John Ohlsen?
John Ohlsen is a mechanic that helped to built the Shelby Daytona with Ken Miles and became the crew chief of that car, he also helped to build the Cobra coupe with Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby for instance. And helped to build many cars that were designed by Caroll Shelby and co. And on one day on the Daytona speedway in 1964 he was working under the Daytona when it suddenly caught fire. He almost got fully burned, but eventually fully recovered! John also installed the new 427 4.7 liter engine in the CSX2286 Daytona, it was the secret weapon from Ford. But as it was transported to Le-mans, the truck got in a huge crash and the car could not be salvaged. But this was the legend and in fact in reality, the car was never finished, they worried that the engine could not handle the heat.

Follow the link for more about the story and legend: https://www.hillbankusa.com/blog/the-truth-behind-shelby-s-1964-secret-weapon-cobra-daytona-coupe

When John later returned to his home country, something started to itch. He wanted to build a Cobra for himself. (He eventually built three Cobras, 2 right steering and one left steering) He got a blessing and authorization by Carroll Shelby himself, but told him he didn't have blueprints left of the Cobra. So John went on to try to find these himself thanks to a lead by Shelby and eventually made three Cobras. And this is one of them, the only left steering one!

Car comes with blueprints and a binder full of pictures and information about the build.

The car
So this Cobra is really special, it has the blessing by Carroll Shelby himself, it got a real Shelby plaque in the car itself. Everything is correct on this car, like he used to build them in the 60s. He even went on to build wheels from scratch, because there were none left. So they had to be custom build from scratch, the molds to build these wheels are still with the car!

The Cobra has, FFR1293-289 slab side, 289 hi-po, 4 speed Toploader, 3-link 3.55 rear, spoked pin drive wheels, under car exhaust. Replica of CSX 2367.

This car is known as an FIA 289 after the four race cars built to run in the FIA World GT Championships. the car even features the F/A-suitcase indents in the boot and the cut down doors made to clear the larger wheel arches. The 4.7 litres of torquey V8 is a real handful in a car no bigger than an MGB. And it really gives you a taste of what it must have been like back in the '60s when these transverse leaf-sprung Cobras were raced in anger. Tremendously fast and completely open to the elements, there are few experiences that can match driving a comparatively crude but powerful race-bred sports car on the open road. This Cobra is very long-legged, with fourth gear being rarely necessary on the road, as the engine revs freely and is gloriously loud. The cockpit is tiny, dominated by a huge steering wheel, with the gear shifter virtually behind you on the tunnel. This Cobra feels as if it would be a real handful when extended, with immediate turn-in, and the possibility of the rear swinging round on you at any second. Whether at that point the car could be controlled on the throttle I wasn't prepared to find out, but driving Rogan's 289 sure gave me respect for anyone who pedals one of these cars competitively round a race circuit.

This is a magnificent Cobra tribute with the blessing of Shelby himself and the plaque in the engine bay & signature of Shelby to prove it. You won't get closer to a real Cobra than this tribute. Besides this, the car is almost identical to the original. Since John Olsen also worked on the original and knew in his memory a lot of details. A real 289 FIA Shelby Cobra goes in the millions in price. And are insanely expensive and rare. So if you would like to drive a somewhat real Cobra. Closer other than the original you won't get.

If you put a real AC Cobra next to this replica. You can't spot the difference unless you know how. And, even Shelby himself, would not be able to spot the differences. The only thing that is maybe missing is a real chassis number from the originals.  

Length: 2286 mm
Track: 1320 mm
Chassis: Tubular space frame
Body: Hand beaten alloy
Engine: 289 cui 4.7 litre V8
Power: 202 KW
Torque: 364 NM
Brakes: Discs
Suspension: Transverse leafs

The only factory built street version of the Chevrolet Cheetah (The Cobra Killer). And the John Olsen 289 FIA Shelby Cobra replica, two rivals next to each other!