Better than the real thing

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This article was published 03/03/2022 (1309 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RM OF CORNWALLIS — While Gord Chester has restored plenty of vintage vehicles that are original factory models, one of his most prized automotive possessions is actually a full-blown replica.

After all, the Westman resident didn’t have millions of dollars lying around to purchase a genuine 1960s Shelby Cobra, which are as rare as they are prestigious.

Instead, Chester opted to purchase a roadster kit and use his mechanical know-how to build a model that is, in many ways, actually superior to the original English sports car.

“In two words, it’s pure testosterone,” the 57-year-old told the Sun on Thursday morning outside his home in the RM of Cornwallis. “That’s what this machine is. It’s pretty crazy.”

Chester said that he has been fascinated with the Cobras ever since he was a teenager, more than a decade after retired race car driver Carroll Shelby approached AC Cars with the prospect of combining their unique British design with an American V8 engine.

The very first Shelby Cobra debuted in 1962 with a Ford 260-cubic-inch motor, and would serve as the foundation for several variations until the line was officially discontinued in 1967.

Despite the overwhelming popularity of this line, only around 1,000 Cobras were produced throughout the 1960s, with virtually all surviving models being relegated to museums or private collections in the modern day.

While Chester always had lofty ambitions of owning his own Cobra by the time he was 40, the idea didn’t seem tangible until one day in the mid-1990s, when his friend let him ride shotgun in a replica Cobra in Winnipeg.

Being impressed with the look and performance of this so-called “kit car,” Chester decided to seek out a replica Cobra of his own, eventually stumbling upon a company, Factory Five Racing, that was able to get him started.

“So I bought the roadster kit from them and basically you get a fibreglass body and a steel-tube frame, just like the original,” he said.

“And you have to source all your powertrain options, your differential, your suspension. You have to sort all that stuff yourself and you build the car.”

After receiving his roadster kit in 2000, Chester spent the next five years crafting his ideal Cobra, discovering that he had a lot of flexibility in terms of bringing that vision to life.

For example, he decided to combine the wide body type that defined the car’s 427 variant — which was produced from 1965 to 1967 — with a small block engine that typified its debut model, leading to a unique hybrid that is surprisingly light despite its larger frame.

“As far as speed and horsepower, this one here is probably faster than the original Cobra,” he said. “Because of the technology today … like stroker motors and power adders and super chargers and the tires you can get today compared to the tires back then, there’s a lot better options out there now.”

The replica’s fibreglass body also holds another major advantage over the original Cobras, which were made out of aluminium and left the car vulnerable to dents and dings out in the wild.

“If you ever got into an accident … any little thing like a shopping cart could destroy it in a parking lot,” Chester said.

For anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps, Chester warns that building a replica car like this isn’t as simple as following the instructions on a box of LEGOs.

Just like any conventional automotive restoration, it takes a lot of time and dedication, as well as some pre-existing knowledge of how to put these pieces together, in order to succeed.

“You definitely have to have a mechanical background and know someone in the body shop industry that can do all the body and paint work,” he said, mentioning that MarVal Autobody in Killarney completed the classic blue-and-white paint job on his replica Cobra.

“But if you’re mechanically inclined and have someone you can count on for great body work and paint, then it’s definitely a worthwhile project.”

And even though showcasing a replica might carry a stigma in some circles, Chester said his experience driving the Cobra around Westman and taking it to car shows has been overwhelmingly positive, which proves to him that most people can’t tell the difference or that they don’t really care.

“It just turns people’s heads,” he said. “They’re almost breaking their necks when they’re looking, so it’s kind of a dream car for most people.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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