A new line of vehicles from Shelby American, Shelby Legendary Cars and Superformance called the “Cinema Series” will celebrate some of the greatest icons of film. The initial group will include Shelby Cobra roadsters, Daytona Coupes and GT40s as seen in the epic movie Ford v. Ferrari.
Based on vehicles successfully raced by Ken Miles, Chris Amon, Lloyd Ruby, Denny Hulme, Bruce McLaren, Dave MacDonald and driven by Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) only 100 total cars in the series will be offered worldwide. Each vehicle will be based on a car shown in the movie and come with complete documentation. The Shelby roadsters will bear a CSX8100-8199 serial number.
The Shelby Cobra roadsters are:
The continued strong demand for the original movie cars led to this new series of cars. The Shelby Cobra roadster in fiberglass will start at US$98,995.00. The Shelby cars will be built to order and delivered with a Shelby American serial number for documentation in the Shelby American Worldwide Registry. Orders are now being accepted.
The Chassis is the original John Tojero designed 3” tubular rail ladder with cross-member. This chassis is reproduced using drawings obtained from AC cars and also implements the necessary changes to utilize rack and pinion steering . The 3” tubes are tig and mig welded to guarantee a safer and stronger chassis. This is much stronger than the arc and gas welded originals. Pain staking efforts were made to reproduce the chassis as close to an original as possible while incorporating a few modern improvements, like inserting a 3" square tube through the main rails to prevent flexing. Building the cars with a meticulous eye on authenticity took time, but this resulted in a superior driving experience.
The Superformance MKII roadster bodywork replicates the later of the 289`s which incorporated modifications to fender flares that will accommodate the slightly wider tires fitted onto chrome wire wheels. One of the improvements made by Hi tech was that the footwells were tweaked so that the taller North Americans can now sit comfortably.
To compliment an original chassis you need to follow the same rules when it comes to the suspension. It had to be period correct, or as close as possible. The original slab side had a transverse leaf spring style suspension which requires different length springs to change camber settings we decided to use heim joints which were used on some of the original competition cars.
Another change with regards to safety was to add an additional pick-up point to the chassis to increase the shear strength of the bolt passing through the lower control arm rose joint or poly-bushed rod end. The original springs were made of thinner steel than that available today. In an effort to keep compression rate the same, this car comes with one blade less and “free camber” was changed to keep the ride heights equal from front to rear. This insistence on authenticity means that owners of a Superformance MKII Roadster will have virtually the same driving experience as the original.
An Original would have probably been a 289 with a B.W T10. Today, the recommendation would be a 289/302 based engine with a more modern Tremec TKO or similar transmission.
Again, attention to small details like the replication of the glove box knob and the correct use of gauges make this car stand out from the others. A side screen pocket is fitted behind the seats on the rear bulkhead and door map pockets are also incorporated in the doors. Lush carpeting finishes off the cabin for a comfortable feel on the road.
All Superformance products are supplied complete, but without engines and transmissions. The selection, purchase and installation of the drive train are the responsibility of the purchaser.