Aluminum body FFR-----Fighter plane decorations

[mrmustang]

Current car is on BAT, but I remember it being here and on the other forums back in the day showing it's vintage fighter persona (as pictured).

Anyone remember this one?

Bill S.

198622
198623
198624

[J R Jones]

Same car in bright aluminum went RNM at $105K last July. The current market is diminished except for unicorn buyers.
I do not share your enthusiasm for either aesthetic. Aircraft is another thing, but that is not stealth either.
jim

[Jeff Kleiner]

Current car is on BAT, but I remember it being here and on the other forums back in the day showing it's vintage fighter persona (as pictured).

Anyone remember this one?

Bill S.



Oh yeah Bill, remember it well...all the way back to when FFR first did the aluminum body "science experiment". Coincidentally, just last week a friend asked me regarding the accuracy of an urban legend he had heard about FFR having built 200 Aluminum bodied cars! I told him that was BS and then gave him the Readers Digest version of the whole "Alloy Cars" saga that we both know all too well from 10 years or so ago ;)

Jeff

[J R Jones]

That is an interesting FFR experiment, I wonder what the objective was? Is this the same car?
In either case durability is a concern. The structure and fatigue strength of aluminum and FRP bodies differ. Original Cobra chassis had space frame support for aluminum, I do not see on the typical FFR chassis.
Tangent topic analogy. I did a major OEM watercraft project requiring ~30 trailers, single and double, for transport. A local trailer manufacturer had just introduced a line of aluminum trailers as a premium above their steel trailers. All the aluminum trailers failed in the first season, and did not make it south for winter testing. The aluminum trailers were configured similar to their steel designs and failed due to fatigue.
jim

[mrmustang]

That is an interesting FFR experiment, I wonder what the objective was? Is this the same car?

This is not the "Alloy" saga car, as confirmed by both Dave SMith and David Kirkham in the original BAT auction...The Alloy car, which in itself, was the original FFR experiment shown at Carlisle 2002 or 2004, but the company in Florida was using as their own product, which was inferior to say the least. There are plenty of threads on the subject both here and club cobra for you to goggle.

I'll leave it at that.

Bill S.

[J R Jones]

The aluminum bodied FFR Roadster sold today at $92500. $12500 less that the previous RNM.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-shelby-aluminum-bodied-cobra/

This auction netted 35 comments, the previous 7/23 auction had 130 comments. The trend recently IMO is a level of BaT apathy.
In the original auction Dave Smith and David Kirkham, commented on provenance, clouded by the seller's inability to find the MKII serial number.
Two different commenters claimed to be previous owners, one saying it is the FFR built prototype, and the other attributing the build to others.
This car has been offered for sale on several venues recently, hard to know how many times it sold. It could be that bare aluminum is too much work.
jim

[mrmustang]

The aluminum bodied FFR Roadster sold today at $92500. $12500 less that the previous RNM.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-shelby-aluminum-bodied-cobra/

This auction netted 35 comments, the previous 7/23 auction had 130 comments. The trend recently IMO is a level of BaT apathy.
In the original auction Dave Smith and David Kirkham, commented on provenance, clouded by the seller's inability to find the MKII serial number.
Two different commenters claimed to be previous owners, one saying it is the FFR built prototype, and the other attributing the build to others.
This car has been offered for sale on several venues recently, hard to know how many times it sold. It could be that bare aluminum is too much work.
jim

I stayed very low key this time around, waiting for someone to bring up the two piece body riveted together under the door opening, or a few other items shown, or even the 8 auctions it's been sent through, bid higher than what it sold for, between it's time on BAT. Nothing, apathy, perhaps, yet, as we see, it only takes two people to make a successful sale.

Bill S.

[rich grsc]

I do believe that car has been passed around more than the local party girl? The comment about "two piece body riveted together" really rang a bell. A local custom car shop last year had one for sale, it too was riveted under the door, and was on a FFR frame. Was it this car, I don't know, but is was a strange fit & finish. I wish now I would have asked the business owner about it.