I might get laughed at for saying that’s the greatest, but there’s never been a car replicated as much. Until there is, I’ll stick with what the guys created back in the ‘60s.”

Carroll Shelby turned 85 in January ’08 and nothing’s about to stop him from sticking fast to the same arduous pace that has been his trademark for what seems like forever, though it’s not even been a millennium yet.  Also, he’s not one for naming “greatest evers”—but here’s what he will say about specific periods.

“The first era, it was Old 99. Then into the ‘20s, Bugattis.  The ‘30s, certainly the Germans.  Then you have to guess.  In the ‘60s was it the Lotus, or something else?  I’m not going to mention the greatest ever race car, but ask me what era and I’ll come close to answering.  If you want the greatest, and if you had to answer one, the most replicated car that’s ever been built is the Shelby Cobra.  There’s been over 3,000 companies that have replicated the Cobra, all over the world, and it’s been documented. 

Name something that anybody’s done more than that.  I’ve only produced a thousand of the real ones, and I’ve produced a total 300 a year for the last 12 years — probably close to 5000.  But the only ones that really count is the first Cobra, and the thousand that won the world championship.  It’s still the only American car that ever did win a world championship.  I might get laughed at for saying that’s the greatest, but there’s never been a car replicated as much.  Until there is, I’ll stick with what the guys created back in the ‘60s.” 

Click on the links to see the cars:

Maserati 250F
Auto Union Type C
Lotus 49
Porsche 917
Mercedes-Benz W196
Toyota TS010 Group C

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