Kirkham's 289 FIA Hybrid has a 289 aluminum racing body combined with Kirkham's 427 SC chassis. With seven gallons of fuel in the tank, Dean's car weighs just 2,094 pounds. The Weber 48 IDA-fed 408ci stroker engine produces 550 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque. To say his FIA is light and thunderously fast is a gross understatement. Dean built the car to run on the track, and run it does. He wanted to experience as best he could what the racing legends of Shelby American felt in the '60s. The cool thing about Dean's car is that it's exquisitely detailed to emulate the real CSX2128, but it isn't worth what the original one is, so Dean's not scared to race it and pound out the pebble dings in the aluminum panels afterward.
Isn't that one of the reasons many of us build a kit car in the first place, instead of investing in an original piece of automotive history? We want to drive 'em and look at 'em, not simply shine 'em and worry about 'em.
Watching Dean pilot his brushed aluminum rendition of 289 FIA number 15 on the track, you can almost hear The Rip Chords:
Around the turn into the straightaway, I was blowing off everything that got in my way.
Stingrays and Jags were so far behind, I took my Cobra out of gear and let it coast to the line.
Spring little Cobra getting ready to strike. Spring little Cobra with all your might. Spring little Cobra getting ready to strike. Spring little Cobra with all your might.
Hey, little Cobra, don't you know, you are going to shut 'em down. Shut 'em down. Shut 'em down. Shut 'em down
Dean's Special Thanks"Lumpy" at Performance Motor Sports Systems in Greenville, IL. He handled the whole engine build and has been a tremendous resource through the entire project.
Mike Meyer and Montello Waithe at Central City Auto Body did the sanding on the car, and Montello continues to beat out the dents from the racing!
Morris Clement for all the help setting up the suspension. He is a three-time SCCA champion and a super guy.
Joe Dietrich at Standard Transmission in Dallas.
Clois Harlan, who helps sort this stuff out every day on the phone, and, of course, Jay Nordstrom.
 Dean's Kirkham wears the number...  Dean's Kirkham wears the number 15 and the yellow driver stripes similar to the original "Hey Little Cobra" album cover car and Sebring racing legend. |
 The passenger gets leather-covered...  The passenger gets leather-covered comfort like the Street 289 Cobras, while the pilot is held in place with a vinyl-covered racing Cobra bucket seat. The safety lap harnesses also replicate the originals. |
 The original #15 still occasionally...  The original #15 still occasionally gets a workout on the track. |
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