When KIT CAR Editor Eric Geisert and I were walking through a dense pack of Cobra clones at a car show recently, he wanted to know, based on all the different Cobra makes out there, how I could tell one make from the other. I started to make up a really good lie (I am, after all, a journalist), but I had to admit it was a good question and that I can't tell most Cobra kits apart since each car is assembled and personalized differently.
And since many kits are made by splashing molds off original Cobras, models are pretty hard to identify unless something obvious has been done (blown Hemi, sprint car wing, etc.). But some kits can be spotted by noting the details. We decided a spotting guide was in order, but the sheer numbers made it too big for just one issue. Here, in Part 1, we will look at some of the kits that have been made in low quantities, as well as a few older ones that have been "born again." In Part 2, covered in the September issue, we'll look at some of the more recent players.