Driving a Real Shelby AC Cobra

All car folks have a ‘one that got away’ story but in the case of Lynn ‘Mr. Cobra’ Park it would be ‘none that got away’ because over the years he has owned more than 50 of Carroll Shelby’s 998 Cobras built.

Lynn’s snake obsession started when his sister’s boyfriend gave him the September 1962 issue of Road & Track magazine. On the cover was a bright yellow sports car with the tag line: SHELBY AC COBRA. For 19-year-old Lynn, it was love at first sight and 60 years on he’s still smitten.

Working at a gas station in Northridge, CA, Lynn fixed and sold cars on the side but his heart’s desire was a Cobra. He drove his ’62 406-powered Ford down to Shelby’s facility located at 1042 Princeton Drive in what is now Marina Del Ray. Impressed with the Ford, the Shelby folks thought he was a potential customer. Unfortunately, Lynn couldn’t afford the $6,145 price tag. Instead, he purchased an AC Aceca coupe for $1500. For those who don’t know, the Shelby Cobra was built using a British AC Ace roadster and a small-block Ford V-8.

Pretty soon Lynn installed his own Ford engine and took his homemade Cobra drag racing. Unfortunately, the British car was not designed for the rigors of the strip and consistently broke. However, in 1971, after military service in Germany, Lynn realized his dream and found a genuine Cobra for just $2,100. It was the beginning of one of two life-long love affairs, the other with his wife of 50+ years Susie.

In 1969, Charlie Offenhauser purchased his Cobra from, we think, Montebello Ford, and after driving it regularly, even on skiing trips, he parked it in 1975 next to his house in Temple City, CA and covered it with a tarp where it sat for 20 years. “We all knew about the car,” said Lynn, “but the family wouldn’t sell until one day my friend Don Lee turned up with a trailer and hauled the car away. Luckily, I was able to buy the car from Don.

“It didn’t take that much to charm the snake back to life: I cleaned the tanks, put in new plugs, new water and fuel pumps and put in some Marvel Mystery Oil. It smoked a bit but gradually smoked less and less and settled down to be a nice runner.

“I took the car, as found, to the very first Cobra Day at the Petersen in 1996 and it was a surprise hit. Shelby came over and said to me, ‘Everybody’s ignoring these shiny cars and looking at your dirtbag. Leave it alone. Don’t touch it.’

“I did as Shelby told me and #2307 has never been apart, never restored. I just maintain it and it’s a joy to drive and it’s been ‘Dirtbag’ ever since.

“Dirtbag turned out to be so popular I decided to build ‘Son of Dirtbag’ using a Kirkham 289 and a bunch of original spares including some beautifully patinated seats. Original, well-worn seats are the perfect starting point and the Kirkham is great because it is the most faithful aluminum-bodied replica available and all the original parts are interchangeable—I happened to have a nice little 289 with a 5-speed handy. Incidentally, the Kirkham 427 has 7 degrees of castor whereas originals have 5 degrees making the big Kirkham handle slightly better than the original. I also had a bunch of old instruments and parts that many people throw away when they are restoring an original. I keep all that stuff and try to make my cars, real or fake, as authentic as possible.

‘Daughter of Dirtbag’ came about because I had a nice set of original magnesium wheels and was wondering what to do with them when the red Kirkham 427 came along at a fair price. The wheels had been on an original racecar but sat for 50 years. The owner wanted new wheels so we traded. I also had a 428 that I traded the same guy for his hi-riser 427—it’s wider than the 428 but I soon made it fit.

“The problem I see with a lot of people restoring original or building new cars is that they try to improve them and don’t know when to stop. The original car, especially the 289, was a beautifully simple car that is easy to drive. Not much to improve upon that I can see.”

When asked which one he liked the most Lynn was quick to reply, “The Dirtbags are a great family but the original Dirtbag is the best to drive by far.”