Monogram Shelby Daytona Cobra

05/03/03

Pete Brock called it "The Last Of The Specials". The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was one of the last great garage built race cars, making way for the high tech, and high dollar cars such as the GT-40 and others. The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe made it's mark, shamed Ferrari in doing it, and rewrote the history books.
	Pete Brock, working for Shelby American, convinced Carroll Shelby to create the Daytona Coupe to compete against the Ferrari's on their own turf. Because Ferrari convinced FIA officials to change the rules for the class to allow for larger motors, and less strict compliance to actual production numbers, the Cobra Coupe would be a natural fit for the class. The Coupe, loosely based on the Cobra roadster, was designed around the 289 Ford Small Block. The body was constructed using the new line of

thinking [for the day] that aerodynamics would play a bigger roll than raw horsepower in reaching that critical top speed needed to beat the Ferrari's. Brock convinced Shelby that it would take four times the horsepower to get a roadster to go 200 mph than it would to 100 mph. It would be easier to make the car more slippery in the air than to find the needed horsepower.
Testing proved that the design was a success, and on the track it proved to be a valid threat to Ferrari, going on to win the 12 hours of Sebring, and winning the backing of Ford Motor Company in the process. There is a lot more the history of the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes, and if you're interested, check out this site (after reading this review!): TheCarSource.com.

Revell/Monogram has just about as rich a history in slot cars as the Daytona Coupe has in the history of 1:1 motorsports. Though Monogram is not credited with the invention of slot cars, nor could they alone be considered the most successful, their name has become synonymous with vintage slot cars, as much so as Cox, Eldon, or Strombecker. Their decision to return to slot cars again is a definite indication of the success of slot cars in the United States once again, and a welcome return of an old friend. And Monogram has picked a great car as their first modern era release.

The packaging and appearance of the Cobra is a throwback to the days of old, when model companies and slot car companies were one and the same. Packaged in a vintage looking sleeve and jewel box, it is evident that Monogram is fully aware of it's slot car history, and the direction it's focusing it's marketing.

The detail on this car is exceptional. In my opinion, this is the best looking car to be released in well over a year by any company. The proportions seem right, the colors great, the finish is flawless, tampo's are crisp and sharp, this is one beautiful car.

They didn't leave anything out of the interior either. The dash is fully detailed, there is a fire bottle in place, buckles are painted, and then there is the driver. The driver figure is scaled perfectly, but is also painted well, including his eyeballs! This is the first driver figure I've ever seen with the whites and blacks of his eyes painted. Exceptional! In addition to all of this, there is also a real tire spare under the glass of the rear window. Yes, a real rubber tire, not a molded facsimile.

Other noteworthy details include the molded sidepipes painted a gunmetal color, sharp body lines, great looking rims, and some very nice blue-line tires. None of the pictures I've seen of this car, including the ones I took, can do this car justice. You have to see this one for yourself.

Underneath that fine body work is what has been described as a Carrera-Like chassis. Most form this conclusion based on the fact that the chassis utilizes the sliding magnet much like the Carrera chassis. Physical comparisons will have to end here, however.

	The car does utilize the sliding magnet, but beyond that, the car is a basic, though well designed front inline motor configuration. It does use front and rear plastic bushings for the axles, and I found them to be very tight with absolutely not slop up and down. I found the same to be true for the drive shaft bushing, and found it quite a test to even pop it out of it's socket. This is a well

engineered chassis, leaving nothing to complain about in the fit and finish department. I also found not interference with the guide and chassis as reported elsewhere. I also found the tire rims to have been trimmed of flash, making these tires quite round, and almost ready to race.

The gears and axle bushings are already coated in white grease, but I oiled them again with Trinity oil and set out for the track. I found the tires only required a little truing, and the car was ready to go. My first impressions were that this car is extremely smooth and quiet. It's not the quickest off the line, nor the fastest around the track, but they can't all be. This car does run very, very well, and looks great doing it. Having been compared, again, to a Carrera, yes there are similarities. However, I have Carrera's that are both faster, and

slower than this car, so where do you draw the line for comparison? This car stands on it's own merits and flaws, and is worthy of setting it's own benchmarks. I found very little difference in performance and cornering with the magnet placed all the way forward or back. Getting the rear end to slide out in either position is tricky to control, much like the real car! I did find that with the magnet removed, this car was very fun and controllable, and with a little added weight even more-so. I might recommend removing or

replacing the spare tire under the windshield if you're serious about racing this car without magnet, as it does add some unwanted weight high above the center of gravity.

I highly recommend getting one or more of the Monogram Daytona Coupes. These are truly works of art, and are very racable in stock trim, and I feel that if you wish to tune these cars you have a lot of potential to work with. For a beginner, these cars are easy to drive with magnet in place, and challenging and fun for the experienced driver without magnet. The detail is second to none, and for their first (modern) effort, Monogram has done an outstanding job. They didn't reinvent the slot car, they just made a very fine car to be

proud of. I will certainly buy more, and look forward to any other releases Monogram comes out with.

Thank you to Jon at Rad Trax for sending me this great car. I recommend you check out his website for this and other great cars.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to eMail me at ken@slotcarillustrated.com.

Ken

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