Now, I’m not a dairy barn expert, but I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that this Cobra kit car is sitting in a cinder block structure that used to house cows. The surroundings are intriguing, to say the least, for finding a car such as this, and I’d wager the backstory is more interesting than the vehicle itself. Of course, with all that space, one could certainly store more projects! The car shown here is a Kuhn brand of Cobra kit car replica, and it’s said to come with documentation, literature, the steel chassis, and associated parts. It’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Wisconsin (how appropriate) for $16,000.
At first, I was fairly dismissive of this kit car. Cobra kits are almost a dime a dozen, and if you’ve seen one, you have literally seen them all. Sure, the Factory Five kits may be built to a higher standard, but overall, the basic ingredient list is the same. As I went further into the rabbit hole of just who the heck the builder was – a company called Kuhn that I had never before come across – the resident Euro snob inside of me came roaring to life. Kuhn appears to be a German company, based on this one shred of evidence I was able to uncover thanks to the power of Google. Does it make it any better than the myriad other kits available? Who knows, but it’s the first one I’ve come across that originated overseas.
If you’ll allow me to indulge my preferences for European design, my guess is there are some benefits to this kit. The Europeans do tend to manufacture things with a degree of complexity that may not always seem necessary but undoubtedly has a purpose. The brochure doesn’t tell us much, but I had Chat GPT translate the key details: Steel ladder-type frame with tubular crossmembers; the suspension consists of independent design in the front with unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and anti-roll bar, while the rear consists of a rigid axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and Panhard rod. Steering is standard rack and pinion, and the engine is likely a 5.0L Ford V8.
Curb weight was rated at 1,150 kilograms with weight distribution around 55 percent front and 45 percent rear. Aside from that, the interior was offered fully carpeted with Connolly leather around the gauges and center console. Does this make it any better or worse than other kits? Hard to say, but I would suspect the quality of the body and fitment of the attached panels would be better than some fly-by-night company that just churns out fiberglass molds all day. The bigger question to me is whether this company had U.S. distribution, and if it didn’t, how did this German-made Cobra kit end up here? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Zappenduster for the tip!
In an actual barn? Weird to see on a site like this. I feel sorry for the original owner, he bought this and never got to enjoy it. We could power it in any manner and I wonder if a 300+ HP turbo 4 would get us to 50/50 weight distribution.
Need to move it 8′ from the wall, that’s where the manure gutter is.
…..mooooooove the car
Mooove it and wash the poor thing. Does look very interesting and depending on the cost could be a nice project.
If a person was going to sell the remnants of an old kit car, wouldn’t they want to make it look like it hadn’t been used as a garbage receptacle for the past several years? Just asking for a friend…
Almost looks like they built the barn around it.
I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for it . Factory 5 builds a really nice replica that uses a mustang for parts this is a blank slate where you can build something really cool if that fiberglass body isn’t cracked.
I agree. They want $16k and there are so many more parts to get. A Factory Five Racing base kit goes for $15k plus source a mustang donor or get the complete kit for $21k and just need engine, transmission, diff and wheels. Unless you really want this kit in particular, I say go FFR.
years ago, went to Oklahoma to check out a rust free old car that was sitting in a pasture, the cows were using it for a scratcher, it was totally rust free but twisted like a pretzel, cows are heavy.
The rear doesn’t have a solid axle i can see the diff in the pile of the front-end rack and pinion.
you can google brochure, which read Front and rearend mustang, They where using a 210hp mustang v8. So that pile of suspensions parts are likely someones plan B.
Maybe it should be called a Cowbra…Name it Harry Caray…HOLY COW!!!
That’s enough internet for today for me…lol
how do you title a foreign built kit car?
Maybe the donor cars vin. I think the early Panoz roadsters used the donor Mustang vin.
Looks like most of the factory wrapping on the body and parts is still intact – it’s just got decades and decades of detritus on it.
It was delivered and promptly forgotten about.
I wonder what the completion ratio is on kit cars. I just finished a 41 Willys pickup and it was a ton of work.
A friend with a cobra made himself a bumper sticker that seems about right. It says “cobras are like breasts, no one cares if they are real“. (Only he used the T word instead of breast)
The rear end looks like an old Jag unit with the brake rotors on it I built one 4 years ago I am the third owner and the missing parts will add up quick believe me ! Stupid windshield is over $1000
Ok, you’ve got something special, and it’s worth some real coin. Don’t you think it would be worth what it takes to pull it out into the daylight, clean it up and show people what they’d be spending their money on?
16k is not chump change.
He’s waiting for the cows to come home.
Oh wait…….they all left because they’re afraid of snakes.
This is begging for a lowball offer. $16k seems high given all it still needs. And its likely condition.