GMP 1:12 1963 Shelby Cobra #98- Miles- USRRC- Ltd Ed of 750

CSX-2431 in real life was the Alpha Male of all 289 Cobras. During it’s tenure at Shelby American from 1964 to 1965 it was virtually unbeatable in A Producttion (AP) racing in the United States. The prime reason for its success is that its primary driver was also Shelby American’s competition manager, prime test pilot, ace development engineer and suspension guru. He also happened to be one of the best sports racing car drivers on the planet. CSX-2431 was Ken Miles car. It was constantly “tweaked” and refined by Ken and the mechanics to make it the best of the best and it was.

It campaigned almost exclusively with Shelby’s signature #98 and might have been the single largest factor in capturing the imagination of the American public and establishing the Cobra mystique that lives to this day. The GMP 1:12 model does a very good job at recreating this car. The body is very well-formed and the fit and finish is an A+ throughout. They did a very nice job in particular on the “FIA style” cut away doors, and front and rear fender flares. The track and ride height are likewise just where they should be. And the tires and wheels are of the quality and detail that a car of this size and cost demand. The Guardsman Blue paint is just the right color and it and the tampo livery and striping are expertly done. The included helmet is nicely done although the goggles that go with it are pretty toy-like.

The suspension, wiring and plumbing are well-done and the engine compartment seems to have all the pieces accounted for and nicely formed and finished – no auto parts disguised as vague blobs of plastic. The Cobra is really a pretty simple car mechanically with its leaf spring suspension and sparse layout. GMP did a good job of giving us most of the pieces the real car had – nice for a model of any size. The interior is nicely done as well, the steering wheel and shifter are particular standouts.

The car is not without its faults however. The leather covered seats have too much padding giving them a “Pimp My Ride” look. Also Ken never used the standard seats in his car, not even the passenger seat, where he replaced the stock seat with one from one of his old Porsche 550’s. The mismatched seats were a Miles trademark – something Exoto got right on it’s recently released 1963 Competition Cobra and a detail that really belongs in a “signature” car. Indeed the typical Cobra setup had a racing seat for the driver and the stock seat for the passenger. Thankfully GMP did not put belts on the passenger seat as Shelby never equipped his race cars that way. The dashboard cluster is also incorrect for this car. Another minor item perhaps, but considering that GMP was able to go to the Shelby Museum see and see this car “in the flesh”, the generic dash is a disappointment at this scale and price point.

The two biggest shortcomings however are at the nose of the car. The front roundel and numeral are too close to the air intake scoop. I can’t find a single picture of this car where the roundel sits this high up on the hood. I cannot imagine why it was placed incorrectly except that it was just “missed” by QC. The final shortcoming is the one that bothers me most. GMP opted to “paint on” what is supposed to be either the wire stone guards or tape on the headlights instead of putting on real wire mesh or tape. On my car – and I need to check with GMP if this is true on all of their cars – they only painted horizontal lines. It is an interesting effect but I don’t recall ever seeing the lights look that way. Such “poetic license” is OK on a generic model but really not right for a model like this. As nice is this car is, I feel like I’m going to have to add the wire mesh to give the car the proper look.

And for all who are wondering, the detail level of this car in 1:12 does not surpass the detail level of the new Exoto’s in 1:18. That is not a knock on either car, both are excellent but if you are looking to get the GMP car just because you think the larger size will give you greater detail, think again. The hook here is the impact of the larger scale and the fact that you can get this truly iconic car today while the same car from Exoto is at best several years away. That said, if you want to have a 1:12 Cobra sitting on your shelf, then this, my friend, is the car you want. Even with its faults, it is a sure thing winner.

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