Sid's observation sent me on a search through my Cobra books. The early Cobras
were all solid colors, and most of the later ones had the trademark dual wide
white stripes front to back.
But one that caught my eye was on an album cover ("Hey Little Cobra" for you
other old f*rts on the list) and it had two stripes coming down over the front
fender at an angle, very similar to the BRE stripes only narrower. Further into
the book is picture of the same car at Sebring in 1963 with the same stripes.
They go across the car's nose and stop at the top of the fender. Then they
appear further back on the fender and run down the fender behind the wheel arch.
The caption is very interesting:
"Dan Gurney races through Sebring's famous Webster Turn. Last-minute race
preparations meant that Gurney's Cobra was "painted with a spray can," as Pete
Brock remembered."
Remember, Brock used to work for Shelby - he designed the body for the Cobra
Daytona Coupe. So the BRE stripe was really a Cobra stripe, but it was really a
Pete Brock stripe. Got all that?
sidney raper wrote:
> Gordon,
>
> Shelby American used similar stripes on their cars when racing the FIA cars.
> As I understand it, it was to help identify a driver in race "traffic" as
> the team had a number of cars. Each driver would have a different color
> stripe. Of course, I could be wrong.....
>
> At any rate, they had the stripes either at a concurrent time, or even a
> year or two earlier.
>
> Sid
>
> >From: Gordon Glasgow <glasgow@serv.net>
> >Reply-To: Gordon Glasgow <glasgow@serv.net>
> >To: Datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
> >Subject: Re: History - Strips
> >Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 22:11:05 -0800
> >
> >It's mostly associated with BRE. Brock used it first on the roadster, then
> >on
> >the Z and 510's. But from what Jack Scoville said in the interview with
> >Mike
> >Spreadbury, it sounds like it was Datsun's idea.
> >
> >"Hall, Phillip" wrote:
> >
> > > A question for you history guys.
> > >
> > > Looking at historical pictures of the 60s on racing roadsters. Who
> >invented
> > > the strips that come up the front fender behind the front wheel and
> > > connected over the hood or into a solid body color on the top of the
> > > roadster. I thought Pete Brook started this (I always called them BRE
> > > strips), but I see Jack Scoville also used them in 68 or 69. Was this
> > > something Nissan started to set its race cars apart?
> > >
> > > Phil Hall
> > > 66' 1600 My wife said "no more Roadster tinkering until the house is
> > > finished". Some people sneak booze - now I have got to figure out how
> >to
> > > sneak roadster play time.
> >
> >--
> >Gordon Glasgow
> >http://www.gordon-glasgow.org
> >
> >
>
> ______________________________________________________
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--
Gordon Glasgow
http://www.gordon-glasgow.org
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