Local man has assembled replica 1965 Shelby Cobra

Michael Riddick spent his summer vacation putting together something a little more than just basic transportation.

Riddick began work on assembling a replica 1965 Shelby Cobra from a kit during his spring break from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. He graduated on May 28 and spent the summer working on the car, finishing the principal work in late July.

"It started with the Internet, which is where almost everything starts these days," Riddick said. "I've always been into cars, especially classic cars. I loved the look of this car; there are very few originals, but as a replica you can put any parts you want into it. It's based on a Ford, so any Ford parts worked. The startup cost was pretty cheap, about $13,000, and probably when all was said and done, it cost about $20,000 without a paint job."

The car still needs a paint job and a few pieces of trim, but it is functional with a 2004 Mustang GT engine under the hood. Riddick drove it around Aiken over winter break; he is currently stationed in Texas undergoing Air Force pilot training.

"It's built for racing, but I'm not going to race it. I've got another car, this one is just for fun, to drive around and enjoy," he said. "This car I bought purposely the lowest horsepower for the cost, because I plan to tinker with it for a long time. Every time I've driven it, a lot of heads turn. It's definitely not like anything else out there, even among other muscle cars."

The kit came from a Massachusetts company called Factory Five Racing, and Riddick said he turned to the regulars at their website's forum section for advice whenever snags cropped up in the work.

Overall, however, the project was not a demanding one, he said.

"It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be," he said. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Even my roommate is thinking about building his own car now."

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.