Temecula man ready to show off hand-built Shelby replica at 21st Rod Run

By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 7, 2007 8:59 PM PST ∞

TEMECULA -- Before you see Rick Cadogan's 1965 Shelby Cobra coming down the road, you hear it.

The sleek-looking roadster hides a mean engine within the indigo-blue body Cadogan built in the garage of his Temecula home. The power of the 302-cubic-inch Ford engine, pushed by eight angry cylinders, roars out of the machine through dual chrome exhaust pipes that hug the car.

The power of 350 horses rips the car from a standstill to a 60 mph sprint in just 4 seconds. The license plate pretty much sums it up: "QCKERNU."

Hearing the car is one thing, seeing it is another. Cadogan is ready to share his creation with the crowds at the Temecula Rod Run, which will take place Friday and Saturday in Old Town.

No, it's not a "real" Shelby Cobra -- but Cadogan, will tell you, "it's real fast." He is proud of his replica, which he built by hand over a two-year period.

He doesn't try to pass it off as an original, however the detail and specifications are nearly identical to a factory-made Cobra. Cadogan added his own signature touches to the car, such as racing harnesses -- the original car had no seat belts -- and an additional roll bar behind the passenger seat, "because," as he puts it, "I love my wife."

The Shelby Cobra was created by Carroll Hall Shelby, a world-renowned sports car driver. In 1961, Shelby set out to create a sleek, European-looking sports car with a serious American engine.

Shelby secured the body of the car, a small two-passenger roadster, from AC Cars of Thames Ditton, England. Then Shelby went across The Pond in search of a hot-rod engine to put in the chassis -- which he found at Ford Motor Co., who had just released a brand new V-8 block engine.

The marriage of style and speed gave birth to the Shelby Cobra, considered one of the most powerful cars in the world.

Cadogan said he paid $19,000 for the Factory 5 Racing replica 1965 Shelby Cobra kit. He has the car insured for $50,000. He spent an excessive amount of time working on the Shelby. He said his wife, Laura, didn't mind him spending so much time in the garage with his project since she was preoccupied with her own hobby.

"She has horses and I have horsepower," Cadogan said. "But she really enjoys riding in the car, now."

Cadogan, 47, who works as a maintenance supervisor for Scotts Co., in Temecula, said he grew up with a wrench in his hand. He worked on jets when he was in the military and has continually built things. So when he decided the Cobra was his dream car, he built it.

"It's amazing that soccer moms, seniors, hip-hop kids all share the same reaction to the car," he said. "The most common question they ask me, is 'What is it?' It's a blast to go out and drive. I love to tell people about the history of the car and I hope in some way it keeps the hobby alive for the next generation."

He plans to do a lot of talking at the 21st Annual Temecula Rod Run and Old Town Cruise this weekend. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys & Girls Club.

Old Town Front Street will be closed at 1:30 p.m. Friday for the Rod Run. From 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the cruising will take place on the street. There will be music, vendors and special awards Friday night, organizer Pat Vesey said.

The "Show and Shine" will take place Saturday, but is limited to 650 vehicles. Registration is available on line at www.temecularodrun.org and in person at The Hampton Inn on Rancho California Road and Jefferson Avenue, on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

-- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.

Temecula Rod Run

What: The 21st Annual Temecula Rod Run and Old Town Cruise. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Southwest County Boys & Girls Club.

Where: Old Town Front Street in Old Town Temecula.

When: Friday: Old Town Front Street will be closed beginning at 1:30 p.m. From 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. cars will cruise the streets. There will be music, vendors and special awards Friday night. Saturday: The "Show and Shine" will take place Saturday, but is limited to 650 vehicles.

Registration: Available on line at www.temecularodrun.org, and in person at The Hampton Inn on Rancho California Road and Jefferson Avenue, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 6 to 9 a.m.