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COB 6008 – CROFT – OWNERS GATHERING

Kevin Kivlochan, Bruce Ropner and Keith Schellenberg at Croft in 2004

In 2004, a meeting was arranged between COB 6008 and its first two owners at the Croft circuit near Darlington, as part of a magazine feature about the AC Cobra. Bruce Ropner is the son of a shipping magnate and, along with a passion for winter sports, he shared his father’s love of motor sport. He decided to purchase an AC Cobra in 1963 and took delivery early in 1964, the Thames Ditton factory having granted his request that the bodywork be modified for racing by flaring the rear wheel arches and reshaping the doors. As Ropner took an increasing interest in drag racing, the car was sold to a close friend, Keith Schellenberg. Both men were part of a consortium that built the Croft race track so the reunion could not have taken place at a more appropriate venue, Schellenberg arriving at the wheel of his favourite vintage Bentley. It was a time to reminisce and recount experiences that such a car can provide, as well as a time to become reacquainted with a timeless sports car that had changed remarkably little over the decades.