Dang, I wish I had street $$ at 21 to custom order a new boat and throw a badass new motor into it, then keep it the rest of my life!
The Chris-Craft Cobras are super cool as it is, but that boat is nothing short of Fabulous! I wonder if several of the buyers at the time chose the motor delete as I've seen ones with flathead 6s, Hemis, and Cadillacs (there may be other motors as well).
I saw the boat at the Mecum sale where they were selling Mr Streets stuff.... It was and is beautiful....
I thought that I remembered it selling for just shy of 200 grand, But I didn't remember for sure. So I want to Mecums website and looked it up, It was listed as no reserve but the results page shows no price that it sold for... kinda fishy because it is for sale in their upcoming sale in a couple of weeks...... https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0520-431096/1955-chris-craft-21-cobra/
I dig it man. I see in my mind's eye Adam West as Batman hauling this to the lake behind the Batmobile...
The Cobra is the Holy Grail of Chris-Crafts ( say for a stepped hydro they made a very few of) .. I have a good friend that restores Chris's here in GH... He went and looked a very rough "grey" Cobra boat .. in need of total restoration..hit by a tree in a wind storm while in a storage building.. damaged the bow pretty bad.. Old boy let them come look.. and decided wasn't for sale... Cobra's were ahead of there time.. but they are beautiful boats.. Street's Cobra is best of the best !
Beautiful boat, but for me the large triples are the holy grail of Chris Crafts. Owned a few over the years. Here's the current and the stern of my first one hangin in the local Lakefront joint...
Incredible machines. This one, dubbed "007" has been a favorite of mine at the Lake Tahoe Concours d'Elegance both times that I've been there.
"George Barris" and "tasteful exterior modifications" ... now there's something I never expected to see in the same sentence! ... but I wholeheartedly agree, Jim Skonzakes' "Black Cobra" is one classy Kustom Chris-Craft ... and its blown Caddy really appeals to the Hot Rodder in me :
I spent my youth on Lake Erie and the Detroit river on one of Pops boats. It was a special event to see a Cobra. Dad had the exact same model CC as used in the film On Golden Pond. Very beautiful-but very wet boat.
I bought the original carbs that were on this boat. Includes blower top, 4 chrome 97 and chain drive linkage! Still have them.