Each year, on the weekend following Father’s Day, the Ohio Cobra Club hosts the London Cobra Show as a means of raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. During the months leading up to the show, the club members build or purchase a replica of a Shelby Cobra roadster and then sell raffle tickets so some lucky person can win the Cobra replica of their dreams. The club sells raffle tickets at various car shows around the country, as well as on-line.
Although the show is called the London Cobra Show, or simply LCS, most of the events take place in and around the western portion of Columbus, Ohio due to lodging needs in London. The official host hotel for LCS lodging is the Holiday Inn and it is located at 5495 Maxwell Place, Columbus, OH adjacent to I-70’s exit 91 (Hilliard-Rome Road). Please see the HOTELS section for the rates offered by the Holiday Inn, as well as several other nearby options for lodging. The London Cobra Show is open to 1960’s era Shelby Cobra Roadsters, Coupes and the Ford GT40, both replicas and originals.
WEEKEND OVERVIEW
Various activities and cruises take place from Thursday through Sunday of the event. On Saturday morning, a parade into London occurs, beginning at the Speedway near the southwest corner of I-70’s exit 79. On Saturday evening, guests enjoy the Grand Gala under the Big Tent. Please see The Show page for additional information.
Registration on Thursday and Friday takes place at the Holiday Inn meeting rooms. Late arrivals may register Saturday morning at the Speedway Truck Stop. Please see the Show Registration tab for additional information for Cobra owners registering for the show.
When leaving the Speedway, the Madison County Sheriff and the London Police Department escorts the parade of Cobras into town, allowing everyone to drive into town as a group. This is an awesome sight with all of the Cobras in a long line. Many of the local residents set up lawn chairs along the 10-mile route to watch the parade of Cobras into London.
Once in London, the Cobras are parked on the closed off streets near the Madison County Courthouse. During the day, everyone enjoys looking at Cobras, renewing friendships, giving charity rides down Main Street, and visiting with the various vendors. The vendors are located in Gasoline Alley, in front of the Madison County courthouse, along the closed off Main Street. Main Street south of the courthouse is also closed for the londonstrawberryfestival.com which takes place concurrently with the London Cobra Show.
CYSTIC FIBROSIS DONATIONS
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is what medical providers call an orphan disease, a disease that affects such a small percentage of the world’s population that pharmaceutical companies do not believe they could ever see a profit after spending the large amount of monies that it takes to develop medicines that fight CF. Currently, there are approximately 30,000 individuals in the United States that suffer from CF.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation does not receive any federal funding and is supported strictly by donations, so it is important that we continue to help. The Ohio Cobra Club is proud to say that as a result of the 2017 London Cobra Show, we were able to donate an additional $100,000 to help fight Cystic Fibrosis. Over the years, $1,228,000 has been donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, with all of the donations designated for research into developing medicines for CF.
These donations, have in part, helped the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation itself fund the development of 3 medicines, Kalydeco, Orkambi, and the recently approved Symdeko. Approximately 60% of the individuals that have CF may now be able to benefit from either Kalydeco (FDA approved in 2012), Orkambi (FDA approved in 2015), or Symdeko (FDA approved in 2018). All three cystic fibrosis medicines address the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, rather than just symptoms. Everyone that has purchased raffle tickets or participated in any of our London Cobra Shows should take personal pride in the dramatic health improvement of those individuals taking these CF medicines.
Within the next decade, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is hoping to have drugs available that will benefit 95% of people living with CF. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is committed to finding a cure for CF within our lifetime and your purchase of several raffle tickets will certainly help us help them meet this goal.
To register and see who is attending this year, please visit the Registration Page