Who can give me the good/bad etc.? Thanks in advance.

 

The good?...It's a Cobra...The bad? It's no Porsche...

Maybe ffcobra.com forums can give you more info?

http://www.ffcobra.com/cgi-bin/ultim...=0;DaysPrune=0

 

I instructed a student a few months back that drove a a SuperPerformance Cobra ... observations in the following order:

1) Hot and uncomfortable to the nth degree.
2) Handling on the order of a dump truck.
3) Stinking fast in a straight line.

I've always liked the looks of the replica Cobras ... but after riding in one I'd rather have a Prius.

If you want something that is more fun and half the price ... get a 550 Spyder replica. I have a friend that sells them and I drove one to the AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway for him a couple months back ... 1200lbs ... 185HP ... woohoo!

 

Good friend has a Superformance,I was in a hurry to try it out and in a bigger hurray to give it back.
One twenty minute drive and you will be cured !

 

I had a ride in a friend's '66 289, the real thing. Exactly what Harvey said, but it's a head turner.

 

Midnight Rider, my 2 cents. The Superformance cars are the elite of reproduction Cobras, they are produced in Africa. If that's what you looking for. my neighbor had one and kind of reminded me of herman of the munsters, looking over the windshield, very fast though. www.superformance.com

If i was looking to shell out some good money on a glass, 2 seat, hi-po convertible i would stray to a mid-year 65-67 Corvette Roadster, small or big block and when you are done with it there is no problem finding a new owner and usually at a profit if purchased right.

 

whats the cost or value of a good 550 spyder replica? I'd love to have one for the sheer rawness...but don't want to shell out for something that has the "just a replica" tag

 

New replica 550's are around $25K. Best is to find one (they do become available quite often) that is not completed and the owner gives-up. These are typically in the high teens for complete, but not finished.

I did find one set-up for a flat 6. That would be way cool!!

 

chris, what do you think about those pre-fab ones they sell? like where you can order up the configuration and options like a new car? anyone know about this?

- sorry for the hijack!

 

Stop thinking!

 

This is the one I drove:

http://www.exclusive-motors.com/Beck...r/chamonix.htm

All the info you need is on the website.

 

I agree with Harvey, I'd take a Prius over a cobra replica. I had the misfortune of having to instruct a student who owned one. I thought it was cool for about the first 30 seconds. They should be totally banned from tracks, and many of us decided we'd refuse if ever asked again to ride shotgun in one. Just too dangerous.

 

I'm surprised to see all the negative comments about the cobra. It was one of my favorite cars in Project Gotham Racing (XBOX)

 

I recently had the opportunity to drive a replica cobra from backdraft racing.
It was a decent qualtiy replica..I understand the best are made by Kirkham.

The ride was terrible, it felt like there were no rear shocks and it would just crash over bumps. The footwell was very uncomfortable because the tranny tunnel pushes the pedals far left, so my right leg had to follow the countour and wound up lined up with the left side of my pelvis. To accelerate, I was basically pushing the right side of my foot down and after awhile it started to become uncomfortable.
Regardless, it was a lot of fun. Big motor, big sounds. Unique to anything else out there.
I would love to have one as a weekend car.

 

Midnight,

As suggested check out www.ffcobra.com. You'll get a lot of info regarding factory five replicas there. Also check out www. clubcobra.com, that is a board for all brands of replicas. Both boards have car for sale sections. Also check out Cobras for sale for a listing of multiple brands for sale. Top of the line aluminum bodied replicas can be had here Kirkham . The thing about buying a replica is you can buy a complete car (factory five mostly) from about $25k to somewhere around $100K (for Shelby continuation cars and Kirkhams). You can also buy a kit and build it yourself.

I disagree with some comments made here. There is no reason why a cobra can't be comfortable. I have a factory five replica and it's just as comfortable as my 993. Sure it's not as quiet, but what fun is a quiet car? I've driven it from NJ to ohio (10 hrs one way) for a cobra event (The Spring Fling).

Also there is no reason why a cobra can't be made to handle well. My car has IRS with coilovers and it handles pretty nicely. The ride is also comfortable on all but the worst roads (and remember I drove it in NJ of all places!!!).

I chose factory five primarily because I liked their frame and the overall concept. Buy a kit from them, get a mustang and build a complete car. Now to be honest most people don't use a 'donor' anymore, they just buy new ford parts. I had my cobra professionally built using all new parts. Plus there is a tremendous amount of aftermarket support (they are the largest selling cobra kit maker).

So there are many pros - killer looks, killer performance, can be customized to your liking, upgrades are cheap, working on the cobra is 10 times easier than working on the 993. The negatives? Can't really think of one except you need to plan extra time to get anywhere. Why? because if you stop for any reason, gas, stop light, to get a bite to eat.etc. you need to plan the time you'll wind up talking to people about the car. I might get a 'nice car' in the 993. You get marriage proposals, indecent propositions and every once in a while flashed while you drive the cobra.

And one last note the camraderie among Cobra owners is second to none. There might be some infighting among brands but you won't find a more helpful bunch of guys. When I was titling my car, I had offers from two different guys to trailer my car to the NJ DMV, for the price of breakfast. You want to upgrade your car? You will most likely have 2-3 guys willing to come over and help you upgrade your car (and drink your beer). While I was back in NJ a bunch of us met at the local diner on Sunday every month for breakfast and a ride. It is one of the things I miss most since moving to AZ. Haven't had a chance to really get together with the AZ guys just yet.

Sadly I might have to sell my cobra next year. Not enough $$$ to keep three cars. I'm attending school now to become a mechanic with the hopes of attending the Porsche academy in Atlanta so the Porsche stays. I'm hoping some miracle happens that will allow me to keep the cobra. Anyone want to rent it for a week or weekend???

Anyway here are some pics of my replica. I have better pictures but they are on my computer that just died. I should have it up and running shortly so let me know if you want more pictures. The first picture is it arriving (hard top and all) in AZ, the others are of a SCCA\Factory five spec race event out at PIR in May of this year.

Also let me know if you have any other questions.