Why the fuss on "original" Cobras?

[Ron61]

Well said Turk,

I have known several owners of original Cobras over the years and have yet to meet one that was in any way a snob or tried to put down my car. In fact I felt they kind of went out of the way to make us feel welcome. There may be a few owners of originals that are in the I am better than you category but there also seems to be some of the replicas owners that fit there also. As you stated, they don't have to prove anything.


Ron

[jhein]

Why the fuss on originals? That's so obvious it's hard to answer. Let's face it they are very nice, cars that are unique in the Cobra (if I may use that term broadly) world. That much is indisputable. For some people that matters enough to justify the added expense and dealing with the inherent flaws of the original design.

In an earlier post I sort of ragged on both sides of this argument (yet here I am again posting...). I think there is a lot of CSX envy (as it has been termed) out there. There is also some resentment of some of the things SAI has tried to do to the replica indutsry that drive it as well. To be honest, if I were a CSX owner I don't know that I would even join in these threads. It really is a silly argument.

All that said, as I pointed out on the other thread, I chose my SPF because I think it's a better car (lookout). It's not an investment, or museum peice, I just like to drive it. So that was best for me.

On the other hand, CSX cars are very nice, and if you are interested in what they have to offer great. For the record, there are a few replica manufactures that I think make really nice cars. CSX, Kirkham, SPF all offer real quality cars with good engineering and consistent quality. There are some great examples from ERA and FFR too but the problem I see with them is consistency. Since a lot of these are owner built it varies a bit. I guess if you buy a finished roller, or you're an automotive whiz you could have a nice ERA/FFR.

John
SPF1421

[southernfriedcj]

Originally posted by casaleenie


aaaannnnnd we're off!!!!!!

[Mike I]

Cheers to Dr. Jim Maxwell....and men such as him.!!

[Blue66]

Snob???? Nope not me!!! "Grumpy"....maybe but that's natural . OK all non originals should have V6 turbo motors!! Guess winter is really hitting hard

Dan

[jhein]

Oops... I misspelled 'piece'. Turk was so offended by an earlier error that I thought I should correct myself before he did.

john
spf1421

[DAVID L. VALDEZ]

I think I have the only Integrity in the world. I tried to find one in the manufacture's photo gallery, and could not find one. I am waiting for a sunny day to detail it more than I already have and get some good digitals to add to the Integrity gallery. No one who has held me at bay at the local gas station, asking question after question, thought anything more than the car is awesome, and I wish I had one. If you are like me and want the most bang for the buck for everything in the world, you would agree that our replicas are the way to go. I sat next to an F-40 at a local Atlanta Bread Company restaurant, and everyone who came out to look at the two cars ended up all around mine. I know the guy that owned that F-40 wondered why the additional 100K he spent on his car did not grab the crowd. Should have seen all their faces when I fired the thing up. There is something to be said about originals. I have an 18k submariner with a blue face. It feels kinda weird when someone is wearing a 150 dollar fake right next to you and you make eye contact and glance at each other's watches. I would not try to make them feel bad, especially when I know the fake with the quartz movement keeps better time than the best of the Rolexes. Kinda the same dilemma as CSX vs. Integrity?

[casaleenie]

"Cans't we all just learn to get along"

Rodney King

[rdorman]

With all the debate and internal struggle I have decided I need three Cobras.

I want an original that I will use as my waxer. Protect the investment.

I want a nice replica that I will use as my cruiser. Still protecting the investment!

I want an all out, balls to the walls car that I will use as my track car. Who cares what it looks like! Although I would probably go with a nice FIA or the 'Turd'!

Anyone know what the lottery number was last night?

[casaleenie]

Originally posted by jhein

For the record, there are a few replica manufactures that I think make really nice cars. CSX, Kirkham, SPF all offer real quality cars with good engineering and consistent quality. John
SPF1421 [/b]

You kinda slipped that SPF in with the CSX and the Kirkham

[REAL 1]

All of us partricipate in the subject because we obviously enjoy the discussion and it is a subject of interest.

Carroll Deweese: Why is the original on a special level? Because it is an ORIGINAL! Because it was there when history was being made. Because they are the series that made history and because they are so very limited in number and treasured and coveted because of their rarity and special place in history.

The originals are special cars and deserve to be singled out as special. They are the reason youR replica even exists. If not for the originals you wouldn't even have a "replica" of the original.

Why do you resent you car being referred to as a replica? Thats what it is. Face the music. You didn't know it was a replica? Is the problem that you want it to be accorded the same recognition/respect as an original because you feel it has some various improvements over the original and your insulted its not? Your kidding right? Get REAL!

For the record, the word "replica" is not a dirty word. Technically, by definition, every car, including the new CSX are "replicas" of the original CSX. They would have to be in order to appear as Cobras. The new CSX are in fact exact replicas/clones of the original. The new CSX 4's would have to be in order to be Cobras as originally designed.

What amazes me is that you went to the trouble of buying a Cobra replica and you fail to see/appreciate the significance of the originals. Is it that you just like the way the car looks and really know nothing of the history of the Cobra and its significance in American automotive history?

You can customize you replica and individualize it all you want. The original Cobra followed a definite receipe in equipement and specification. They are the Holy Grail. The more you deviate from the receipe the farther away you car is from replicating the car which was the reason you bought your replica in the first place.

I have yet to meet an owner of an original CSX that was snobby to me. In fact I have found more of an attitude from replica owners (some not all) towards me and my car. Sometimes I get the impression they are in some way threatened by the presence of a CSX. Why? Envy?

[Pete C]

I would love an original but will never be able to afford one either financially or emotionally. I first began thinking seriously about buying a Cobra when I heard of the Shelby reissue cars and I was determined to buy one. At that time, I was not aware that there was a replica industry. As I began to get serious and research the issue I learned of the replicas, weighed the pros and cons factoring in my finances, personality, etc. and I concluded that I would be happier with a high quality replica.
While I had always wanted a Cobra, I didn’t want it just to have but to use. I wanted to feel comfortable driving it to the store and work occasionally. Taking it to the track or leaving it unattended at a restaurant. I realized that I would be uncomfortable doing most of those things with a 100K plus reissue car and all of them with an original. I would worry about the car rather than use and enjoy it. It would become a responsibility not a source of recreation. So while I am among the most rabid worshipers of the originals, I am also a perfect replica owner!

Cheers, Pete C

[Jim Maxwell]

I enjoy having things to endlessly fix, and therefore, I enjoy having original Cobras. Right now the white "427" sits on jackstands in the garage, much to the consternation of one of my 17 year olds whose car is out in the snow instead of inside "where it belongs!". I have suffered from leaking braided steel brake lines after replacing the rubber ones that worked for ~35 years. The braided ones lasted ~12 months! Back to the rubber or plastic ones. Unfortunately, I broke the flare off the end of the brake line when trying to remove the old hose, so now I've got to buy a flaring tool, spend who knows how many hours on the floor of a currently very cold garage. And I'm ecstatic about it! Really!
Raceral didn't tell the whole story of those pictures. The one with both Cobras at the side of the road was because half-way to our destination, he notices his foot kind of sliding off the clutch and brake pedals. We pull over and there is oil everywhere! This doesn't look good! Until I realize I didn't put the dipstick back in after checking the oil before the trip. And there was the original dipstick, lying across the back of the manifold where I had left it. Talk about luck.
The easiest and quickest fix ever! Except I'm still wiping oil off the chassis and engine compartment. Oh well, it's just an old car. Seriously. (Even though it is a fairly desirable one.) I'm a very fortunate guy. Come by and go for a ride some time!

[Blue66]

I have been following this thread for a while. I got to thinkin (bad thing for me) about the good old days when they were new. I didnt buy mine till 1976 BUT it was a dream come true for me at the time. I kept it for 5 years or so an got bored. ya ya ya I GOT BORED. I have had all sorts of "toys" over the years. I look back at these cars an like other guy's have said "if it wasn't for the originals you wouldnt have your car".. That hit the nail on the head!!!
I miss my old car every now an then BUT then I will read about some of the original car's in here. Very interesting comments an story's about them. Guess ya had to grow up in that era to appreciate them
Now would I buy an original one again??? Ya I probably will in a few more years.

Dan
CSX3147 gone
Original 66 Shelby GT 350 convert...ya made in the 60's

[Great Asp]

Turk said;

"They have too much class for that, and have demonstrated it over and over..."

Nobody ever said we have class......



Great Asp

PS Evan wrote;

"In fact I have found more of an attitude from replica owners (some not all) towards me and my car."

Evan, that is not true!.....I like your car

[Excaliber]

Jim,,,,wow,,,wish I had an original dip stick to leave laying around.
Ha ha!
Ernie

[Turk]

Great Asp,
I was commenting to

I do not understand the implied haughtiness, arrogance, and high-mindedness associated with so-called “original” Cobras. What is the fetish all about? Why do so many of the so-called “replica” owners seem to have at least a small sense of inferiority and sense of apology for not having an “original”?

If that is the feeling among us replica owners, it is not because of anything the Original Owners did or said.
That is what I was talking about.
I have yet to meet anyone who owned an original who was anything but a perfect gentleman when it came to their ownership.
They are never the ones mixing it with the rest of us about their cars vs. our cars. It is usually us, against us.

Like I said they have nothing to prove, and a lot of class to do anything less.
That is not to say we don't.!

TURK

[Jamo]

Damn it Jim

Stop being so haughty, arrogant and highminded, will ya!

[Carroll DeWeese]

I intended that my comments were inclusive, not exclusive.

I would love the feeling of have an original Cobra. Those cars are the symbol of all things Cobra. They define the species.

I was reacting to some of the second-class feeling and inferiority that I detect among some of the replica owners and want-to-be original Cobra owners.

Cobra is not only a car. It is a concept: raw, revolutionary, individual, unique, sensuous, and classic. My replica is in the spirit of the originals. It is an original -- an original replica. No other car is exactly like it. In many ways it is more capable than one of the true originals. My wife and I are making changes to it that keep the spirit alive and overcome some of the limitations of the originals. It is an original expression of all that is Cobra and of us.

The replicas are replicas. They carry on the Cobra tradition. Each is part of a continuation series. Some are more accurate representations of the original. Some are virtual clones. Others incorporate technologies that Shelby would have used if they had been available. Many keep all the spirit of the originals but are more useable for cruising, driving, showing, and/or racing. Even some of the originals have been modified and are no longer entirely “original”.

All the Cobras – original and replica – are part of the Cobra community and tradition. We may debate big block and small block, show and race, and many other topics. But we all have a common bond. Each of our cars is original, if not an original. Each expresses our dreams, desires, and individuality. Each adds to the Cobra tradition. Each keeps the Cobra spirit alive.

I admit some so-called replicas miss the mark entirely. They do not have the look and feel of a Cobra. They are genetic rejects. These are few and far between. Yet they are a personalized reflection of their owners. They are original. I agree that they push even the boundaries of my tolerance. But they are part of our family – the black sheep perhaps.

We all should feel good – in fact great – with our “originals”. They let us each live and experience a dream in different and unique ways. They bring out the Cobra in us all. No one has a need for feeling or acting with inferiority or superiority. We are a living community of Cobra lovers.