New Cobra afficionado from California

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Brasilcat

Hi Jeff,
Thank you for the 2 cents. I'm in Downey near LA. I'm still deciding on the budget. It looks like if I'm going with a new complete build the way I envision, I'll be spending about $70K - $75K.

A lot less for a used one, maybe $35 - $40K, then I'll surely end up spending money on cosmetics, appearance and engine??

Lots of research and decisions ahead. I'll be visiting Forty Five to see what their set up looks like up-close.

Cheers

I assume when you wrote 'Forty Five' you meant to write 'Factory Five Racing' ("FFR") - almost certainly the highest volume manufacturer of kits / replicas.

Regardless, if you get the chance to visit FFR (or any other replica manufacturer), you'll quickly see that frames are designed and built for each marque. There is no "build it from scratch using a rolled frame" option. Even if you were to find a Cobra that had been rolled, you'd have to be VERY careful to ensure you're starting with a frame that's straight and true in all dimensions. Not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for someone with minimal mechanical skills.

Perhaps your reference to "build it from scratch using a rolled frame" comes from the misconception that FFR's 'donor build' model actually uses a frame from another vehicle. It does not - the donor build refers to buying a Mustang and cannibalizing it for certain, select parts - none of which are the 'frame'. Most modern automobiles are unibody construction anyway, so none have frames in the traditional sense.

Good luck with your choice, whichever way you choose to go.