New member looking to learn, then buy

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by maytag

Hello All! I'm a new member who has just begun my search for my first Cobra. I don't know near enough about which one I want, or why some are $35k and some are $120k. So I'm here to learn, first, then to shop.

I just sold my Ferrari F430 Spider, but it's full winter here so I couldn't drive it anyway. But come spring, I'm going to really miss it, unless I've pulled the trigger on the cobra already.... so that's my timeline.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

First, know that you're going to get innundated with guys tellling you to buy what they own. Brand loyalty here runs deep. I say that half jokingly, but in many ways it's true. The bottom line is, you have to make up your mind what basic features you want and most importantly what your budget is. What are your must haves? For example, I wouldn't own a Cobra that doesn't have IRS in the rear. Others couldn't care less. Is it important for you to have an aluminum body or is fiberglass ok? Is a car that someone else built from a "kit" ok, or is it necessary to have one that was factory built as a roller and someone only had to install the drivetrain? If aluminum is nesessary, the Shelby or Kirkham are really your only game in town with rare exceptions, and you're well over $100K to play that game. If you must have a factory assembled roller, then you're basically looking at Superformance and Backdraft. Most of them are north of the $50K mark.

In "ranking" the desireablilty of brands (and this will surely raise a $hitstorm), I would say as a general rule, it's sort of like this, from top to bottom -
Shelby Aluminum, Kirkham, Shelby Fiberglass, ERA, Superformance, HiTech, Contemporary, Backdraft, Hurricane, Unique, and then the rest. Quality of build plays a huge role in this as well. This is assuming all are built to a very high standard, and some will move a particular brand up or down one or two notches, especially if they own one and have that brand loyalty we spoke about earlier!

There's always the big block/small block swamp to swim in as well. Ford FE big block engines (the original type big block the Cobra's came with) cost more to build and typically retail for more when installed. The same car with a FE and a small block will typically see the FE equipped car sell for more.

Keep in mind, not to confuse you more, that the big block / small block issue isn't just for engines. The car that most people think of when they think of a "Cobra" is the big block car. However, the first Cobras were small block cars. Not only were the engines small blocks (260's then 289's) but the cars were different too. Less extreme flares, different nose opening shape, and countless other differences. Some guys have a very strong preference for these cars.

It's not uncommon to see "big block cars" with small block engines. In fact I would say the large majority of Superformace and Backdraft cars, for instance, are big block body cars with small block engines. Most Shelby, Kirkham, ERA and Contemporary cars are big block cars with big block engines.

This is only a macro and vast overview, but hopefully it's enough to get you started on a many hours long search on here and on Google to learn more.