[marco246]

Hi, Everyone,

Over 30 years ago a friend gave me a ride in his 427 Cobra through the streets of Phoenix in a massive explosion of sound and fury that had other cars careening up on the sidewalks to get out of the way. The drive was immature, dangerous, politically incorrect and enormously satisfying. The best adjective I can find is "outrageous." I remember every detail and they still make me smile.

I ended up buying an old V-12 Ferrari from this friend and have over the years owned a couple more as well as half a dozen Alfas. Cobras were just a happy memory and always seemed to appreciate a lot faster than my income. I'd seen magazine ads for Cobra replicas but always figured they were sort of the equivalent of Fieros camouflaged as Ferraris or those crappy VW-based kit cars. Happy with my Italian machinery, I never bothered to enquire further. Ignorance was bliss.

But then last month at our local SCCA autocross event a couple of 427 replicas appeared and I had a chance to look them over. SWEET! I don't think there is anything more viscerally satisfying than the sound of a big American V-8 thundering out its sidepipes. The cars looked good and sounded good. On our wet, cramped, twisty go-kart track, the one Cobra that participated fish-tailed around the course unable to get much grip. Massive torque. Didn't seem to matter and the driver had a blast.

The upshot of all this is: I GOTTA HAVE ONE.

Curt Scott's latest "The Complete Guide to Cobra Replicas" just arrived yesterday, and so now the research phase begins. . . .

I expect it will be a very long time before I can contribute in any knowledgable way to the discourse here at Club Cobra, but I look forward to interacting with y'all and, with your help, to getting an education--and the right car.

Cheers!
Mark