It all comes down to which direction you want to go. I've seen the Unique FIA and known a couple of owners and while they are pretty decent, they have their own draw backs. There are certain things that those owners didn't like but thought they could live with, both have sold and moved on. There is the "Factory Five FIA car" listed here :
http://www.clubcobra.com/classifieds...p?product=3061 too. It looks like a very nice and well built car but why?? Unless you on a body shop and just love to do fiberglass why would you go to ALL that work?? And at the end of the day it's still a FFR. NOT that FFR are bad but the starting point is still A LOT lower than an ERA. I bought my car and totally went through every little piece of it. I wanted a "drop dash" and found one made for an original csx 60's car, it fit perfectly! No cutting, no welding, it just fit and that's the diffence in an ERA, they're that close to the original! Like others have said, if you want the correct "look", the right stance, and as close to a csx (sans the chassis) it's hard not to go with an ERA. I rode in a Mid States 427 before I got mine on the road and I was just amazed at the differences between the two. Mine doesn't rattle, squeak, feel unsettling or unstable, and I don't ride with my head above the windshield, etc, etc.
Hey the great the about Cobra's and it's owners is they are all different. To each there own and what makes them happy. The wealth of knowledge, the shared heartaches here on the forums, and general feedback from the dealers is what makes Club Cobra so GREAT! The technical support from Bob and Doug are invaluable too!
I think at the end of the day you will see most owners of ERA cars are very loyal and enjoy their cars more because of the quality of the product. There are not too many ERA FIA's out there (less than 140 or so in 15 years) and that makes the mystique of the car greater too. I went to a local show and out of 12 Cobras's there, mine was the only FIA there. Some had only seen a car like mine in magazines and some didn't know what it was. I think for the money you can't buy a stronger, more well built, and better valued Cobra than an ERA!
Ha, well I'm going to get the popcorn after that post!! Matt