[A Snake]

Like Charlie, I didn't have as many choices when I decided to have a Cobra. Spf wasn't around as far as I know and Kirkham was just an article in a magazine about some guys who were going to build Cobras in a Polish Mig factory. There wasn't even a glimmer in Shelby's eye for his new CSX cars either.

To me the purchase of one of these cars is about three things. The big one is budget. Not everyone can afford a Kirkham or CSX or even an ERA. That doesn't mean that a given individual wouldn't like to have one or doesn't like them. The second consideration is intended use. Driver? Racer? Show car? All of the above? Third, at least for me is authenticity. How close is it to having construction and features like an original? A lot of people don't seem to give a hoot about originality, so they opt for things that make them happy, such as unusual engines or colors that suit their particular tastes that were never seen on a Cobra.

More power to all. If somebody bought a kit Cobra and made a street rod out of it, so be it. If somebody thinks theirs is "real", so be it. There's room for everybody and this is a big country.

Of all of the things I despise it is car snobs. I've been exposed to it with the Corvette guys, the Porche people, the Ferrari crowd and the hotrod and custom boys. Not all of the owners of these marques act that way by any means. There are enough who do though, that it leaves a nasty taste in one's mouth. I finally got where I just avoided those crowds.

I had over $80K in my car and the very last thing I would ever do was make sombody feel like a second class citizen, because theirs wasn't as "good" or "expensive" or "original appearing" as mine.

The point of all of this is that, there really is no good reason for the debate, other than to pass time. After all, Cobras or not, they're still just cars.

Everyone who owns or has owned a Cobra, original or otherwise, has an ego or they wouldn't have one in the first place. The trick in my book is to keep the ego under control and just enjoy the car for what it is and the enjoyment it provides. In short live and let live.

Al