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Old 10-22-2003, 06:22 PM
Jack21 Jack21 is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Washington DC Metro (Virginia), VA
Cobra Make, Engine: Classic Roadsters, Tweaked 351W, T-5Z, CRII Tech Support Team.
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We have keys to all our cars on both keyrings, so that's not an issue.

Car does have power steering and power brakes along with a smooth shifting blueprinted T5Z. Motor is stock displacement 351W with all the usual stuff and is good for 400HP at the flywheel.

She's a good driver, although by my standards, a little conservative. She helped build the car, and should enjoy driving it when she wants to. If she wants to. Most women are somewhat intimidated bya car with this much power, particularly one with no power assists, and bad habits.

Ours is pretty well balanced and has no bad habits. Driving it, once you get used to it, is pretty easy. And therein lies the caveat, "Once you get used to it". Driving a Cobra requires re-learning driving skills all over again. (At least it did me.) Having owned, and driven sports cars, and muscle cars most of my adult life I thought this would be a quick process. It wasn't. And after about 2 years behind the wheel of this thing, I'm sure the car has far more capabilities than I will ever appreciate.

Like you, I didn't put those @#$%^ adjustable seat tracks in for my own benefit. She needs the seat all the way foreward.

We started off on some back roads with her behind the wheel, and me coaching. Kinda like teaching your teenager how to drive. Then into some traffic. She was a quick study, and just needs some behind-the-wheel experience. Fortunately, she's driven manual transmission cars before so we didn't start learning how to use a clutch first.

Right now, I'm trying to build a removable clutch pedal extention. She's barely 5'1", and can't comfortably push the clutch pedal down. Once that's done, and she gets a little more driving experience, she wants to drive it to her office and enjoy some of the attention from her peers as I get when I drive it to my office.

Once she starts appreciating the cars' performance and handling characteristics, she won't be such a white knuckled passenger while I'm appreciating the cars performance and handling characteristics. (At DVSFIII, after a couple of 1/8 mile passes, she exclaimed, "This is Awsome!)

We take road trips in the car, and usually split the driving chores. With the Cobra, I have to do all the driving. I like a break, and she's itching to do her share.

And, heh, heh, if driving the Cobra does for her adrenalin and estrogen what it does for your adrenalin and testosterone (it does); there may be side benefits to all this that you hadn't considered once the Cobra is back in the garage.
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