[What'saCobra?]

Indeed. There is no sensible reason for you to comment on the old Shel deal, since you still need access to the good gentleman, who still gets my undying respects for both his driving, his hutz, his cajonnes, his concept and his desire to remain up at homeplate, still swinging.

Yup, that Porche Zink really looks good on the fender curves and a bit of bright lights. And it is odd that you can find a Cobra in the strangest places sometimes. When you find one, you have to grab it, because they get less and less available.

By the way, that Finnish car is currently in Jolly Olde, near Norwitch. If you would like to see it and its pewter-like unpainted but clear-coated glory, it can be arranged some dark night. It awaits an all alloy punched out 427 mill and the new Tremmec 600.

Someday we will look back on this as one of the most interesting periods of the car's historical development. There are so many absolutely stunning new cars being completed at such a high specification they are competing for honors with the originals in both performance and beauty. You know I love 'em all and have enormous respect for most of the current kit vendors and completion technicians.

We went through a patch of pretty shabby cars for a while and it's true that even today some are not really so nice, but most are fine rides, great optics and snap my neck when they motor by. The best of them have remarkable engineering and creative depth, perhaps led by the Kirkham family.

Those two professor-providers of Provo pulchritude and putative pedagogical productivity are simply amazing and display a fervor for their objet d'art that has revolutionized the market perspective of all subsequent Cobras. They have set standards so high that the original cars pale in comparison, unless they are re-manufactured to what I now call "Provo Standards."

Perhaps this point, more than any other, has prodded olde 'Shel to try another deal with the current shark-infested AC waters. But, Lubby is a lightweight in these depths and will find himself naked and shivvering after what I hope will be a great run of wonderful cars. I wish them all great success, because this all adds to the romance, mystery and public awareness. Such intrigues! Such cars!

Of course, a few right thinking owners of original cars have kept their cars truly original...like Tom DuPont, down here in Tampa for instance...but, they are in the very minority. Most have been refinished into gem-like brilliance, which some feel they deserve. Who'se to argue? They are beautiful, perhaps a little like Playboy Bunnies, but still original under that 2-pack. But, so very rarely driven. Hangar queens? Money corrupts.

One of the better pleasures of my life has been my playing with these babes for over 40 years. Can you believe? They still get my heart pounding, even when they just pass by.

We have our fair share of Cobras of every mettle here in Florida, of course. Sometimes it is a big of a car show on Friday or Saturday nights. High summer temps and frequent slow and dopy traffic test our cooling systems and sandy/oily corners still test our car control. Olde Fharrts still turn sharp right from the far left lane and try to test my concentration, global awareness and control response all at the same time.

About that, I have a theory. Some of these old geezers and 90# soaking-wet shrimpy Merk 600 drivers are not experiencing driver-skill challenges because of their now quite advanced age. Oh, no. Age has nothing to do with it. Those suckers NEVER COULD drive the 6-cylinder Plymouth in 1949 properly, so why should we expect them to be paying proper attention 50+ years later driving a 2.6 ton V-12 powered supercar, out of which they cannot see?

Unfortunately, most of our current crop of Cobra owners can't drive quickly for squat either, but they don't have enough training and at-the-limit seat time, so how can they otherwise learn? Few bother to spend the additional few thousand on driver courses here at our local tracks.

For instance, Skip Barber still runs a fantastic course over at Sebring that is as good as they come. Those driving skills would be very appropriate to well engineered Cobras on the street and driven rationally. Not enough guys enter the very few local gymkanas and learn high-powered, low speed manuvering at the limits of adhesion, which typify Cobra street driving. They are missing all the good testing and upgrading skills and equipment revisions that flow from those exercises. And the fun!

You are not really enjoying it, y'know, unless you break something from time to time, which you can now improve and upgrade. i suppose that attitude flows from the engineer still in me after all these years. Performance is still king in cars, music and sex.

(Soapbox now returned to closet.)