A couple comments.
First, Rob, I am sorry the dream didn't match the reality for you and I think your post will help others considering building a cobra. I wish you good luck with Corvette, seriously.
Second, Clay is right these are not race cars in any respect, although they are made to replicate the appearance of certain 1960s race cars. I think the idea that these are "race cars" leads a lot of people to over build their engines, i.e., 600 hp motors, huge cams, etc., and then they wind up with cars that are basically undriveable on the street, or in any event are not enjoyable to drive on the street, which is where 99.999% of all cobra replica miles are spent.
These cars do not have to be loud, smelly, obnoxious, leak
oil, etc., all those variables can be controlled by the builder- you just have to know what you want out of the car when you build it. Unfortunately for Rob, it cost him a lot of money to find out that he really didn't want what he thought he wanted. I bet that if he would have built a more mild street friendly engine, dare I suggest even a small block
with only 350 hp or so, he would have enjoyed his driving experience much more.