Did I mention I let a friend drive my Cobra the other day? At a stop light he shifted into THIRD and let the clutch out, from a dead stop! The motor didn't miss a beat, I was amazed. It just lugged right down to the lowest possible rpm and we pulled away smoothly, unreal!
Having a big block means never having to downshift (I think Jamo said that once).
How tall is third? It will do WELL over a 100 in third.