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Originally Posted by 400TT
To determine whether you should go new or 2nd hand and also which kit type would suit you best, you should think about what you specifically want out of a Cobra...The following questions should help guide you.
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Chris, that list of questions and facts was extremely helpful to me.
Here's a bit of background on how I got to this cross roads. (Sorry folks, it's a long post, but I can't sleep tonight with all of this on my mind, so I might as well be tapping away on the keyboard.)
I took early retirement almost a year ago and, with money in the bank, and practically no commitments now, I have started to wonder why I'm not spending it. On top of that every Wednesday night there's the "Cruizin" hot rod show on TVS followed by Classic Restos where I see guys with their dream machines having the fun of their life. Why am I not doing that?
There are really only a handful of sports cars (apart from the Ferraris and Lambos, etc) that make me take notice every time I see one on the road, and they all have some emotional tie somewhere -- and you'll see that I tend towards the General rather than Henry.
a. Lotus Elise - because they are simply beautiful.
b. Corvette Stingray C3 series - because when I was 17 waiting for the school bus every arvo one would roar past the bus stop and I fell in love with that car.
c. GTR XU1 - because when I left school and was zooming about in my Mazda 1200 Coupe, the XU1 was released and I wanted one so bad it hurt. I could not raise the funds. When it went on to win Bathurst I was even more crazy to get one.
d. Cobra - simply because it is such a great looking car.
Okay, so in order:
a. Unfortunately too expensive for me.
b. I have been looking for a schmick properly-converted RHD Stingray for a while with no luck. Lots of rubbish out there and the really schmick ones are $70k and above, which is too much for that technology.
c. Price has gone feral, and there aren't any resto opportunities left either.
d. This is where I'm at.
To address your very useful list as to the sort of Cobra I will go for:
I want a muscle car in a sports car format. Like somebody else said in another post, I already have a 4 door commuter vehicle, so my sports car will be fast and loud, and I want the biggest badest engine I can legally get. I don’t care a whit about faithfulness to the original Shelby, I like what I see today.
It won’t be a daily -- more weekend cruiser, show, and social trips machine.
(I should mention that I ride a Yamaha XJR 1300 motorcycle so my sports car had better have something to challenge the grunt of the bike!)
I don’t really have an opinion on separate vs monocoque body/chassis. I suppose I don’t care about that either.
After a lot of thought during the past 10 or so hours, I’m inclined to a brand new car because if I’m going to outlay some serious money, I might as well get the latest technology and new bits wherever applicable. I figure I’ll be keeping the Cobra for many years so I might as well start with a fresh one.
As regards carby or EFI, I expect EFI. I’ve had 2 EFI Mazda 626s and I’ve never had a problem and they stay in tune magnificently. I would also very seriously consider LPG with the price of petrol already a bad joke.
As for drivetrain, I would like a 5 speed box with 5th being overdrive. I have no preference for suspension, other than it is compatible with the weight and power of the engine, and can support big enough brakes and wheels.
Given that I will be paying for the build, locality is very important to me so that I can readily view progress, etc.
Cost is the last consideration for me. If I get what I want from a reputable builder, with a solid contract, then I will gladly pay what I feel is a fair price.
Now, taking all the above into consideration, I’m thinking that either Classic Revival or Homebush would be the likely contenders, but I think only CR does GM engines (is that correct?)
Cheers, Graeme
PS: Thanks again guys. I really appreciate your help, and discussion. Feedback on the above is welcome.