ERA or Superperformance 427 Thoughts and Observations

[Stentor]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Jason,

Patrick is just jealous (and so am I BTW) that you have those gorgeous 58mm Berg carbs on your ride.

RodKnock is still getting carbs and fuel injection mixed up. Berg 58mm IDA carbs look like this...



By the way, I love the look of the Kinsler injection too.

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by patrickt

...a "kinder and gentler" patrickt.

It would be easier to split an atom than to find such an animal.

Looking good, Stentor, looking good.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RedBarchetta

It would be easier to split an atom than to find such an animal.

Ahh, but there is one....

[RedBarchetta]

Some people should not be allowed to reproduce.

[TButtrick]

Originally Posted by jhv48

OK, I'll just go out and strangle a squirrel!

That's some funny sh!t there.

[Learjockey1]

[quote]

Originally Posted by D-CEL

I always think of us, the Cobra guys, as hammer fisted, gun toting, red meat eating, Cigar smoking, tough F'ing bastards.
You have to be, if driving a Cobra is your choice.
These are essentially old race cars on the street.
Am I the only guy that read that page in the book?

I was on a drive with a with my local Cobra group one day and somehow, I ended up the last car in a 20ish car string.
We limped laboriously down a long, dead straight two lane road, surrounded by farm land, stuck behind a old jeep going about 40mph. Nobody around us in any direction, yet the leader wouldn’t lead the charge.
I grabbed second gear, stepped out and dropped the hammer. The big drag radials hooked, the 4.10's let the motor spin. Shifting at 6800, the line of cars trailing behind me.
With the motor screaming I flashed by the lead car in fourth gear at about 6500rpm. (To this day, the driver of that car says to me as he points "I'm deaf in this ear because of you"...Yea, sorry about that.)

I thought to myself, "This is a car! This is what Cobras are for!"
I shifted into 5th and held my foot hard on the pedal. I watched the tach needle climb and climb. At 5900ish rpm I lifted.

Noisy: Yep
Windy: Yep
Complete concentration: YES SIR!
Scary: Nope
Capable: Yes
Lots of cars that can run at these speeds with less effort. Cars with better aero, a/c, quiet comfy cabins with radar assisted parking.

If those things are high on your priority list, a Cobra is not for you.

The wind, the heat, the smell, the roar..that is the Cobra, less than that is just that. Less
These cars are capable of incredible things, they just require a lot. Input, muscle, concentration, skill..
Doing it the hard way.

That’s what makes us Cobra guys

Jason

This is where I am, Just looking for the most solid car while doing it.
A car that shocks, stirs and may frighten the emotions. I can see why my Porsche engineer friend bought the SPF Daytona with the speeds, he has a Cobra as well. However, the Cobras still speak to me. I can see the streetfight has to happen early in the game. Easy
Thanks

[patrickt]

This is where I am, Just looking for the most solid car while doing it.
A car that shocks, stirs and may frighten the emotions.

If you're "hooked" on getting a Cobra then, when you are in the states, schedule a time to fly up and visit ERA and also schedule a time to see an SPF. The cost you spend on airplane fare will pale in comparison to what you end up spending on the car. And if you find that a Cobra really isn't what you thought it was, the money will have been really well spent.

[dcdoug]

Or just call Pat. I am sure he won't mind if you take his on a beat, I mean test run.

[madmaxx]

SPF and ERA have the designs down. So in the end it is up to how much you want to do. I really dont know how much more an identicle powertrain equipped ERA is relative to a Superformance. I am confident the quality control will be better on the ERA. So you may wait 6-8 months longer to get an ERA or you can sort your SPF out in the same time period.

If possible buy a lightly used one under 1K miles. No secrets, you can touch it, smell it, drive it, look at, not guess how it will turn out etc, what will and will not need chased out of it.

[REAL 1]

Apples to apples ERA all day long 24/7. The only issue with ERA is who built it.

If its a factory built car at ERA, ERA all day long 24/7.

Superformance is a nice car but ERA IMHO is superior in many respects especially if you get the ERA with the optional outboard rear brakes.

I owned an ERA before I sold it and got a Shelby. I loved the ERA. They are great people at ERA too. I looked at the Superformance before buying the ERA also and compared side by side.

Been around Cobras and replicas thereof for 10+ years.

Buy whichever you like better. Both are good cars but you have my opinion now for what its worth.

[patrickt]

Evan is without question a man of discerning taste when it comes to Cobras.

[madmaxx]

In the end if you do not know how to work on cars or the passion to learn with the associated growing pains you will not be happy with any Cobra. If you like to test, fiddle, educate yourself, lay on your back, bump your knuckles, drink a little antifreeze and gasoline on occasion then it may be for you but probably not. Definetly worth finding out though, because if it is, there is nothing better.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

In the end if you do not know how to work on cars or the passion to learn with the associated growing pains you will not be happy with any Cobra.

MM is right... even with cars that are 100% built by the genius elves in New Britain, or Provo, or anywhere else. You still better be ready to work on them -- I would guess that over half of the guys on this site have 25 years or more of experience monkeying with cars and a lot of them actually make their living doing it. Most of us started in high school. But don't let that stop you -- if you really want a Cobra then you won't be happy with anything else, and you can learn how to work on them pretty quickly. But a Cobra is not for everybody, so think it over carefully... and don't worry about backing out -- 98% of the guys that make posts like yours never end up with a Cobra in their garage anyway.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

MM is right... even with cars that are 100% built by the genius elves in New Britain, or Provo, or anywhere else. You still better be ready to work on them -- I would guess that over half of the guys on this site have 25 years or more of experience monkeying with cars and a lot of them actually make their living doing it. Most of us started in high school. But don't let that stop you -- if you really want a Cobra then you won't be happy with anything else, and you can learn how to work on them pretty quickly. But a Cobra is not for everybody, so think it over carefully... and don't worry about backing out -- 98% of the guys that make posts like yours never end up with a Cobra in their garage anyway.

Patrick sure likes percentages. Let's see if I have this right.

So, if an ERA is 100% built in New Britain, and your one of the 50% here who have worked on cars for 25 years, then your ERA will be a top notch buy for the 2% that actually go through with the purchase of a Cobra. Well that has a high probability, maybe 75% of being almost right.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

So, if an ERA is 100% built in New Britain, and your one of the 50% here who have worked on cars for 25 years, then your ERA will be a top notch buy for the 2% that actually go through with the purchase of a Cobra. Well that has a high probability, maybe 75% of being almost right.

It doesn't matter, he's not going to get a Cobra... I'll bet you on it.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

It doesn't matter, he's not going to get a Cobra... I'll bet you on it.

Well, you have a 50% chance of being right.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Well, you have a 50% chance of being right.

I actually pay attention to threads like these because they tend to sadden me a bit. The original post is full of excitement and promise, but then they trail off and, usually, no Cobra ever gets purchased. That tends to be lesser though with Kirkhams. When people come on here and say they're really excited about getting a Kirkham they seem to follow through on that promise. ERAs (speaking of 100% turnkeys, now) have the problem of the long wait. You have to really have your heart set on an ERA to plunk down your money knowing you won't be driving it for a while. I don't know where Shelbys fall in that mix.

[REAL 1]

Well... you can always buy a nice used turnkey and avoid the wait. Moreover, Peter sometimes has cars in the pipeline that people back out of and are available.

Just takes some checking and calls.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by REAL 1

Well... you can always buy a nice used turnkey and avoid the wait.

That's true, and someone else's Turnkey ERA is still a huckleberry over one's persimmon of that of the top-of-the-line SPF. But nothing beats a Turnkey where you have personally chosen every aspect of the build and even been measured so every part of it fits you "just right."

[dcdoug]

I think Shelby's are around 90 days right now unless you find a dealer that has exactly what you want in stock (most of them have at least a few cars). Was 6 months when the economy was better.