ERA or Superperformance 427 Thoughts and Observations

[Learjockey1]

Guys, I am new to the site and first post. I appreciate the candor and wealth of information. Bottom line up front, I have done the searching, lurking, collecting books and magazines for over 25 years and finally decided to make the move. I am looking at two cars, the 427 ERA and SPF MKIII Cobras with soft top and side curtains. I have not driven an ERA or SPF as I am over here in Germany, so the Audi’s, Porches, Mercs and BMW’s reign. I desire my American V-8 roots and require a car to sustain 90-120 mph cruising with sustained periods of 140-160 and still take me through the Alps and small towns. I am looking for a feeling of polish, essence, and finish that only comes with RD time and engineering passion. Subjects such as pedal arc, pedal pressures, great brakes, control feedback, cowl shake, solidness and smoothness, warmth and pleasantness, of the car are what I consider. Unwanted or excess vibrations will disqualify. A car with fine qualities speaks to a person that horsepower and ft lb numbers cannot. The ERA website excites my technical side and answers many questions; however, waiting till the middle of next year is not my favorite option. Good weather here is limited. The SPF’s sell the dream, but when comparing the frames seem to be lacking in the strength of the X- braced ERA and Jag/Dana rear, however, no one ever seems to complain too much about the SPFs seemingly lighter frame and 8.8 diffs (with the exception of shock brackets and CV shafts) with heavy 429/460’s in them. I am leaning toward a nice used ERA with frames above 600. A 427/428 FE would be nice but a lighter Roush or Motorsport 351-351/427 small block with a 500 or 600 TKO would fine as well. I understand the pros and cons. My question, is it better to wait and pay a bit more for the ERA or just get one of the many reasonable priced readily available SPF’s already powered with a Roush and overdrive 5th gear TKO?
I have been around the cars, planes, boats, and motorcycles my whole life and do all of my own maintenance. I have strong mechanical and machine skills and am a bit of an anal retentive, obsessive/compulsive, perfectionist. Doing my own car is not a problem but finding the time to use the skills is getting harder with the job. Again, I am looking for an essence and feel quality. I am not interested in any other brands or cars, so I would like your observations comparing these two only.

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

[Stentor]

Well, let's wait for patrickt to log on and opine regarding the clear superiority of ERAs.... This should be an interesting one.

[ERA713]

I have driven both and own era 713.a very nice car.

[mrmustang]

I've owned both an SPF and two ERA's, the SPF was a small block and both ERA's were(are) 427 Sideoilers. Depending on what you plan to use the car for (road racer, street cruiser, weekend show car or driver, etc) you could go either way. One vs the other, both have a nice refined ride as both are equipped with IRS, again if you do not plan to race the car, both the jag and Ford based IRS will hold up for many years. Sustained high speeds require horsepower/torque, again you can build a small block to easily attain the HP/torque required, but you may have to up the compression ratio, or perhaps go with a stroker style motor in order to accomplish this while a big block with a 5spd behind it can more than easily accomplish this while being able to run on pump gas. Again, you really cannot go wrong with either the SPF or the ERA. Whether it is worth the wait to have one built exactly to your specs or not is only a question that you can answer. Sounds to me like you have thought this through for quite some time, now take a step back and rethink exactly what you want vs what you need and go from there. I wish you the best with whatever you choose, may it bring your dreams to reality.


Bill S.

[marcocsx3121]

I have no expertise on either the ERA or Superformance, but based on my six years with CSX 3121 ("real" Cobra) I can tell you that sustained speeds much above 100 mph are decidedly unpleasant in these cars. Aside from the total lack of real wind/weather protection, the aerodynamics cause lift at speed, not a good thing. I had hit 135-140 on a couple of occasions, and the front end was getting noticeably lighter at that speed.

I've spent a fair amount of time on the autobahns, and a replica Cobra would not be my first choice for that duty, great American V8 noises or not.

[mr bruce]

Can you even register a Cobra replica in Germany, without playing "tricks" with the title?

[Chilibit]

After seven years in Deutschland I think you are going to have a very tough time. The friendly people in my village would have me riding the bus and train to the office in short order if I tried to use my SPF there. A Daytona might be better suited to the environment.

[Ken Oikawa]

Quote: "I desire my American V-8 roots and require a car to sustain 90-120 mph cruising with sustained periods of 140-160 and still take me through the Alps and small towns. "

At those speeds, engine and exhaust noise will be extremely loud; could be greater than 90 dB level. This is with a 4 spd top loader without an OD.

Cheers

[Rickd]

I'm not sure about "sustained periods of 140 - 160" - that seems to be a little over the top for the 60's technology and aerodynamics of the cobras. There are normally a few ERA's on the used market and, generally speaking, these are cars that will have extremely low mileage. There are people who buy / build / collect these cars and drive them to car shows only. Others might put on 1,000 miles or less in a year. I once was speaking with a gent who had a 6 year old 289FIA car for sale, with only 500 miles on it - and then he decided to keep the car as a stable mate for a GT40 he was having built. I have seen a few ERA 427's for sale - and that in my opinion would be a very viable direction to go in.

[Rickd]

If you check out the www.cobracountry.com web site - there is a new ERA 427 for sale (800 miles on the car), 427 side oiler, ERA custom rear with outboard brakes, aluminum hood, etc. Chassis # 760 - they don't get any better as far as 427 cobras go. I would think that a Daytona Coupe would be - more aerodynamic and better suited to "sustained" higher speeds, and Superformance builds a very nice version.

[*13*]

Originally Posted by Learjockey1

Subjects such as pedal arc, pedal pressures, great brakes, control feedback, cowl shake, solidness and smoothness, warmth and pleasantness, of the car are what I consider. Unwanted or excess vibrations will disqualify. A car with fine qualities speaks to a person that horsepower and ft lb numbers cannot.

Doesn't sound like a Cobra to me.

[Ken Oikawa]

Quote:
"Subjects such as pedal arc, pedal pressures, great brakes, control feedback, cowl shake, solidness and smoothness, warmth and pleasantness, of the car are what I consider. Unwanted or excess vibrations will disqualify. A car with fine qualities speaks to a person that horsepower and ft lb numbers cannot."

Originally Posted by *13*

Doesn't sound like a Cobra to me.

Agree...

Cheers

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Learjockey1

My question, is it better to wait and pay a bit more for the ERA or just get one of the many reasonable priced readily available SPF’s already powered with a Roush and overdrive 5th gear TKO?

As much as I love ERAs, you have to remember that not all ERAs are built by the guys there in New Britain. An ERA built by someone else may be as good, but it will never be "better," and it might not be "as good" either (if I had built ERA732 it would not be nearly as nice as it is now). Just keep that in mind. If you're seriously going to track your car hard, then you might appreciate the additional strength of the ERA frame and their outboard braked rear. You have to run the car pretty hard to notice the difference. I'm going to put all that aside though and point out a few words in your question: "or just get one of the many reasonable priced readily available SPF’s...." Remember that a lot of the "Cobra experience" is getting what makes you happy. From your question alone, I would say that if you "just settled for an easily available SPF," you would not be happy. I think you've already made up your mind, you just need "reinforcement."

[*13*]

Originally Posted by patrickt

As much as I love ERAs, you have to remember that not all ERAs are built by the guys there in New Britain. An ERA built by someone else may be as good, but it will never be "better," and it might not be "as good" either (if I had built ERA732 it would not be nearly as nice as it is now). Just keep that in mind.

I'm not going to argue patrickt's point. In theory he is correct. Having built my own I know first hand that a guy with some restoration experience, familiarity with most parts of an automobile & tools who can follow directions would have a tough time screwing one of these cars up if he is detail oriented & let ERA or a highly skilled individual take car of a few key items. #1. Let ERA Powder & Bond Body to Frame. #2.Buy full rear suspension from ERA. #3. Body & Paint. I am somewhat skilled at bodywork. I took my time & knew that someone else locally would not get the result & was after so I took it on myself. I am happy with it but I now know what it takes to work with a fiberglass body & this particular body in general. If you desire a "show car" finish or know you do not have the patience to get the results you desire, have the ERA friendly paint guy do the work. Fiberglass bodies have certain details that need to be addressed & someone who paints as many ERA's as this guy does will know how to bring out every nuance & address every idiosyncrasy that is involved in dealing with Fiberglass.

[Maricopa]

Doesn't sound like a Cobra to me.

Me neither....Get an M5.

[LMH]

Just buy Bills (mrmustang) ERA and ship it over. No waiting and you get a great car.
Larry

[NHVANA]

The SPF runs a Dana rear and all cars are factory built so you know what your'e getting; no quality issues there.
I have driven BB/SB SPF's, set up correctly there are no handling issues with either set up. The BB with TKO 600/.82 for spirted street driving should "float your boat". Buy now and enjoy!
The SPF Daytona (or is that the Shelby Daytona Coupe) is a completly different beast, an open road GT superstar, I suggest you get both.

[rohach30]

Welcome Learjockey1, My name is Mike Rohach, I own ERA 760. This is my second cobra build. ERA 591 was the first venture I made into the componant build hobby. Much like you, I spent a great deal of time pondering the purchase. I can honestly say that there is a huge range of cost and quality differences out there. First, research every maunufacterer you can find,visit their production facilty if at all possible, compare built in quality, fit and finish, and over all value for the money. Decide what you are willing to spend. Then decide how long you are willing to wait. As far as comparisons go, both vehicles retain the original 60's vibe while transmitting new tech performance. The major differance would be attention to detail. ERA produces a very precisely detailed replica with extreme attention to fit and finish. SPF cars are well built but they truely lack the period correct detail. SPF does however market their product much better. After all that is said and done, you should most likely find yourself in an ERA. Now, if you are not interested in waiting 18 months for a factory prepped and painted car. I might be able to help you out. I am selling ERA 760 to make room for my next project(CAV gt40 coming in Dec.). I am not happy about having to sell, but I know that a divorce would be the result of keeping both. I can give you some insight on many of the different choices out there and hopefully point you in the right direction.

Mike Rohach
era591@rock.com

[RICK LAKE]

learjockey1 If you are looking for 140-160mph car, a SC COBRA is NOT what you are looking for. GT-40 or a Daytona coupe would be a better car for what you are looking to do. I think if you got a ride in a cobra in the 140 mph range you would not be thinking doing this with out a front chin spoiler, rear wing and high speed tires. ABS brakes, Power steering, and traction control you might want to add to the options list. If you are looking for a cobra that is safe at your 140+ speeds and up, Either look at Morris or CSX-3170 pictures of cobras that are capable of SAFETY traveling at your warp speeds and alot more. When you get to the US send a e-mail and would be happy to talk to you about high speed driving. Rick L. Ps yes I do have an ERA, #428 Very happy with it. Fast, heavy, power steering and stable a high speeds of 138 mph. Rev limiter is hit at this mph. Fast enough for me.

[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.