As the drivers of what are likely the most outrageous, in-your-face, attention pulling machines in the vicinity at any given time, Cobra jockeys need to be aware that people will often transpose the car's personality onto the
very visible person in the cockpit. Unlike the people cocooned and semi-hidden in the enclosed, tinted interiors of their more conventional rides, we are out there with attitude, mannerisms and facial expressions on display to all who care to look.
Almost all cars come with pre concieved stereotypes about the people who drive them and for cars like the Cobra that applies in spades. Combine that with the reality that other drivers get a good, unobstructed look at the organism controlling the machine and you see that your own demeanor and behavior while driving will either reinforce or diffuse their prejudice and by extension, the way that they may be inclined to behave towards you.
The person you brand as a snobbish high-dollar pinhead in the Merc, the Caddy or the Bimmer likely expects the pinhead he sees in the Cobra to have a 50lb chip on his shoulder that screams
"Yeah yeah, it's a kit car but it cost 50 grand and it can blow your sissy car away!!"
Your dismissive sideways glance at him gives him all the proof he needs and it's "Game on, a$$hole!" Nobody likes to be pre judged or stereotyped but sometimes the subconscious retaliation against being treated that way serves only to exacerbate the problem.
In truth, I am sure most Cobra folks build, buy and drive Cobras because they just love the cars and are so wrapped up in the enjoyment of driving them that they hardly notice what the drivers of other cars are doing unless someone really initiates some sort of contact or makes their presence felt. I have had the odd negative encounter while driving the Cobra but very rarely and far less so than when I drove other cars - particularly the Corvette. Most encounters with strangers have been overwhelmingly positive and I have ended up making friends with people who I probably would not have have even met otherwise.
As for the kids in the "ricers" - they are just kids and not much different than the ones who inherited and hotrodded mom's old Valiant back in the day. They are out there in their pride and joy and they come across a mean looking ol' roadster with fat tires and a bads$$ rumble and they do what kids tend to do. They are curious and intrigued and will find a way to make contact and/or get your attention.
For me, driving a Cobra is an adventure even when I am the only driver on the road. Even parked and sitting nearby on a weathered old picnic table at the beach as I was with my wife on Christmas eve it still brings a positive twist to an otherwise ordinary occasion. We went to watch the sun set and for some quiet time together amid the usual Christmas bustle of holiday traffic and visiting relatives. The beach was very quiet and as we sat with each other and our mini cooler on the run down old table, a variety of people wandered up to us and chatted a while, always starting with a question about the Cobra.
We met a local couple and their kids, an older couple from New Jersey and a very nice young family from Austria. We also chatted with one of the managers of a nearby resort who was there with his topless girlfriend, a striking, 40-odd year old British bird, remarkably good looking and well preserved with a dragon tatoo just above her butt. I had met the fellow before but that day I found out they are keen tennis players and we agreed call each other during the week to set up a match.
Had the Cobra not been there these folks would have passed on by with maybe a polite nod or no acknowledgement at all and that would have been fine too, but we did enjoy the meetings. They all approached politely and cautiously - respectful of our privacy; but approach they did and it was a beautiful afternoon.
The couple from New Jersey own a classic 450SL. Go figure.
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