Wow. Is it a full moon tonight? The sole reason for my consideration of a passenger side roll bar was for protection of the instructor at an HPDE event. It is the only way any HPDE provider allows the car to be used without prior experience. It wasn't so I can take people on the ride of their lives out in traffic. I used to ride street bikes and I can say I drive more cautiously in my Cobra than I ever did on my bikes due to the fact that nearly every vehicle on the road feels it's necessary to pull up next to me and stare at the car and/or challenge me to a race. Not that looking at the car is a bad thing I just prefer they keep their eyes on the road at 70 MPH, not on my Cobra. Now, back to the subject of the thread:

The question I ask is a two part question; what do you think about the aesthetics of the second roll hoop and how much does it affect the value of the car? It's really a very simple topic.

IMHO the two hoops look better and I would pay MORE for a car with them. I dealt with the same question on my car and decided on a single full bar.
Life is too short to concern over resale. Do what you want.

There's your answer. Go to a different location, take a class of some sort, get a certificate......get that "...prior experience". Then the second roll bar won't be a requirement.

Problem solved......you say you are within driving distance of three great tracks, surely there are other instructional opportunities available elsewhere that will suffice to eliminate the second roll bar requirement in your target location, eh? Many of those other opportunities will even provide the cars for you to drive. Just a thought......

In all seriousness, when dealing with a competitive activity in which the penalty for screwing up is significant (I mean, really, you're not going to be in a ping-pong tournament here), getting multiple lessons from different teachers is a good thing. I use to race whitewater kayaks, and every teacher I had was the source of a different move I used in the races....where the penalty points for failure are pretty severe. Remember, safety first. Having said that, though, I must admit for each of us there are certain safety gear that is not negotiable.....helmet, PFD, that sort of thing in kayak racing. It's up to you to decide what is not negotiable for yourself in regards to this issue; the location of the lessons you have chosen has already made those decisions for themselves.

Cheers from Dugly :cool:

No - the sun is shining where I live!

Part 1 - I don't mind the look. It isn't a deal breaker for me.
Part 2 - I'd pay the same for a car with 1 or 2 roll bars, But... I'd pay less for one that I new was tracked. %/%/%/

Now there is a conundrum...
:):):)

Enjoy!
Its only money, and you'll burn more in gas & coffee than what you'll lose in resale.

That's my 2 cents

deleted / removed

Tires
 

I ran the F1's at RNG and they were ok. They let you know when you're reaching the edge of the envelope. I've since purchased a spare set of 17" k/o's and Nitto NT-01's. They're awesome and make a great difference in handling in turns. When these wear out I'm going to a softer compound. I'll post pictures of the car with the new chrome moly one piece roll bar, hopefully before Big Bend Open Road Race at the end of April.

Don't take it so personal. No hate from here, just opinion, as requested. Do what you gotta do, and forget about resale. Just enjoy the experience.

A. For me, yes, it hurts the aesthetics. I would likely not consider the purchase of a Cobra with two roll bars.

B. If a buyer is after "originality", then yes, it hurts the value. That's why I would say it depends on the manufacturer. I think the manufacturers that take a few more liberties with the original shape, two roll bars might do fine in terms of resale. You rarely see two roll bars on an ERA (notwithstanding Patrick :rolleyes:), CSX or Kirkham.

I have seen this one Kirkham roller for sale on eBay for a very LONG time and the two roll bars may be one possible explanation its taken a long time to sell.

Rodknock, Fair point...
What about a BDR...?
Cos that's what I think Digginfool is talking about... (pls correct me if I'm wrong)

I have no statistics to back my theory up so I'm purely speculating.

Here's my thought. FFR's, BDR's and to some extent SPF's, skew to a younger Cobra demographic, if there is such a thing. Setting aside cost, for the moment (younger buyers are just starting their careers and can afford less), I think the younger crowd is more "flexible" when it comes to the "originality" of the shape as well as some of the details in the modern interpretations of the Cobra. So, two roll bars may become more acceptable to this Cobra buyer's demographic.

Also, getting back to the cost issue, maybe the less expensive Cobras, tend to be raced more often, since people like me who spent a lot of money on his, don't want to bend them.

I can hear the BS meters going off all around the world. :LOL:

This is known as tip-toeing around the mine field. Very diplomatically stated.

The truth about dual roll bars is that a third of the folks like them, a third hate them, and the other third really don't care one way or another.

I didn't finish this thought. Cars raced more often tend to have more protection. So two roll bars become more acceptable here.

I think that if your are going to drive a fiberglass car to the point of flipping it you should not have a passenger in it and you should have a full roll cage. I do think that the odds are greater of a frontal or rear impact so I added shoulder harnesses and rollbar padding to eliminate frontal impact with the steering wheel or dash and any contact with the rollbar itself. At the end of the day its all about what you like not the other guy. I like meeting the owners more than judging their cars.

And to think I wasted all that time writing what I said and Patrick just quickly comes to a conclusion using 33 % /33 % /33 % ratio with no supporting BS like me.

There is a work around. It is your skill as a driver that gets you moved up to different run groups not the car you are driving. Just take your classes in another car. Once you are "solo" then start driving your Cobra at future events.
Have fun!
Richard
Exact 427 Carbon Cobra

If I was going to race my Cobra (fat chance) I'd have a full roll cage like the FFR and Shelby race cars. The single bar just adds to the realism of the original, nothing more. Like I said before, as unpadded roll bar (without a helmet worn by the driver/passenger) is dangerous, more so than no bar at all. The only exception I see is a high-back seat to keep the head away from the bar in an incident.

Thought about is when building my car,actually what good would one hoop be, my head is at or above the top of the bar.No way the belts will ever keep anyone clamped tight in the seat upside down.Besides the windshield offers Zero support if car is upside down.My reason to stay with one bar.

And that's among Cobra owners.

I'd venture to say that the vast majority of non-Cobra owner population is in the 'don't care' category also. And that's probably 99.9% of the total population.

I agree with the others who said it's your car, do what you want.

I have a full width bar and many other 'non-original' modifications. Some like my car, some don't. But I do. ;)

Based on what? From the people I've talked to, I would say 75% hate them, 10% like them and 15% don't care.