Contemporary or ERA

[Dennis Mosley]

Rick, thanks for the info. To answer your question on use, I would say it will be mostly cruising, and maybe a road course here and there.

Your ccx story sounds much like the story I have with a different manuf. that I was looking at back in the late 90's.

As for parts, If I was building a car, I would be pretty concerned about parts availability but since I will probably buy a completed car most of the stuff that breaks can be sourced. Many of the parts in these things are interchangeable.

I like the fact that ERA is constantly updating but I wonder if any of those updates are easily retrofitted. If I buy an older car and the upgrades can't be made to it, all the new tech in the world won't make a hill of beans to me. Maybe someone has some knowledge on that.

If I decide to build from scratch, then that is a whole different topic and I have my top 3 contenders for that selected as well. I even have the 428 from my last car sitting in the garage since I sold the car as a roller....but that discussion if for another thread if I take the fork in the road.

[RICK LAKE]

Dennis Mosley ERA has updated my car over the last 12 years. Changes done to my car
Power steering system added
5 point wrap around roll cage added that is removeable.talled main hoop bar. No cutting of the body was done. left side wrap around bar fits inside of the door.
Have custom 1st hood with louvers built into it. helps remove hot air from motor.
Custom Paxton hood added. Down side looks great and nasty but at 120 mph the car starts to lift, not good.
Car had body extensions behind both seats for 17" wheel to fix. I run 335/35 R17" on the rearend without any tire rub.
Change from 11" rotors to the 12" rotors and dual piston calipers. Yes the car does stop faster. It almost puts you through the windshield without belts on.Other upgrades are going from S-W gauges to Smith ones.
The list is almost endless with what ERA can do for you and your car. I looked at the air lifts at all 4 corners for ease for working on the car.
ERA has a full time engineer who can get built anything you need, within limits for an old cobra or new. Bob can engineer it and Doug can get it installed and working perfect. I have seen cars at ERA with stereos, AC, soft tops, under car exhaust systems for a quieter car. I think they can do hard tops too.
I passed of going from out broad brakes at this time. I run inboard with small fans for now. I am going to end the track stuff and send the car back to ERA for Paint and get the car back to street setup where I can drive it on the street.
All it takes is money and time. I found that winter is a slower season for ERA to add things to your car and you have less down time in the good driving weather.
I'm sure that some of the Contemp guys have also do upgrades to there cars and will be more that willing to help you with any changes or point you in the right direction for help.
I was hoping to hit the mega or powerball lottery, wanted to have the foot boxes changed to fit a SOHC motor under the hood or good nuts with a twim paxton setup with better blowers. ERA has built 1 or 2 of these cars also. ERA stands behind their product and customers for life. There are other companys here that do the same too. That is for a different thread. Rick L. PS You can setup any car to do one style of driving over another. The change would be to the spring rates and shock metering setups. IMO and doing changes to my car, the street setup that comes form ERA is an all around driving setup. Going to the track 95% of the time and see pictures of the car working required a changes in shocks and spring rates to have the car turn flater and not push when turning. Last thing, I have 2 GMC trucks, one has coil springs in the front end and one has torsion bars. Both are 1 ton trucks. Either loaded, empty or towing, the torsion bar one is smoother when driving. You can soften up coil over springs with a lower spring rate and get that same ride as torsion bars. Rick L.

[Dominik]

ERA, because it does help if you deal with a company which is still in business.

[Jim Holden]

My bias should be apparent.

The first Cobra replica I ever saw "in the flesh" was parked in the show room of Larson Ford (now gone) here in White Plains in the early 80's. It was a Contemporary which at that time was being produced in Mt. Vernon (and later in Mamaroneck) located less than ten miles away from my home.

As I researched the competition that existed back then, I found ERA in New Britain, literally a town over from where my mother in law lived at the time.

The other replica companies at the time were either on the west coast or in the heartland and I felt it was important to deal with a company that was reasonably accessible. So, back and forth between the two companies I went, undecided as to which one to deal with. After much agony, I decided that I would put a deposit on an ERA427SC kit in the spring of 1985.

A couple of months later, I went out to the SAAC Convention held that year at Great Gorge and Pocono. Sunday was the car show and there, side by side, were an original 427, a Contemporary and an ERA. The difference between the ERA and the original car were virtually indiscernible from a few feet away. It was clear that the Contemporary body, however, had been modified. It appeared that it had been "sectioned" and an inch or two added to the height of the car. This could be most clearly seen in the distance from the bottom of the door to the bottom of the body and in the height of the front and rear fenders over the wheels.

Over the years since that first introduction to these cars, I have been to numerous car shows and seen many cars "good, bad and ugly" from a number of manufacturers. Ultimately, a great deal depends on the skill and integrity of the assembly and finish of any car, but I have never regretted my decision to deal with ERA in the decades since handing that first check (of many) to Phil (Peter P. was off at lunch, as I recall) at the shop on Dewey Street.

Contemporary is now, regrettably, long gone. My observation was that they made a good car, particularly after they altered the rear suspension to utilize a Watts link to locate the outer uprights.

Jim