Contemporary or ERA

[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