advice needed, looking into getting a cobra.

[poolwater256]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum so I apologize if this is not in the right category but I was not quite sure where else to put it. Anyway, I am really quite new to the kit car world in general and figured I would get some advice from those with more experience so here it goes.

One of my favorite cars has always been the 1965 shelby cobra, it has the perfect balance of manliness and beauty. However I currently lack the quarter of a million dollars required to own one so I have began looking into replica options. In my research I found many companies that sell bodies modeled off the cobra but it appears that among the best are: Factory Five, Superformance, Kirkham, E.R.A. and maybe others I missed? Out of these (or others?) what would be a good option? My budget I plan to work with is in the area of 35k with a little room to budge. Of course it wouldn’t be a bad thing if I could spend less and still get a great vehicle. I am wanting to build as close to the original 1965 version cosmetically as possible with regard to the Interior and exterior bodywork. However, moving under the hood I am throwing authenticity out the window because I really want track performance as well. That being said, what type of engine setup goes well with a cobra kit? I know large block V8’s are common, but do not know much about them, are they a good choice? How would it compare to my current ride, a Subaru STI which has a 2.5L 4 cylinder turbo that clocks in at a 0-60 of about 4.5 seconds. I want the kit build to have class but I also like power so if it is possible I want to shoot for a build that can come close to a solid 0-60 of 4.0 seconds, preferably even sub 4.0! Another thing I noticed that I want to take into concern in the build is my size. By that I do not mean my weight but my height. Since I am 6’5” I sometimes find it difficult driving mirco style vehicles? Would this be a major concern with any of the kit options and if so can it be modified?

My major worry is that building a kit may be a little beyond my mechanical expertise. I am not a certified mechanic and everything I know is from self-teaching and hands on experiences. After all, it does not matter how nice of kit I buy, if the person working on the car is not experienced then it is going to be a low quality build. This leads me to ask what kinds of options are available for low mileage used builds that are similar to what I am wanting? Do companies sell turnkey versions of their kits? Are there skilled people out there that can be contracted to build kits for people?

On a side note regarding the companies that sell these kits… When I was looking at factory five I noticed they have what they call MK2, MK3 and MK4 generation vehicles. Are there large differences between these? My understanding is that factory five’s are a lot more building compared to a Superformance. When I looked at Superformance’s website it looks like they make everything ready for you to just pick what engine and tranny you like and pop them inside. But there was no clear information as if this is true and I did not want to call one of their dealerships to ask. And I know Kirkham’s are out of my budget. And I know absolutely nothing about E.R.A.

So that about sums it up. Thank you in advance for all the help, I know it is a lot of questions and I am very grateful towards anyone who can help me in answering them.