"A Cobra in the garage? Better a viper in the bosom."
 

LJK Setright published this article on the Cobra in the November 1978 issue of CAR magazine. Not sure how well my copy appears in the attachments but thought you would get a kick out of his scathing critique. What are your thoughts on it?

The car Setright tested was COB 6109, and I, for one, felt he gave it an undeserved review. The 2008 Cobra Registry mentioned the article:

"COB6109 became the whipping boy of iconoclastic writer LJK Setright in the 11/78 issue of Car magazine in an article entitled "The Sting." Setright found the AC on the lot of a used car dealer and submitted it, as found, to a road-test. Whereas most people might have observed that the car was in need of a tune-up and other maintenance, Setright made a straight-faced assertion that the driveability shortcomings he experienced were typical of this particular car, as well as the entire AC/Cobra production. He bitterly faulted the car's clutch, gearbox (preferring a Muncie), engine, steering, suspension, handling, noise, throttle response and even the period market value. He complained that he could find no way to drive the car smoothly and wondered why only he was brave enough to expose the Cobra as being totally virtueless. "A Cobra in the garage?" he queried, "I'd much rather have a viper in the bosom!" Viewing Setright's comments alongside those of the writer of the '67 article in Motor magazine on COB6106, one would realize Setright was oddly misguided, especially since he also also took it upon himself to lambast, in later articles, the engineering, styling, and functional attributes of such other manufacturers as Bugatti, Ferrari, Jaguar, and Porsche. If there was a purpose behind his rantings other than contrarian sensationalism, we will never know it. Setright died in '05 without submitting to a brain-scan, possibly due to the unavailability of a proctologist to administer it."

An amusing read, but laughably typical of a certain breed of British journalist who tend to write not for the edification or even entertainment of the reader, but so they can revel in and pleasure themselves to the tone and content of their own scribblings. This breed of writer is far less concerned about any truth in their literary and verbal defecations than they are about their own contrived opinions and the fussy, sissified manner in which they express them.

Probably having learned to drive in wheezing, underpowered cars that need to have the crap revved out of them to get moving from a standstill, and redlined before they can be upshifted, it's not surprising that he found a small-block Cobra impossible to drive smoothly or safely.

I would have loved to read his brand of comedy after a drive in a 427 car - it surely would have been identical to Bill Cosby's piece on the Supersnake, albeit expressed in a far more laughable fashion.

He had most likely never driven anything with more power than a 4 or 6 cylinder engine, and wasn't used to the heavy clutch and brakes. Also not getting a Cobra that was tuned and running correctly to do a test with is laughable. At least his report makes for some rather funny reading.

Ron :LOL:

I used to try to read Setright when he was a columnist at Car and Driver. Despite his vaunted reputation, I found him to be an overbearing fop. Glad my opinion hasn't changed.

Me too.
I subscribed to CAR and SUPERCAR CLASSICS back then, and reading an LJKS article was like waiting for a dentist appointment. He seemed to be on a mission to berate every car - be it a Mini or a Ferrari - that every other journo had praised. Oh, correction - every car except Bristol. He owned one.

Cheers,
Glen