Interested Newbie - Seeking Advice on Ownership

[Rickd]

There is no reason a good replica can't be as reliable as any car on the road .. or more so .. since they are 60's technology with better engines being built today and less electronics to go wrong. No need to "re-boot". I am an older kid .. had a 1963 MGA in 1970 and loved the car except the British electronics. Always thought it would be perfect to have a British roadster with US wiring and a small block V8. Also had the original Mechanics Illustrated road test photos of the first CSX car on my wall as a high school kid in 1964.

Bought my first cobra in 2006 .. a used Unique FIA car that had a 289 HIPO motor with a 5 speed tranny. That was a spectacular motor. The car was rugged, and great on the track or the open road. I drove it to events 350 - 400 miles from home without ever having an issue. My ERA that I got in 2008 ... is an incredibly well built car (was a factory turnkey) that I wouldn't hesitate to drive coast to coast.

Motor building is quite an art. If you want an incredibly fun car to drive, economical to build and operate, then a small block variant of some type would fill the bill. The 289 HIPO that I had originally had a lot of low end torque even though it was only about 300 hp at the flywheel. That combination of hipo motor and heads + low rise cam, produced a tremendous amount of low end torque and great acceleration. I wanted more HP so I added a set of Trick Flow heads. Was a mistake. I increased the HP by maybe 60-75 (added the heads and a slightly more aggressive cam). The car sounded great, but the low end torque disappeared as the HP was now coming on higher up in the power band.

My new ERA is a 289FIA car and I have a Keith Craft Racing 331 stroker in it. Great motor. Runs all day around town at 2000 - 2500 rpm and gives 20 mpg. Get on it, from just around 3000 rpm .. it lights up and will get to 100 mph pretty quick. Made a mistake on my Tremec and got the .64 OD. Great for turnpike cruising at 85 mph ... but for any other driving I would prefer to have the .82 5th gear. My 331 has AFR 165 heads, and the car dyno'd at 446 hp at 6000 rpm, and put 326 hp down at the rear wheels on a Mustang Dyno Chassis tuner.

The cobra is no less "uncomfortable" than the MGA and MGB of the late 60's and 70's, and people drove those things everywhere. I drove my MGA in the Boston winter's while in grad school at BC, with no functioning heater. (and frequently no functioning starter as the starter motor was hung under the chassis .. where it would be encased in snow when pulling into a parking spot .. great British engineering).

My Harley 1200 sportster has a more visceral feeling. But the cobra is pretty close to being a two seated motor cycle. My wife won't get on the bike but she loves cobra rides. I've been driving the cobra and riding the Harley all week as I work out of my house. They are both works of art. But don't sell the Mustang. It's going to appreciate .. keep it and get your cobra in another fashion. You'd be surprised at opportunities that can spring up. HUNT for a car. I had my deposit down on my ERA FIA and went to an auction in Fort Lauderdale in 2007. A guy from Vermont trailered his ERA FIA down, and the car had a 289 HIPO and a 4 speed top loader. Like an original 289 cobra. Sold at auction for $31K. Peter at ERA would have paid more for the car!!! Put an ad in Hemmings "Wanted Replica Cobra" .. and see what happens. I got my first replica, a used Unique, for $28,000 and it was a great car. I had it for 3 years, put in about $5,000 in engine upgrades and got my money back. Then bought a turnkey ERA for .. more.

[Agar426]

More great advice! Thank you all! I am going to see if my wi-fi can handle streaming the video mentioned on page one. That will be my starting point! I would really love to be able to get into a Cobra without having to sell my Mustang. The good thing is that I don't need to do anything anytime soon. I can do my research, save my money and really craw through my options. Lots of info to sift through at this point anyway!

Assuming I buy new (although I will also look into buying used...something I wouldn't have thought to do previously), I am definitely interested in a roller or turnkey. My skills are so-so, and while that is ok on my Jeeps, on a car like this, with the build quality I'm interested in, I want it to be assembled by a good, qualified crew. When I bought my wife her SRT 392 Challenger, I bought it in Kansas City, and drove it back to New Mexico. Basically a 13 hour first drive, and it was awesome! I've heard that there is a Factory Five build shop in Arizona (can't remember their name or the town...probably a suburb of PHX). THat would be awesome! I could fly out with my son and we could drive it back the 8 or so hours home. Doesn't have to be that shop, or even a FF car....point being, that would be a great memory to have with my son!

On that note, once I get further along....I will be asking questions such as "What is a good shop that builds Factory Five Mk4 roadsters (or whatever brand) in the SW, as I live in NM."

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[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by Agar426

Assuming I buy new (although I will also look into buying used...something I wouldn't have thought to do previously), I am definitely interested in a roller or turnkey.

As uncertain as you are I would NEVER advise you to dive into a "kit". It doesn't sound like your passion is building. It will take a LONG TIME and most people get frustrated with the amount of work before it is ever finished and they lay for years and finally get sold, unfinished.

I would also recommend you purchase a used, fully "sorted out" car as your first car. If you buy a roller and install a power train you'll still have issues, and depending on how far away you are from the final assembly point, it can be frustrating as well. I know people who had cars built that had them "down" 1/3 of the time for the first two years.

Then once you are certain that you will stay married to the Cobra, you can go build one (if that is what you want) or upgrade to a car built the way you want (roller + power train).

It sounds like you are patient so watch www.cobracountry.com and the ads here and a "starter" cobra will come your way.

Good luck!

[vatdevil]

These are toys that will kill you and fun as hell.

[Rickd]

Great advice by Twojbshelbys on Cobra Country. That is THE web site to really get in tune with what used cars are available. I sold my first cobra .. a used one that I bought via a Hemmings ad .. on Cobra country. I placed the ad with some excellent photo recommendations from the gentleman that runs the site (on Thanksgiving day no less .. he called right after I placed the ad). I had 4 calls in a matter of days, and a gentleman DROVE from Michigan with a trailer and a zip lock bag with cash.

(PS, that is another caveat .. there are a LOT of scammers out there "selling" cobras and Harleys via the internet. Don't send money to anyone without fully vetting the situation. When I sold mine .. I received cash IN THE BANK OFFICE and tendered title. The guy I bought my first used cobra from had "sold it" once before .. to a scammer .. who paid with a fake cashiers check!!).

Monitor Cobra Country daily and use your buddy "Google" .. that is how I found my first cobra just putting in "289 FIA cobra for sale" .. and up popped a Hemmings ad for a Unique FIA car for $28,000. Thought it was a mistake .. but called, got photos, and flew to the Carolinas to see the car. It was real...not original...but real. After driving it for 2 years, I knew I wanted to keep driving a 289 FIA car .. but really had wanted an ERA since the outset and I called ERA, visited the shop in New Britain, CT., and put down a deposit.

A well sorted out car will generally hold it's value fairly well. My ERA was built by virtually one man at ERA who had built ERA cobras for almost 20 years. It's a great car. The Superformance cobras are also built to a very consistent standard of quality and hold their value. I know of one guy who has close to 100,000 miles on one. It's his daily driver, his toy, and his race car .. all rolled into one. I made sure my wife is very aware of Cobra Country .. as I am going on 69 and have no intention of ever selling my ERA .. so I want her (or my estate) to know how to sell it once I am gone. I hope to be driving it 20 years from now .. but we will see!!

I have also seen some beautiful Factory Five cars in Florida. The only issue there is since they are all owner built, the actual quality and reliability of the car can vary with the skill level of the owner / builder. That is a pretty big leap of faith to take .. for me. So I agree with your approach if you are going to look at a FFR car .. buying one built by a racing shop .. so that YOU can present it as a FACTORY TURNKEY car of sorts .. when you go to sell .. is important. Also important for reliability.

If you look at FFR cars and want a builder in the Arizona area, look at LEVY RACING. Gordon Levy has been building race cars all of his life and has built over 100 FFR cars. His company is in Maricopa, Arizona. So he might be able to also put you in contact with someone who is selling one of his earlier cars, it wouldn't be the new FFR body though. You could also get Gordon Levy to build you an ERA, or put the drivetrain in a Superformance roller if you decide to go in that direction. Enjoy the research .. there are MANY options.

[Agar426]

My wi-fi carried me through the video without hiccup! Great video...even though it's 16 or so years old, lots of good and still viable information it would seem. I will definitely watch again, if not multiple times.

I definitely have a lot to think about, but for me that will be fun. I enjoy the research and educating myself. I can only imagine what it would be like to drive one back from Levy Racing as mentioned above....maybe even making a little vacation out of it, heading over to the Grand Canyon, etc. I love that part of Arizona! I'm not sure I could sleep at night knowing the Cobra would be outside....hmmmnn, I wonder if they have hotels with double doors so I could park it inside!

Seriously though, you all have given me tons of great info and a lot to think about. That being said, keep it coming....I really enjoy threads of this type. There are a couple folks here in my home town that have replicas, one of which lives next door to one of my good friends. I will bark up that tree to see if I can get a ride in his car to get a general feel.

Thank you everyone!

[Snake2998]

My wife and I built the car over 6 years in the 1980's on a very restricted budget. Been on the road for 20 odd years now - my comments on long trips are:

With side pipes noise is the main problem

Wind buffeting over 60 MPH on long trips a problem.

Sunburn on long trips a problem

To cure these problems:

Noise - ear plugs or rear exit exhausts

Wind buffeting - keep under 60MPH or get high backed seats which make a huge difference to wind buffeting

Sunburn - drive in the rain or use lots of sunblock and cover up.

The Plusses are

its the most fun at any distance that you can have driving a car.

It's the only car I have ever driven that I hope I will be stopped in front of the queue at traffic lights just so I can accelerate away form the pack.

Even very old ladies tell me what a nice car it is and give me thumbs up when I pass them.

Every other car - Porches and Ferraris included - are wary of taking me on. Considering I'm in a car that cost me $4000 at current exchange rates to build at the time that's cool.

Even some traffic police encourage me to "put foot" when near them.

Just the knowledge that I own one is almost as good as driving it.

It has never let me down on the road.

What you shouldn't expect:

The ride and refinement and reliability of a modern car.