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.