Contemporary

[moore_rb]

Originally Posted by Buzz

the aesthetics of that high riding chunky Contemporary bodywork are a complete deal breaker for me. The rear bodywork sits so high it swallows up the roll bar.

I don't see that. I see a roll bar that is at least 6-8 inches too low (compared to the windshield frame.)

Originally Posted by Buzz

These things are no more accurate in appearance than early FFR's, yet people continue to laud them as the holy grail.

I won't touch that comment with a 10-foot pole. Everyone is entitled to their opinion... But I've seen enough Contemporary Classics, and enough early Factory Fives, to say that I don't understand your point of view, at all...

Originally Posted by mrmustang

there is enough rust (surface and otherwise) in and out to suggest a tough life

I don't see that, either. I see the normal rust and road grime of a properly driven car- One that has probably been out on some wet roads/rainy days.

I don't see anything in the pictures to suggest that it has been improperly maintained. Every greasable fitting has grease film around it (which is good- dry, crusty zerks are bad)

Originally Posted by mrmustang

rear end that has been ridden hard, really hard

Impossible to deduce from pictures; Unless you are magical enough to look at a picture of a bellhousing, and tell us that the throwout bearing is bad...

A leaky rear end cover gasket shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Originally Posted by mrmustang

an engine that has not been rebuilt in the last ten years, and most certainly puts out less than half what the seller purports.

The ad says it was rebuilt 5 years ago, and you say 10... Whoever has the engine-builder's invoice is right, and the other one is wrong.

HP and torque ratings are, again, impossible to deduce from pictures.

Originally Posted by mrmustang

Besides the nice body, I see everything having to be torn down and gone through, transmission, engine, cooling system, wiring and especially the rear end. If you can do it all yourself, under $10,000, if not, more than double that

And it is here that we come to the krux of the discussion.... for 27 grand, the buyer got a Cobra kit that is roughly equivalent in cost to a Unique Deluxe Pallet Kit, Or a Hurricane kit with an IRS upgrade, or an equivalent ERA 427 kit... (actually, this car was a little bit less than those- I'm rounding off to a solid 30k baseline)...

True, this car is still a few grand above what a new, non-doner FF mkIV kit with IRS upgrade would cost, but it's still pretty close.

So...:

-The paint job and the bodywork were free
-The running FE was free
-The clutch and the toploader were free
-The wheels and tires were free ( although I do admit that they are a zero-value adder, and offer nothing more than the utility function of being able to roll the car around)

The cost of assembly is a wash, because I do agree that this car should be properly gone through from one end to the other, by someone who knows what they are doing. However, for a solidly-skilled DIY-er, this car could be out doing donuts, and reliably driving down the highway, for WAAAAAAAY less than 10 grand, and when it's done, the owner would have a nice, correct appearing 427 replica, for about the same total money that someone is going to shell out by building a base Factory Five/5.0 Foxbody donor kit...

(I'm not dissin' any of you Factory Five donor guys- I think you're all cool. )

So, I guess I agree (somewhat)- Maybe it's not a "smokin deal" for 90% of the dudes who post on this forum, and have to shell out $80 an hour every time their car develops a misfire, or their fuel gauge sender quits working...

But, for a guy like me, who sees a well designed (and well engineered) Cobra kit car, which also includes a free powertrain and paint job, this car is a smokin deal...