Frustrated with superformance
 

I have been looking to buy a ac cobra for a while now getting ready to retire and want a fun hobby my wife and I could enjoy together. car shows ,wine tours country drive scaring the wife once in a while as well as myself. That being said superformance was recommended to me as a top notch replica car. The problem was I found a 69k one that turned into a 84k one that got sold and now anything I would want is 96k! I could buy a roller but by the time it was done it would be 84k .I found a backdraft for 50k but I have been told they have windsheild motor mount and rearend problems .I was told they are great cars but they were only made for 300hp. Not sure what to do maybe just forget the whole thing! Please help :CRY:

Unfortunately there is an abundance of old men with money, and a shortage of quality CSX/KMS/ERA/SPF cars. That translates in to a "new" turnkey cresting the six figure mark and nice used ones heading in that direction. Sad, but true. On another thread we were discussing the rumor that the wait time for new ERA turnkeys is knocking on two years. I think the Cobra game is getting to be like Washington DC -- you gotta "pay to play.":cool:

I highly recommend you look at a car like this one in the for sale section. Unique Motorcars builds a beautiful, well-engineered replica that is more accurate than most, and it enjoys great manufacturer and owner community support.

PhotoPost Classifieds - 96 UNIQUE 427 Cobra Blk / Blk - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

Here is a nice car for $69,000 we have available. And it came from California so it already has an SB100!
https://www.timemachineauto.com/resales.html

If you want - check out Home for a look at kit and turnkey-minus options.

Don't give up yet - Superformance MKIIIs:

4 for sale, from $60K - $73K. https://superformance.org/forsale/

$69K: http://www.hillbankusa.com/car/sale-...90-convertible

$85K: http://www.hillbankusa.com/car/sale-...78-convertible

Like above check out hillbank and 427 Cobra Country--Ford AC Cobra replica manufacturers SUPER-SITE. Demand is high especially this time of year so watch cobracountry daily.

A member here sold a super nice ERA I was able to check out while putting together my order for a new one. I would check out the sites guys have mentioned and post a want ad. I opted to go new based on the things I wanted. Didn't want to retro fit things otherwise I know the car I would have purchased which sold fast!

As a general rule of thumb, buyers will get what they pay for. Cobra's that are more expensive, in fact are more expensive for a reason.

There was a time when you could buy a kit and save some money on the overall package by the time you were done. In actual fact your were just trading you time and effort for the difference in dollars.

The number of different disciplines necessary to build a car from scratch are indeed impressive. In the hopper you should include electrician skills, mechanical fabrication skills, drivetrain design, installation and tuning skills, general contractor machinist skills (unless you do your own machine work), engine building and assembly skills, body finishing skills and of course painting skills and those are just the obvious ones for the ante at the builders poker table.

If you can handle some or all of those types of issues you can reduce the amount of money you will need to get the car operational. If you've never done that sort of work then you need to pay someone who knows how to do it (they tend to be more expensive) do it for you.

While $35K Cobra's can be found they are probably not what you intuitively wanted and the buyer's remorse that sets in after the purchase takes all the fun out of the car until it ends up sitting in your garage for what seems like forever. Then one day you decide to simplify your life and sell the Cobra for pennies on the dollar you spent, to get to the place you did not want to be.

I think your dissatisfaction is less with SPF and more with your election to put off acquiring a car when it was more affordable. Once you make the decision to become a Cobra owner you are signing up for much more than the Detroit built performance cars available today that you can put a new set of wheels and tires on, have a good time and generally feel good about the car.

The sad but true, real world experience is that you are the owner of a modern day replica, of a classic balls out race car, that likely operates at a higher performance level than the original championship cars it is replicating. Most significantly you own the honor / responsibility of both bringing it to life and maintaining it — and almost independent of how you drive it, you most probably aren't ready for what that maintenance regimen implies.


Ed

I have owned two Backdraft Cobras both with more the 500 HP powering the vehicle as delivered from the factory. I have experienced windshield problems until I replaced the glass with Lexon MR10. I have never experienced motor mount problems nor have I had any problems with the rearend. I have owned two fine, factory well-built Cobra replicas and have been pleased with both cars. My first Backdraft was an early model and my current Backdraft is a late model with 550+ HP and 6-speed manual tranny. I could not be happier with my car. I am 6 ft-2 in and fit in the car as it has more driver's side and passenger side room than most other replicas. I am happy! Don't let a few questionable Backdraft problems registered by others keep you from ruling out a fine Cobra car.

PM Sent

Have you tried the Cobra Country web site, there are a few in the mid 50s. I have had mine (SPO1400) going on 4 years now. I love it, it looks and drives like it just came off the show room floor. I was looking at Superformance for along time and was not going to make a purchase until I retired, but a very good deal came up that I just could not pass up so I pulled the plug and could not be happier. I have just retired and now will have more free time to play. Good luck hunting...

... and if you want an FE under the hood of that pre-owned SPF you can pretty much forget about it.%/

Why so Patrick? About 20-25% or so of SPFs have an FE. And there ARE Windsor powered ERAs out there you know....perhaps you should hunt the infidel owners down and beat them savagely about the fists with your face.:D

Take a look at superformance.org, the for sale section is public. I for one would prefer a well sorted used enthusiast owned car than one fresh from an installer. There is a pretty substantial set of very worthwhile upgrades out the for the SPF (much of it suspension).

I really dig mine...

Well, I certainly didn't mean any offense. :D I just didn't see any FE powered SPF cars available. It seems they are few and far between. %/

I tend to agree with PHMCobra. I too have had an issue with a cracked windshield... but cracked windshields certainly aren't limited to BDR roadsters... just search these very forums and you'll see what I'm referencing. I too went with an MR10 Lexan windshield... and problem solved. Where the issue with BDR lies... is getting replacement glass... and it's my understanding that's only an issue for BDR's that have aluminum windshield frames... the chrome over brass frame is a different story. If I've been misinformed... someone please let me know.

In addition... like PHMCobra... I've never had a broken motor mount... nor have I had issues with the rear differential... and I'm right around 425 HP with a 5 speed transmission. I'm 6', 225 lbs and I fit well (could actually move the seat back if necessary)... and I have no complaints regarding the car. I've even had a local and very well respected speed shop that's been in the business for about 40 years look it over and come away impressed with the build quality... and he's not known for being easily impressed.

Thanks ALL OF YOU
 

IM serious I was really getting discouraged ! For the Money they want vs the car I want I was thinking f..k it Ill buy a motor home instead {my wife's suggestion}.you boys are giving me hope thank you. Hauss**)

This is a very nice Superformance and it has the SB-100 number already and in this state that is a lot. Most of the Superformances that I see around here have an FE engine in them but some went with the small block strokers. And they are definitely very good cars.

Ron

Yes,

This is a VERY nice car, the owner is very particular and is moving this on as he is planning on a 2019 GT500 to go with his 2012 GT500. We only broker cars we know or can document and this is a Superformance that is on market for the value. The SB100 is just the icing as the owner bought it from California and shipped it to New York.