An addition to insurance thread; DVSFIII and a question to everyone

[klayfish]

Blackjack,
Excellent points, very well made. Thanks for the input. I'm not familiar with setting up corporations, or even "clubs" for that matter. This is just something I was thinking off the top of my head, since I know insurance is such a big problem, getting bigger, and I work for one of them. I can't sit idle while this is going on.
I see many benefits to a program like this.
1. Help ensure overall build quality. It's not saying a home builer isn't capable, it's just a double check system.
2. I believe, as Blackjack was stating, that members of such clubs tend to be more responsible drivers, and therefore much better insurance risks. Anyone who signs up for the club would agree to drive with common sense. It doesn't mean driving like a little old lady. Have a blast, show your car off, run it in professional, organized open track events, autox it...just use your head when driving on the street.
3. I also think it would help Cobra values. Someone who wanted to sell their car could have the added benefit of having their car "certified".

I agree that all of the kits are different, but so are the street rods, and they were able to come up with a standard list. There are some basics we can check for. As Petek said, steering, suspension, motor basics. Overall build quality (all nuts and bolts tight). I agree that it doesn't need to get too complicated, such as dual roll bars, fuel cells, etc... Just ensuring the cars are street legal and street safe.

Blackjack had some good ideas on how to get a club going. I think we should make the club a national group. We can get local coordinators who can help find local builders and/or shops to certify the Cobras once the list is created. As he said, hopefully it will lead to more local Cobra clubs and activities.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the manufacturers involvement in this. I think they may shy away due to liability fears. But I would hope they will "morally" support the idea and encourage customers to participate.

This concept is really simple. We can do it, and I really believe it will work. We'll just need to get the ball rolling and stick with it.

I can't see how it won't help our cause for insurance.
1. We get our cars "certified" for safety
2. We drive smart
3. We then go to the insurance companies (which I will be happy to do), and show them "Hey, we're here. We have organized into a group, had our cars inspected for safety, and check our driving records" If our cars are safe and our records are clean, I would hope that insurance will be much easier for us to come by. It certainly won't hurt. I see no real downsides to this.

Please let's keep this ball rolling. Other ideas? Who can help come up with the safety list? Help create the membership forms? Come up with a group name? We can do this. We HAVE to do this.

Steve