Buying a Cobra 1st time

Kristian · #1 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 05:52 AM

Dear Members,

I am an American guy, 46, living in Norway.
I have been very interested in Cobras for more than 20 years.
I was on vacation in California in ´81 and saw some Cobras back then.
That was it. I made up my mind. I am going to own a Cobra one day.
That time is soon here, and now I want to check with the members of this club what I should/should not do when byuing my first Cobra.

I want a fast street car.
I am 6"7 inches tall (196 centimetres)
So I am very tall.
Will I fit in a Cobra ?

I have read the web pages of a manufacturer of Cobra kits who makes a 94" version, and they claim far better comfort for tall drivers, especially if I go for a smallblock engine.
This manufacturer is Classic Cobra.
Does this sound smart ?

Pleasae inform me about this critical point. I mean, if I cant sit properly, then I will just drop this project.

As I said, I want to buy a fast street car, but with the options possible, like carpets, leather seats, aircondition and so on.
As far as I have understood, a smallblock engine with high performance is the best way to start out in these cars ?
300-400 HP must be fast in a lightweight car like this ?
0-60 is how many seconds ?

I want to buy a turnkey car, either lightly used or new.
Any suggestions ?

I am thankful for any input here, boys.

Looking forward to becoming a proud Cobra owner !

Best regards,

Kristian Evju
Oslo, Norway

Wild Cobra · #2 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 06:53 AM

There are a lot of options for the tall drivers.
Look into Lonestar they have a frame that straches to 96", I am sure there are others as well if you want original version you will have to suffer the 90". As far as the speed, with a small block 0-60 times can be expected anuwhere from 6 seconds or lower depending on the driver.

rdorman · #3 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 07:08 AM

That is one SLOW Cobra. I know there are some owners in Norway lurking around here some where. Hopefully they will jump in here soon and help you out.

Good luck and enjoy!

Rick

Wild Cobra · #4 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 07:54 AM

rdorman I did said depending on the driver. Kristian check this out http://www.streetbeasts.com/Cobra/cobraext/

PSB · #5 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 08:30 AM

Kristian,

I'm not a tall guy, but I still wanted a Cobra with good legroom. When I was looking at the different kits, I went to several of the manufacturer's factorys and to the Carlisle Kit Car show so I could sit in them to gauge the footroom. There is a BIG difference in footroom between the manufacturers, and you really can tell the difference in the extended wheelbase cars.

The manufacturers I know of that offer extended wheelbase kits are Hunter Kit Cars, Lone Star Classics, West Coast Cobra , and Classic Roadsters (you might want to read this thread before you consider them - Classic Roadsters customer complaint to the Attorney General of North Dakoda )

I believe that all of the above manufacturers offer carpet and leather seats. Lone Star offers Air Conditioning (West Coast may also - not sure). Hunter can set up the car for air conditioning. I'm putting A/C in my Hunter, but I'm the first guy to it - Hunter made some modifications to my kit in order to accomodate the A/C.

Lone Star makes a very nice kit with lots of legroom and probably the biggest trunk in the business. I visited the Lone Star plant and was quite impressed. Downsides (for me) were price and the solid axle rear end.

West Coast also makes a great car, the biggest plus being the space frame (one of the few in the industry) and lots of room in the passenger compartment. The downsides (for me) was I personally didn't like the look of the body, and solid rear axle. The body shape is just to far from the original for my tastes.

After weighing the pros and cons of all the kits, I choose Hunter over the other manufacturers above mainly because Hunter is the only one that offers Independent Rear Suspension (it has Corvette suspension). Hunter was also significantly cheaper than Lone Star and West Coast.

I won't touch the small block vs big block, as that has been debated endlessly on this forum. I'll just say I went with a big small block (408W stroker).

Pete

JWheaton · #6 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 08:37 AM

Kristian,

Do yourself a big favor and check out all manufacturers that are recommended to you. While some mentioned here have excellent repuations others may not have such good reputations.

agro1 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 09:20 AM

Go with Superformance - Loose the idea of A/C...

Excaliber · #8 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 09:21 AM

As your going to have it built or buy used you will save a ton of head aches and any of the above mentioned cars would be a good call. A reputable builder is the key to a good car. Classic Roadster? Ed Combs (DV) or Don Scott would be an excellent choice there. If your having it built for you it can be tailored to fit you better, like buying a custom pair of shoes. At 6'7" no way your going to fit in a 90" wheel base Cobra!!!

I would also consider JBL, the finest "road course" Cobra on the market today AND has an extended wheel base for a nice "fit" for you. The suspension is nothing short of a work of art.

There is one main reason Cobras perform well, weight/horse power ratio. Even a stock Ford 302 in the light weight Cobra body is an outstanding performance car.

0-60 in 6 seconds aint that slow compared to MOST of the cars on the highway today. BUT were talking about Cobras, so speed is relative to THIS car. A nicely built 302 will do much better, a nicely built 351 will knock your socks off (4 seconds is possible). A lot of the "speed" issue is a matter of gearing also, not just engine.

Live axle (solid axle) can be a good call. Keeps the price down and performs excellent. IRS (independant rear suspension) is better? That depends on the track and over all road conditions. For a LOT more money it may not be that much better.

Ernie

PSB · #9 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 09:27 AM

How could I forget JBL? I forgot they have an extended wheelbase also - http://www.jblmotor.com.

Probably the best chassis in the business (IMHO), but a bit overkill if you're just going to use it as a street car. If you were planning on doing a lot of road racing, JBL would be hard to beat.

Pete

rdorman · #10 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 09:30 AM

Isn't Bob Evans 7'0" and he has a standard wheel base car. But I am sure one of the longer ones will be better. Classic Roadster has a stretch but there has been some issues of recent. You just missed a very nice finished one that got shipped to Alaska.
Rick

Excaliber · #11 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 09:43 AM

rdorman
As he is having the car built the issues with Classic Roadster wouldn't apply. You can bet DV or Don WILL get the parts and finish what they start. Of the cars listed above I think the C.R. is the best "value to quality" car in the list. Thick body, reasonable weight, plenty room, and all the "good stuff options" are available (IRS, leather, unlimited engine choice, etc.).

Ernie

PSB · #12 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 09:59 AM

Ernie,

I seriously considered CR, but in my research, a Hunter WITH IRS was cheaper to build than a CR without IRS. To be fair, this may not be the case if your having someone build it for you - I didn't research that option. Hunter also has all the "good stuff options". I will say, I really like the actual real car hood latch that CR has.

Pete

flanker · #13 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 10:13 AM

Kristian,

Check out Backdraft Racing, www.backdraftracing.com. They offer a beautiful turn-key Cobra in any color you want. Has full leather, BMW irs suspension and an extended wheel base. I am 6'3" and fit very well with room to spare. The other manufacturers mention are all quite good. BDR offers a great product at a great and competitive price. Which ever one you go with you will not be disapointed as this is the Car to have.

Forever Bitten
Frank H

Excaliber · #14 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 10:13 AM

PSB
Hunter sure looks impressive in a number of ways. As your building it yourself the biggest advantage over C.R. is:
You can actually GET parts, lol.

Looks like a "well done" C.R. can be custom built for you at right around 35K. Wonder how that would stack up to Hunter or others also?

Of course the problem will be, mathcing specs from car to car to get an accurate estimate. Putting IRS in the C.R. will add 3 to 6K right there!

Ernie

rdorman · #15 (**permalink**) 03-26-2003, 10:24 AM

One of DV's just finished cars was for sale. A silver one. Check in the for sale section to see if it is still available. I watched this car get built. Very nice car. Check with 'dalola' on fit. He is 6' something and had one of DV's classic roadsters. Don't worry if it is not optioned the way you like. Since it is here I am sure DV can change what ever you like.

You need to find out about import, emmision and registration laws. Plus what is insurance like there. Where are the Norway owners?

Rick