Streetbeagle: I am the representative for Venom 427 in the USA. Our cars are distributed by Team C Racing. If I can provide you with any information on our car I am at your beck and call. I do not normally reply to a posting about the Venom 427 as I see the forum as a powerful tool for the consumer, forum members and other interested people. However when there is misinformation about our company or its products I feel it is my duty to set the record straight.
Bobl and Boudy: The forum and any posting on a specific manufacturer’s product should never be turned into a “commercial "we're the best" fest”. It is unethical and quite honestly I have never seen it done before.
Boudy: Indeed the Venom 427 is a fine car. Thank you for the compliment. You did have a right to defend your product and its quality, however it could have been done with just a statement to the contrary and without the inferences about our company and our product. I also read it as a “commercial "we're the best" as I am sure many others did. Best would have been to start a new post on Backdaft to answer this and the other posting on the quality issue.
I am unsure of whether your opinion of our Venom is drawn from first hand knowledge or based on information you have collected from different sources. When you say it is a "carbon copy" the inference is that the car is exactly the same and we have made no improvements. Does this imply the original Backdraft was a carbon copy of the Johnspeed- the first car to be marketed in the USA as a BMW suspensioned Cobra? I think not !! The Backdraft 2002 I feel was a far better finished car than the Johnspeed as I was involved in the development of that car. But then again the Johnspeed was in a different price bracket as the car could be had for $26 000 turn-key so was a good deal for what it was.
“Venom was started by a group who were on the inside when Backdraft was started.” - For your information Performance Cars was in operation approx. 1 year prior to that of Backdraft.
The Venom 427 is not a carbon copy of the original Backdraft. After we split the 2 cobras were obviously the same. From there on out the 2 companies took 2 different paths of development and improvement. We re-engineered the chassis and other integral parts to improve their strength and functionality. We believe the quality of our build, finish and paintwork to be of the highest standard in the industry. Our quality has never been brought into question. We have not modified our bodywork a' la' Backdraft 2003 as we believe the original shape to be just right and close to original. Because of the BMW suspension many believe the 2 cars to be the same and to the untrained eye they do look similar. However on closer inspection they are quite different. We also continue to improve our car with research and development to "yield the finest car available" in OUR price range. I believe there is a customer for every product. As you quoted "You can get a little more car for a lot more money, but you get allot less car for less money." I read this over and over. The statement is dependent on a benchmark which is undefined. Cut right down to it and the translation is "You get what you pay for". If that is the case, I agree wholeheartedly, as most car purchases of this kind are filled with passion and are thus subjective. What you discount as "little" may mean a LOT to the next customer. I do not believe we will steal deals on ERA's, Kirkhams and Shelby's right now. We may steal the deals from Superformance as they are closer to our price range however the subjectivity of the customer will determine that. There will always be customers that perceive the SPF to have more value in order to pay the price margin.
On that issue I am always impressed with all the products from ERA, Kirkham, Shelby and Superformance and am enthused on closer inspection at shows and runs. In some areas I feel our cars are better than all of those. But as newcomers to the US cobra industry we aspire to reach the level of all those companies, in terms of recognition, perceived quality and sales !!! I am also impressed with the Backdraft and Tony's success with it. I enjoy a close inspection of his cars and to see their developments and changes.
In conclusion, there are many customers in the US and as I stated a customer for every product. Johnspeed still sells all the cars he produces as does Performance Cars and Backdraft.
Streetbeagle: Sorry to you and the other members for flaming your post but that reply can be compared to a Ford salesman sneaking onto the Chevy sales floor and trying to talk their customers out of buying a Chevy !!!
For more information on our history do a search on past postings by me.
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Ross Sinclair
Performance Cars
www.performcars.com
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