sat in my first cobra

gear88 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 09:00 AM

i finally got to sit in a cobra! there was a guy at a local car show that had a superformance. his car was very nice! 427 stroker! sweet!

i guess i didnt realize how small these cars really are. i am 6'2" and 230 pounds. it was easy to get into but holy crap to get out was a project. i was really snug in this car... is the spf about the same for leg room as a ffr?

now i have been bitten really bad!

brad

James Baldwin · #2 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 09:17 AM

You're in trouble now...

It will only make the "want", worse..

I met a guy in California that was 6'3" 220 and fit in the ERA ok. but the SPF feels much roomier.

Tongue Pirate · #3 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 11:08 AM

I think FFR, ERA & Unique cars all have made modifications to fit the larger boy! There may be others also..? I know that I have tried to fit in a few cars that wouldn't accept me. I'm 6', 180lbs.

Excaliber · #4 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 11:19 AM

My Excalibur is longer and I can stretch out ALL the way easily. The SPF is smaller than mine!

BUT, my foot box is narrow and there is no place to put a "dead pedal". I have to "ride the clutch" or lift my foot and put it UNDER the clutch pedal and I HATE that.

The next Cobra I will be looking for WIDER but still want a deeper foot box as well.

Can you get it all in one model?

Ernie

RallySnake · #5 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 11:21 AM

Brad,

It's not the sitting in it that make it worthwhile. It's the driving!

Paul

gear88 · #6 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 11:50 AM

that is good to hear the ffr's are a bit bigger. i want a bigger cobra but dont want to go with a streched wheelbase.

rallysnake, i am working on the driving part. just have to start slow. i dont want go on overload all at once.

you owners are the luckiest people! just sitting in that car for 2 minutes made me feel great!

brad

Mr.Fixit · #7 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 12:10 PM

Cobras are a little smaller than your average car, on the inside. Yoy get used to it pretty quickly however. I am 6'-2" 200# and fit in all cobras just fine. Some are roomier than others. I had a customer who was at least 6'-5" and 250, he fit just fine in a SPF, said it was easier than his porsche. Just don't wear workboots when driving, shoes please.

jrussell · #8 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 12:11 PM

Brad,
I am 5"11" and about 218 currently, and have had no problems with my SPF in a bit over 12,000 miles. We have quite a few SPF owners in the 6'3" range in the Texas Cobra Club, with one that is 6'8" at somewhere around 240-250 (my guess on weight). The drivers seat is adjustable, and the dealer for your area can easily make the necessary adjustments. The foot boxes in the SPf cars is wider than most on both sides and just adding length to the wheelbase in itself certainly does not guarantee you more foot/leg room. I have had more than a few big men that had long wheelbase cars try mine and remark as to the extra room in mine.
My advice is, do your homework, meet with a local group in youe area that get together on a regular basis, and actually look at the different cars that are there. Check all the compartments- engine,interior on both sides, and trunk. Look at the wheels & tires, top and tonneau cover if they have one. Decide if you want to build one or drive one, and try to get realistic time and costs to complete from the guys that built their cars. Trust me, they are all better than none, and some are better than others, but they all fill a need perfectly for someone.
Your task will be to find which one fits you, as I did.
Good luck, and good hunting.
John Russell
SPF#586

gear88 · #9 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 12:44 PM

jrussell: the owner was about 6'.

i dont know if he had a seat adjustment. but a little more room would have been nice. but its not like i cared at the moment. i am still floating on cobra cloud 9.

i would have to say that it was more exciting sitting in that cobra than driving my friends viper.

brad

Lowell W · #10 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 01:06 PM

I 'm 6'6" tall and about 200# and I looked at a bunch of Cobras. I wanted a standard wheelbase car with as much legroom as possible and room for my size 14 feet and I wanted a car I could drive all day and not hate it in the evening. I had some other criteria also, such as IRS, and availability as a roller, and I did have a budget. There are some VERY nice cars out there, but the SPF was the roomiest of the standard cars and blew the budget by the least amount. I had a local upholstery guy put some gel padding in my seat and now I can drive my car for about an hour and a half before I need to stretch my legs, which is about as long as I can drive any car comfortably.

Good Luck.

petek · #11 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 01:11 PM

I know what you mean about easy in, tough out. I drive my Cobra to work nearly every day. The folks by the first floor windows get a kick out of watching me pull myself out of my Cobra. (I'm 6'4", 275 lbs, CR Cobra.)

You sit down in the Cobra instead of up on (like in a truck or SUV). An MGA is about the same sort of thing. Heck, so is a Formula Ford. Easy to get into, a bit of an effort to get out of.

Me? I just put my hands on either side of the Cobra body behind me and push myself up and out of the Cobra. I ought to start getting out of the car without opening the door ... that'll give 'em something to watch!

SSS · #12 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 02:14 PM

Well, I'm only 5'10", but I had to scoot my seat up six inches from the rear wall in order to push the clutch all the way in on my 90" wheelbase Pacific Roadster/Carcepts. the passenger footbox is even longer.

David Kirkham · #13 (**permalink**) 08-11-2003, 08:02 PM

Kirkhams have lots of room in them...just step on the gas and your butt will suck up so small you'll forget all about any room problems...

Just ask Jamo--he fit fine in his seat going up Squaw Peak--he even squirmed around so there must have been extra room. Not one peep about size from him.

David