Average Age?

I'm 16. My dad and I are building an ERA(best company out there). It's really a graduation peresent and we are going to split ownership 50/50. We are about ready to drop in the engine. Wish us luck!!!

I'm 16. My dad and I are building an ERA(best company out there). It's really a graduation peresent and we are going to split ownership 50/50. We are about ready to drop in the engine. Wish us luck!!!

Thanks for the Great Stories!

Here's my story--I'm 31.

My dad has always been into fast toys. While I was growing up he had Corvettes, Porches, Datsun Z's and one extremely loud and fast flatbottom boat. He had a million stories about racing through Brea Canyon in his Corvette, hanging out on Tweety Blvd in his 57 Chevy or going 100 mph near Red Rock at Parker. But it was always his Cobra story that excited me the most and it always came to mind every time I saw one around. I just remember him saying it was the fastest and scariest car he'd ever been in. And that every time the guy shifted gears the car would do involuntary lane changes. So when I saw this Cobra replica that I could afford a couple of weeks ago I thought of his Cobra story and was bitten. I convinced my wife that this was the replacement car for the 89 Mustang GT Convertible that I had to sell to pay for our wedding and I took out a home equity loan and bought it. The funny thing is I still haven't told my dad about it. I'm anxious to hear the specifics about the Cobra story again and I’ve wanted to ask his advice on a bunch of things about the car. But, I just keep putting off telling him because I thought it would be more fun to go pick him up in it as a surprise. So, weather permitting I'm going to drive it up to his house this weekend.

I wonder if I should let him dive it, he never was big on letting me drive his Porsche. This is going to be fun!
Anyway, thanks for letting me share my story.


Brad in San Diego

By the way, has anyone experienced these involuntary lane changes. I havn't yet and don't think will with my 302.

Welcome to all the new members and thanks for sharing your Cobra stories.

Brad,

"Tweety Blvd"? Yeah, I remember Tweety Blvd from the late 60s/early 70s. What a Great place to cruise! I can't remember exactly what town it is in - Paramount or Compton - somewhere around there?
Red Rock/Parker? - must be the flatbottom on the Colorado River - been there too! (grew up in Yuma)

Enjoy the Club everyone!
Neal

I am 30. My wife and I have lived with one car for 2 1/2 years while I made car payments to my savings account. I just got my cobra. When I looked through the file I started I had stuff from 1984 from ERA when I was in high school. There was also a lot of info from a lot of companies that are no longer around. Guess which one I went with?
Happy Driving,
Z

I am one of the lucky ones. I worked as a corner worker at Road America in the early 60's and was able to watch the original Shelby team of Ken Miles, Dave McDonald, et al racing. (Including the time Ken Miles circulated the last 2 miles of the lap on 3 wheels.) For those of you too lazy to do the math, that makes me hi 50's. I bought my superformance last year at age 58. When people accuse me of mid life crisis, my response is "If you ever have a midlife crisis, take it and run with it. It's a ball".

Just turned 52. and DAMN does this thing fly!!!!!
Want to get to know other owners in Great N.W.

Man these stories are great! It warms my heart to read your stories of dedication and commitment to what's important in life, family! I admire those of you who kept the dream alive after so many years of hard work. The time is comming that I will be able to buy my snake, I can barely stand the anticipation! I am 42 and have loved this car ever since I saw it for the first time in the movie the "Gumball Rally". I think it was made in the seventies. I have rarely seen one since. Like many others this will be a dream come true. Not to just own a "Cobra", but what comes with it that many people very seldom experience in life. I think deep down many of us know that one of the perks of owning a car like this will bring back those feelings of belonging, that this fast paced civilian life has stripped away. I did not serve in any wars, I was lucky, I turned 18 when the Vietnam war ended, or join a fraternity at college. I do not know what true commoraderie feels like but I think once I get my snake, maybe, just maybe, I might get a glimpse of it.

Someone said in an earlier post, I think it was Scott, that we owe it to our children to teach them what a real muscle car is like. One of the first people to go for a ride in my car will be my daughter and nephews. He's right, I want them to show them what real, unadulterated, raw, carburated, horespower is like. Like the saying goes, "There's no replacement for displacement"!

I appreciate all of your comments on this forum and to the people that maintain it, God bless.

BT Busbee

I am 28 years old. I have been interested in Cobras since high school, when a friend pointed one out in a music video and then told me about it.
I am getting much closer to deciding from which company I am going to buy my kit. (Midstates, ERA, E-M... sigh... still so much research to do) I thought I would be able to order on my birthday, Feb. 6, but I just did not know enough.
Now to the story of why:
For about ten years I had no contact at all with my father. About four years ago we got together again. I was extremely tentative at first, but found him to be very likable, open, and honest. We now have a strong relationship. I have even had my two younger brothers, whom I had met only twice before our long separation, come and visit a few times.
My a father had a DB4 until last year,of which he was the original owner. He is 74, by the way.(that might push the age average up a little) My father put himself through college as a mechanic. He is going to come out sometime this summer after the kit arrives. I have almost no experience with cars, so I'm going to have to rely on him a lot. I build computers every day, so I can follow directions.

I am so excited, almost giddy, about getting my kit. It's going to be a blast.

I really have to stop spending so much time on this site, it's already 2:30 a.m.

Thanks for all of the great information guys,
Marc

[This message has been edited by MadRackle (edited 02-21-2000).]

I just joined this forum yesterday, and this is the best site I've found so far, with so much good info. Anyway, I am 39 and have owned mine for about a year. I was always a car guy, my first project was a frame-off 68' Camaro, replaced the L6/auto with a hot 327-4sp-4.11's and refurbished every part on the car over a 2 year period starting when I was 16. Since then I've had a 71'Torino 351c, moved into fast bikes for awhile, then got married and experienced pick-ups and mini-vans. Still drive a pick-up as a daily driver and to haul toys and materials - I'll probably always have one. About 3 years ago I had the itch for another project car and researched Sunbeam Tigers pretty heavily but finally decided that for the expense and difficulty that would involve I may as well get the ultimate!!! I really wanted to build my own but have limited time so I decided to find one already built and make whatever changes I wanted. I kept an eye on the Cobracountry classifieds and finally found one that was nearby and affordable - Ive been hooked since. The car is a Classic Roadsters finished in 93' by a guy from the Detroit area who relocated to Wisconsin. He did a nice job on everything but the paint and some minor stuff. It has a pro built 351c, Tremec 3550, 8.8" locker w/3.55's. I added up the receipts and I basically paid for the parts. I plan to redo some things because I am kind of anal that way, but I am glad I took the plunge because the car is fantastic and the people you meet are even better. I do plan to put one together myself in the future but for now I am happy with what I did and it got me back into something I always loved.

I am 34 and have also liked the car since highschool. I remember a rumor going round school (perhaps and urban legned) that there was a guy with a 427 cobra in our city. He would take a crisp new $100 bill and place it under a wiper blade. He would then say to his passenger "snatch this dollar before we hit 60 and its yours". No one had ever won the dollar

I also remember pouring through the big chart in each months Road&Track, hunting for the fastest 0-60 time. I can only count on one hand the cars that could break 4 seconds. The car that always stood out in my mind was the cobra.

Just ordered a JBL. Very eager to begin the building process.

[This message has been edited by Andy Dunn (edited 03-23-2000).]

Welcome All New Members to Club Cobra!

Congrats on the purchase of your cars and please keep us posted on any build progress taking place.

Also, if anyone is planning on attending the Knotts show next month, please feel free to join in on the Friday evening dinner, which is covered on another thread.

Enjoy the Club!
Neal

Scott,

I'm 32 (and about 4 1/2 mentally). I read "Shelby's Wildlife" in one sitting when I was 12, and vowed to own a Cobra from that time on. I saw my first real one at Elkhart Lake in '82; I took a whole roll of pictures but when I got them back was disappointed to find that my hands had shaken so badly they were all blurred! I'll never forget standing there, watching the sidepipes kick up little dust clouds...my parents thought I had lost it when I casually walked up and intentionally burned my shin on one of the pipes! "Shelby's Wildlife" declared that "burned shins from these pipes are a badge of honor," so by God, I was gonna get branded!

I bought an ERA kit when I was 26. It sat unfinished until last year, when I was able to trade it for a finished ERA. I have had the great fortune of owning some neat cars in my short life--a '71 'Cuda convertible, '66 Mustang, '70 Buick GS Stage 1 Convertible, '70 Z/28, '65 396 Corvette, a supercharged '90 Mustang 5.0 notch, Porsche 928, Ferrari 308 Quattrovalve, etc.--and NOTHING beats the thrill of Cobra ownership! Two weeks ago, I fulfilled a promise to a family friend; a year ago I told him that I would let him drive my ERA when he turned 16. When the day arrived, he nearly broke into tears when I pulled into his driveway; I don't think he believed I would keep my promise. He was so nervous he stalled the car three times trying to get out of the driveway, but the grin on his face was unbelievable. I took pictures of him driving and blew them up so he could put them in his locker at school; he told me proudly the other day that girl traffic had increased tenfold at his locker! I wish someone had done the same for me when I was that age; giving people that kind of pleasure is what it's all about. I have driven the car in the rain with no top, as well as making a 50-mile drive one morning when it was 35 degrees out. No amount of bad weather can ruin a trip in that car...when you're living out a dream, it's hard to spoil the fun!

Regards,
Bob Brzezinski

I don't think I understand the question...is the age reference before, during or after the drive in the cobra? Yeeee gods, in my case I'm 59 before, 38 during the ride (must show show a degree of maturity) and about 28 after a drive. Now there is additional age restructuring if the ride includes a serious blast through the gears.

I think this is great. I am 38 have had my cobra for 5years. It sits in dust not done, let me tell you first, I got the kit when I was footlose and free. Then I got a wife, well the story goes,and then she told me she was having our baby. 3years later we had our next baby so I have a new out look on life. Life is great!! It will take alot,ALOT, longer then I first planed. So new plan, I will bild my cobra with my girls. I just hope they do want to paint it pink. See ya.

One more for the OLD guys!! 52 yrs old UNTIL I get even close to my Cobra ( the wife and my in-laws have named it Tar-Baby
its all black and runs on the road and is my baby etc-etc-etc.) Not sure if it would be smart to put vanity plates (TarBaby) or just normal stuff on???
Anyway I act and Drive like a 16yr old BUT DAMN is it fun!!!!

Bob

Everyone must remember the Gumball rally. (the first and only one with Fonda and Raul Julia)

Ever since that movie I have wanted a Cobra. I was probably about 10 when I saw that movie for the first time. Now I am 35 and have been researching Cobras for about 3 years. I found this sight and realized that I know nothing after reading all the messages posted here. Oh well. I am on the research trail and have narrowed manufacturesers down to Unique, ERA and RUCC. If I was going to just race I would look very closely at JBL. I have been in touch with Kirkham and I am thinking of blowing the budget real quickly.

I am 51 years old and have wanted a Cobra since before I graduated from high school in 1966. My interest in cars started when I was only 13. My uncle had a 1939 Packard V-12 Convertible, a 1932 Cord L-29 Phaeton and several other cars. This interest spilled over to my dad. My dad thought that buying and restoring an old Model A coupe in partnership with his son would be fun and also keep me off the streets and out of trouble during my teenage years. It is a cherished memory and eventually led to me opening my own restoration shop which I operated for many years. Now retired, I can work on my own cars which include a Cobra replica. I have built several Cobras for friends. I designed my own tubular frame as well as many chassis components. My car(s) differ from other replicas mainly by attention to detail and originality which is just a carryover from my restoration background. I guess it took this long before I had both the time and the financial resources to produce the kind of Cobra I wanted. The journey in building the car has been an important step in the process. Over the years my 100 plus Model A Fords my have played a part in the delay of the Cobra acquisition (the condition of some of them would question whether they could actually be called a car). Didn't mean to rattle on. This is my first reply to the forum yet I read it regularly.
Oh, by the way, in answer to the original question....it's more than a midlife crisis thing.
Jim

Hi Jim (thecobraguy) and welcome to Club Cobra, or for becoming public. As you can see, others of us share your passion.

Enjoy yourself here!

All the best,
Randy Klein

I wonder if the average age is a year older now that this thread is.