Average Age?

I'm 37, and have been a Cobra nut since I read a Cobra magazine article in 1986, I have been totally biased towards 289's for the last 4 years.

Andy (alias Andy FIA)

Been into cars since 15 in mid 60s now 47 and come full circle. Had Mustangs, Boss 302s, 351, 429s, Pantera, Street Rods, Vettes, and now my second Cobra in last 5 years. Once it's in your blood your hooked and guess it's better to be hooked on cars then some of the other vices. Work for the Big Blue Oval so that probably adds to it.
At least my wife knows where I am. In the Garage or the Cobra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, I keep seeing this thread, but I never respond to it. I guess I'd better rectify that now.

I'm Meat. I'm 34. I'm single, a scorpio, my turn-ons are most anything that involves Cobras, nudity, females, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cheerleading uniforms, ducks, kitchen utensils, $1.00 bills and mints on the pillow...although not necessarily in that order.

As far as the mid-life thing, I was discussing the movie American Beauty the other day with a girl friend of mine, and she said "Honey, you've been going through a mid-life crisis every year since I've known you." I've known her for about 15 years, so I'm going to assume that I'm getting better at it.

Your pal,
Meat.

To the best of my memory it all started when I was 5 yrs. old. My dad would sit me in his lap for hours and "we" would read his hot rod mags. After that, we spent most of our time together building one thing or another and from age 12 to 16 we built my first car, a '65 Mustang. We didn't have alot of money so it was everything but stock, but I loved it just the same. That
same year my dad scrapped up enough money to drive to Florida and pick up an EM body. It took us almost 8yrs. to complete it, due to him having bad health, but we did. Shortly after that it was totalled in an accident due to no fault of our own. The next year he went and bought 2 more kits, this time the more complete packages, and with the selling of one of those to a friend, he and I built his. My dad and I spent so many wonderful hours together working on these cars and talking shop, I wouldn't trade those memories for anything in the world. I believe that his love and admiration for this car and sharing that with me gave us a bond few people ever have. My dad passed away of cancer in June of '98 and unfortunely never got to drive this last car. You can be assured that it's not going anywhere.... I still have my '65 too. I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy being a part of this club 'cause you guys seem to have that same enthusiasm as I remember dad having.

Ginger
p.s. By the way, I'm 30 yrs. old and will always be a kid at heart when it comes to this.

I'm trying to picture Meat wearing a cheerleader uniform, driving a Cobra, with a nude rubber ducky in the passenger's seat!?

No, never mind - I don't want to picture that at all!! LOL

Neal

Okay its time to do the math again, looks like the average so far is 42.48 years.

What a fun thread, great stories with a little humanity and Meats and Neals humor.

It's been almost a month since this thread was at the top.

Any new members care to contribute?

Thanks!

I've read all of this thread before, but I never really contributed to it before, as I don't often post here.

However, I thought I'd just bring that average age done a few notches.

I think I might be the youngest member at the cobra forum and club cobra...at 19 years old. I have basically been interested in cars all of my life.
I worked a state park in Indiana where the Shelby Auto Club met once a year. There were all kinds of mustangs, etc., but there were also usually 10-15 cobras there each year. One guy that came every year actually had an
original 427. While I was browsing the parking lot during my break, I noticed that guy with the long mustache from My Classic Car. He was interviewing the owner of the original 427. The guy started the car and revved it a couple of times, then shut it off. After the interview was done, I walked up to the owner and asked him all about the car. After talking to the guy for about 20 minutes, he asked me what I had been waiting
and hoping to hear..."well son, have you ever taken a ride in an original cobra 427 before?
"...I ummmmm.... said no. He then got in the car and told me to hop in. I couldn't wait!
The ride was like nothing else I've ever experienced. The noise, smell, snapping of my
neck, and oh those hot feet you get from that engine!
Anyway, that's why I'm in the process of getting a FFR kit. Luckily I will have the help of my father over this coming summer to complete the project. Hopefully be next school year's beginning (I'm a sophomore mechanical engineer at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology), I'll be pullin' up in a black and silver 460 powered cobra.

Well, I hope the thread keeps going. There seems to be a lot of new members here and at the cobra forum.

P.S. What is the average age now? (I would calculate it, but I just got done taking 16 hours of final exams..)

Kyle

WELL SINCE MOST OF US ARE A BUNCH OF OLD FARTS THAT SEEM TO HAVE FOUND THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH BY DRIVING COBRAS WHAT DO WE DO FOR AN ENCORE???? MAYBE WE COULD JUST LIVE FOR ANOTHER 50????

BRYAN

50 years old, kids out of college, understanding wife, so finally get to start on dream car project. Over the years have had Jags, Healeys, and MGs, '56 Chevy, etc. Was going to drop a 350 in a Healey 100-4, then started to research the Cobra thing. I wanted modern underpinnings, brakes, etc. Unique 289 on order, should be here around Christmas. As a friend of mine who has a 502" Donovan in his Healey says, "It's gotta have a V-8, a clutch, and no top". So what is the average age anyway?

IN REPLY TO BRYAN....
One of the most important things my dad ever taught me was......

OLD AGE AND TRECHARY WILL OUT DO YOUTH AND EXUBERANCE ANYDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GINGER

Hello everybody,
I'm 51. I just finished my car and am in the process of working the bugs out of it. This is a loooong term dream and mid life crisis. Since I have a conserative bent and not much money, I only built what and when I could afford it. My next project will go faster.(building time that is) I am not getting any younger you know. One of the best parts of this project was deciding which kit to buy. I was lucky and had the opportunity to work on several different manufacturers models before I plunked my money down. Another thing I enjoyed was finding the parts. Took for ever...got taken a couple of times...met a lot of good people in the process. My only regret is that I no longer have the coordination of an 18 year old kid. I will never see the max out of my ERA and that's a shame......But at 18 I could never have afforded it. See you at the drive-in!!!!

I'm a young 48, I got snake bit at a local show, looking for a '70 1/2 Camero to rebuild. After researching for 2 years, and visiting various car and engine builders, I made my purchase in January of this year. I have time now to work on my car, as my kids have gone off and ones in College. Only problem is not having enough space in our garage, as wife likes to park her car there!! In either case, owening a Cobra gets lots of conversations at parties and at work. I recently moved to Lanett, Al., and my neighbor is a street rod builder, talk about tools and shop, unreal!! He's got three street rods, two of the kits! Dedicated to the cars, its his stress relief!

When looking for a Cobra Kit, remember, not all the manufactures are reliable, as I have found out! Get as many references as possible on either the car or engine builder! Visit there place of business's, and don't get hoodwiked by "Big Advertising Budgets".

Bringing to top.

Brent Mills
Club Cobra

I've plotted my age vs. I.Q. and the lines intersect at 50! Arggggh.

These are great stories, and for me embody what's best about these wild and crazy cars--friendship. I've met a bunch of terrific folks through SAAC open track events--what I've found that's especially heartening is the "we're all in this together" philosophy that's usually evident at the track. If you break, someone will always try to help you out. When someone else breaks, you try to help out. I've only been doing this for a few years but I've made friendships that I hope will go on until I kick the bucket. This site does much the same thing--it's fantastic to be able to give or get advice with guys you never would've had the chance to meet otherwise.

I'm 49, and got bitten by the cobra bug in 1967 in my hometown of Erie, Pa. Saw and heard(!) a real 427! I didn't know what it was at the time, but I loved it! Have always been a car nut, subscribing to Moore's law of horsepower...if more is good, too much is just right! I ordered my kit in Nov of '97, and was driving my 30 year dream in June of '98. I always loved the look and sound of a Cobra, but, I wasn't prepared for all the attention! A quick gas stop sometimes turns into a half hour question and answer period! Anyway, my wife loves the Cobra, too, but to date, she hasn't driven it. She says it's too much work on my part to take a chance. She is happy to ride, and enjoy all the thumbs up, horn honking, etc. We live in the heart of Nascar country, so are surounded by car people, most of whom don't ask: what is it? Every time I drive the car, it's like the first time! regards, Chris Potter

50ish. Actually got wet over my first Cobra (the real thing) when working at a Sunoco station in high school. A rich, idiotic guy several years older'n me bought one, a 289. He came into the station one day with a set of street slicks to put on it. They didnt fit, so he borrowed a rubber hammer and promptly hammered out the fender wells a bit. One of the advantages of aluminum. True story. I nearly cried.

[tbirdz12]

Im 44 and the wife is 37. Ive always thought the Cobras were cool but never thought my wife did. At a car show my wife saw a blue/white Superformance and was in love. About a year later I told her i was going to NJ to pick up another old Oldsmobile, but pulled in our driveway the a nice Superformance Blue/white on the trailer.

I declared my mid life crisis at 40 and bought my first muscle car. Ive had about 15 different ones since then, but still have 5. Of course the Cobra is the wifes fav. and i like it a lot also.

Thanks for bringing this thread back to the top, as this has been very interesting reading while waiting for the outside temperature to hit the magic#(for me-above 42). I am 52, with 53 coming in the new milennium 2/24/2000-wow!
My lust for a Cobra first started in West Texas in 1965 ( I grew up in Lubbock, then moved to Dallas in 1972). I was a senior in high school when a guy about 2 years older named Kent Clark got his dad to buy him a sports car- a black 1965 Cobra- 289 hi-po with 2-4's, chrome wire wheels. One day I finagled one of his famed " $100 bill sticking half out of the passenger floor mat, if you can pick it up as soon as I drop the clutch-it's yours- rides". Bang,smoke, 0-120, eyeballs embedded in my skull, nooo $100 bill for me, but gut-hooked for life.
Like most of the others in this forum, many life parallels, other cool/fast cars, single until I found the "right one" at 36, then father at 40, then at 42- & I feel truly fortunate & blessed as these are the 3 finest moments in my life. The pursuit of the 4th finest began approximately one year ago, when I finally came to the realization that the one obstacle to the fulfillment of my dream was time, so I began a search for a turnkey car. After lots of searching, I decided the car that came the closest to meeting my desires was a Superformance car, & I flew to New Orleans for a day in the sun with Doug Reed in 2 Cobras. What a day, what a ride, what a meeting of the minds- & what a deal!!
Fast forward 4 months, & my 10 yr. old son & I hop a plane, land in N.O., and there sits the most beautiful car we have ever seen- because it is ours!! The next day(10/21/99), we drive it home to Dallas, about 560 miles by the time we get home. We have never put the top on it, it is driven every day that the weather permits (I think we have missed about 7/8 days total so far), & have logged 2056 miles, until we start it in about 10 minutes.
I intend to keep this car(God willing) until I get too old to drive, then the kids get it, but as we all know how about 20-25 years melt away as soon as the engine fires & the rumble of a VERY healthy big block(or whatever you have)warms up, my kids have a very loooooooooooong wait!
Happy new year to you all, & thanks for starting this.
John R.

Lots of new names since this thread last surfaced.

Anyone care to contribute?

Thanks!
Neal