I bought mine in the fall of 1994 at the get this thing before I get married age of 26. Wasn't looking specifically for a Cobra, it was what I could afford at the time. Anyone remember the price of a Plumb Crazy Hemi Challenger at the time? I like the Cobra because it is different (although there is another in the town of 1200 where I grew up) and the performance for a street car is tough to beat. Almost bought a GT40, but they were out of my price range and too hard to get quickly (my wife likes the Cobra better anyway). Took delivery June 30, 1995 and it took about a year to get it done except for paint, which it still needs. It took extra time for the custom motor mounts for the Mopar engine. Same with the headers. Put the car on a roll back and he custom fit them to the sidepipes right there in the car. Anyone know a good paint shop in the Imperial Vally or San Diego?

Flipper,
Check out Hot Rods & Custom Stuff in San Diego.

http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/

I have seen some great work come from there.
I've been to the shop and they are a first class outfit.
Their car won the 2001 Ridler award at the Detroit Auto Show.
Best custom car in the country that year.
Here's a link to that car and another award.

http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/2002RS-1.html


Scott

xlr8or, thanks for the info, I'll check them out next time I'm in SD. We were just up near your neck of the woods last Saturday cruising the mountain roads. We had my car, a Miata, and ... well it went downhill from there.

Brent Dolphin

Bartek
Welcome to your new home--you are among friends. Your country produces the best aluminum Cobras in the world and some pretty good vodka...

Tell us about some of your drives, and about your car!

I second that, Bartek !
 

Welcome to Club Cobra, where wierd lovers of the *Cobra Jet* gather to share their insanity :p

Tell us, is it a "Kirkham" aluminum model? What transmission do you use?

Take your coat off, and have a cold beer and join us!

Good Day

This is an awfully long thread, but I though I'd give my 2 cents in anyway.

My name is Dawie Loubser, I am also new to this site.
I am 20 years old (South Africa), and I have always had a passion for classic sports cars. I hope to own a Series 1 Jag E-Type one day, but I love my Cobra!

I bought it (I agree with one post saying that in your 20's you don't have the expertise to build one yourself) but I do know my way around cars.

To drive a Cobra is the ultimate dream for somebody who just exited his teens!

My Cobra has a Jaguar Suspension, and a 302 Windsor motor. There are some picturesque photos in my photo gallery:

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/index.php?photo=1763

Thanks for a great site!

Hmmmmm. Now that I have read this entire thread from front to back I realized I have never contributed. I'm 53 Biological years old. Mid Life has been going on now for quite awhile. Started back in 92 when wife number 3 took a powder leaving me with two boys to finish raising. She found herself a wealthy attorney..
I was a career firefighter and the money was never that great , so being the single dad dictated two jobs. So we drove Tractor
Trailer when off duty from the Dept. No money for toys. Went to the gym as often as possible trying to regain my former buff self.
Thought I'd turn the clock back and be a serious threat with the young girls. Ha Ha they all fooled my naive self. Wrecked my cars,took me shopping.. all the things that happen when you are struck with the stupids of mid life. Decided to get away from driving big trucks and get into bail enforcement. Well around here the only enforcement you are gonna do is drive to Philly and go into neighborhoods that the philly cops won't even go. Met a repo guy from Philly one day and decided this is what I can be good at. Meanwhile back at the home front I fell one day at the firehouse.. I lay on the floor laughing at my gracefullness, then everything from my waist down went numb and things got scary.
Emergency room X-rays Dr says bruised tail bone. Go home and you will be fine. Everything went good for 2 years until my legs started to go numb and I couldn't pee right. Further testing shows 3 crushed vertabrae now healed but Firefighter days are over. LOng story shortened. Disability pension. Started my own repo business here and meanwhile gave up the young girls idea after it cost me 2 new cars and alot of heartache. Now it's time to have a cobra built for me .. Whoops youngest son needs help buying his first house. Cobra dream on the back burner again for the 20th time since about 66 when my former boss had two originals he raced hillclimbs with. Spring of 2001 Business is good on firm ground growing new Rollback on order time to renew my Cobra dreams.. New Truck delivered on Feb 28,2001.. 30 minutes later I'm lying in my driveway on fire from the waist up. Demo Derby car backfired through the Carb and found my maxwell coffee can 1/4 full of gas in my hands. My son put me out with a dry powder can.. I wake up 40 days later still in the burn unit.
I still have all my parts they just don't look the same and my hands are stiff, but they work. 6 months of terrible depression and pain later my secretary / friend/ who had taken over everything while I was trying to get better tells me that she has been saving money for me to get my toy and she has x dollars saved. On super Bowl Sunday this yr I'm on my way to Atlanta with 2 close motorhead frinds and an enclosed trailer. Finally after starting over (Divorce)three times and almost being paralized then becoming the human torce I have my Cobra. I think I've used up most of my nine lives during my years as a firefighter and since I retired, so I'm hoping to have a long time to enjoy feeling young again rattling windows and playing with the kids with the rice rockets.. Sorry this has been such a long story........ But it's been a long road....

Denny S...YOU DESERVE A BREAK TODAY !!! as the old adage goes, "you only have one life to live" ...or ..."life is short , enjoy the ride" !!! so, enjoy the ride !!!! I have fought back from 3 cancer operations all in a 14 mo period , 4 mos of daily radiation ( 2 mos sessions on two occasions) and some chemo cocktails thrown in for good measure. I have my dream toys, a garage mahal and am an overweight but youthful 57 ...and , more importantly, in remission for 3 yrs. Life is short, enjoy the ride. I will ride for you, you can ride for me. life is good. bill.

When I started my car I was 35. When I joined Club Cobra I announced on this thread that I was 39. I'm now 41...

I seem to be getting older???????

Re age
 

Well Denny and Bill you have both really given me a great deal of hope. I am on permanent disability from a total nervous breakdown in 1986 and am under a doctors care at all times. All of the doctors told me in 1986 that I couldn't possibly live another two months. I just get by on the knowledge that no matter how bad I feel, there are others who have it worse and you both have really shown it. I worked for the telephone companies and Bell Labs and just had to many 40 hour shifts working on the computers when they were in trouble. I tried for years to buy an original Cobra and couldn't find one and now that I don't have any money I built mine in 1993 and enjoy it. Believe me I really admire all the people out there that have fought through rough times and have finally decided to do something they want for fun. Enjoy the cars and enjoy life.

Ron61

55

57

59, 60 this Fall.

I started this thread when I was 40, now I am nearly 44.

Starting my second kit this next week and thinking about a Street Version. Does this mean I have matured?

First son getting married in August, second son working for me out of high school, pretty daughter with a new driving permit, married now 23 years.

I think the crisis is over.

Scott S

54 going on 18!

42 Hopefully I will be driving the beast before I turn 45

Mike:cool:

Built my first in 83 still doing it for utter people at 42

Place the order at 30,
finished the kit at 32.

money???? We don't need no stinkin money!!

I'll be working long after I'm dead!

Average Age
 

My wife tells me that I'm going through a mid life crisis. Could be??? I'm 40.

Regards
Vince@gledhill.com
http://www.left-handed.com

42