Cutting Edge Replica Drive

[Veloce]

We took a drive out to Manteca, CA, home of Cutting Edge replicas.
Jim had a completed car for us to drive and see if all of the really innovative suspension design work they have done was worth it.

We were totally impressed with the handling of the car.
It was extremely stable during turns and at 130 mph on a country road.
It squatted on the road and was far more stable than my FFR (with IRS, LSD and coilovers) and several other Cobra cars that I have ridden in (like Emerson, ERA, FFR, and even a Shelby CSX 4000 series car).

Cruising on the highway was effortless and comfortable as the supplied sidepipes tamed the rumble of the 427 to a very enjoyable level.


The supplied Wilwood brakes (front and rear) brought the car to a VERY stable and quick stop from 100 mph, with no fade after several stops.

The body work was completed by Ken Pike in Marysville, CA (aka Street Rod Painter). The fit and finish was exemplary and the paint job was also excellent. much of this appears to be the quality of the body before painting but Ken's work is really terrific.

The fit and finish of all the frame works and suspension parts is also excellent.
Many superior parts and components are included in the kit making the collection of parts to create a working kit much easier.


Anyone interested in a Cobra Replica should check out www.cuttingedgereplicas.com


Jim

PS; Anyone want to buy an FFR?

[Buzz]

Many of us have been watching the development of the Cutting Edge replica with great interest. It's nice to hear that the innovative chassis/suspension system works well. There was also some speculation and discussion about how the body lines would turn out. I have to say that the rear haunches in the pictures look very FFR - like.
http://www.cuttingedgereplicas.com/html/gary_s_car.html
Is there any relation?

[Veloce]

Buzz,
It is either the front end based on FFR and the rear end based on ERA or vice versa.

My rapidly aging brain cannot rmember which it is.

Drop them a line and ask.

The finished car has a decidedly agressive rake to it and is a bit lowered when compared to other kits.

All in all a very impressive car.

If i can get a good price for mine, I think i will try to build this one.

Jim

[ffindling]

I'm very impressed with their chassis and their rocker arm suspension. But their
body seems to suffer <i>perky butt</i>
syndrome that is oft discussed in the FFR
forums. Perhaps the well known <i>dropped butt</i> mod from the FFR
world can be done on these cars. Failing
that, perhaps a more <i>true-to-form</i>
body from another manufacturer can be
substituted without having to do too many birdcage/chassis mods. I had given
thought to what it might be like to take
the CE chassis and drape it with a Kirkham body. Of course, you run into that
bugaboo about mounting aluminum bodies on chassis that were designed for
glass bodies. It's been done before, but
question always remained about the body
sitting <i>right</i> after the job was done. But if it was possible to pull it off,
you might have one heck of a car.

....Fred

[Buzz]

Originally posted by CER rep on another thread in response to questions about the body shape:
if you look at the pictures from the rear you will see it looks nothing like a ffr more like a era shape.
jim
Now this...
It is either the front end based on FFR and the rear end based on ERA or vice versa.
From the photos on the site, it looks like vice versa. I will not knock FFR - they have carved out a significant niche in the Cobra replica industry - but taking the one feature that even some of the most faithful FFR owners admit is a design drawback and grafting it onto a brand new, cutting edge chassis design just makes me ask WHY???!!!

[casaleenie]

I'll second that:


WHY?

[Excaliber]

Indeed!!!

[800hp]

Just to clear up the body issue with the first 2cars we did the body was mounted a little high in the rear now it sits 3" lower. we did a new bird cage ,new doors and trunk lid. the car from every angle looks great . we are very happy with the end results and i think everyone will like it. we just fit a boss429 in a car 750 hp! awesome the owner loves it . if anyone has any questions please call us.also we do take all of your comments very serious we want to offer you the best cobra possible . we dont went to be the biggest just the best and from the prase(sp) we get from everyone that drives the car our sales are starting to prove it. thanks Jim

[Excaliber]

Pictures of the new design?

[decooney]

I watched the black car come together before the body work - body off and being worked on, during, and after it was painted. Let there be no mistake, Ken's team did not just primer and paint it. There was some work to do for sure, and Ken' team defnitely needs to be recognized for their contribution to make the end result what it is now.

As for shape up close, it looks more different in person than you can see in these pictures on a website. To me, the front and rear have their own unique shape. In the pictures it does look sort of like an FFR back and closer to an ERA front, but not an exact copy of either. As you can tell from the pictures the rear clip does not come down as far and the rear tires and chassis are more exposed. You do see a peak at the top of each rear quarter fenders more like an FFR.

I'd be more interested in hearing someones actual driving (not ride along comparison) experieince when comparing the Cutting Edge to other cars such as CSX4000s or ERAs or other cars. Keep in mind, when you put super wide and sticky 17" Michelin Pilot type tires on many of cars they will most certainly handle much better than they do with 15" radials.

[800hp]

well duane that was the first body out of a brand new mould and yes it needed work no one ever said ken just primed and painted it ken has been the main guy on getting our body as good as it is now 20 bodys later . jim savoy was driving the car also larry davi drove it. as far as the body shape you are so off on your view the only part thats like a ffr is the height of the side at the cowl thats it . fender wells and flairs of a hitech and trunk and hood like a era as far as shape . why dont you come down and drive it for yourself and then you can say something . how long have you been doing this for? i have been building race cars for 25 years and racing for 36. Jim

[decooney]

Hi Jim,
I appreciate the invite, and would certainly entertain a thorough (30+ minute or so) test drive and opportunity to report first hand "driving" impressions back to this thread. I will only agree to do this if we can drive on real back roads. Surface streets and highways don't cut it in my book. And, as to your question about me, a total of 27 years rebuilding, building, driving, and various racing intermixed also including karts, motorcycles, and racing boats. Built three Cobras ground up, two for myself, and several partial builds on friend's Cobras. Not to toot my own horn, but as for Cobra driving experiences, I have driven ERA, Superformance, Unique, SPF, FFR, Butler, Arntz, JCF, Shell Valley, orig Shelby, West Coast, Everette Morrison, Classic Roadsters, and possibly a few others I'm forgetting at the moment, and have riddin in just about everything else known in replica Cobra land at this point. I truly enjoy the cars and making comparisons, openly and objectively. Function first, and flashy parts mean nothing to me so you know where I come from.

If you are looking for objective public feedback from someone else to add on your list, I can certainly do that and will report back the results in detail, right here on ClubCobra. Please give me a few weeks to get down there between business trips. I can probably do it before September 1st.

If you want to do this, I would ask that you agree up front to allow me to report back my opinions about the entire driving experience not limited to just handling. I will probably bring 2-3 others with Cobras and we can pick somewhere to really drive the car and see how she runs out.

Questions:

In your eyes, do I meet your qualifications to evaluate your CER?

Is your demo car legally registered to drive on CA roads?

Can we plan a trip/drive over near the backroads of Lake Berryessa and plan this out to make it worth the time for both of us?

Are you still up to this?

Email me through CC and we can plan it out. I look forward to it.
Thanks,
Duane

[800hp]

duane, we have every back road in the valley to the foothills roam on with almost no traffic . lake berryessa is 3hrs from us after 8/24 this car will be back with it's owner . and as far as your report back to cc thats the only wey we would want it. we will have our demo soon so after that we can work it out .also we were out in the back roads your right how can you drive a car to its limit on city streets hwy.26 to west point would be a great road to play on. thanks Jim

[decooney]

Hi Jim,
As you mentioned, lets try it after you get your demo car back, and its set up the way you think it should be. I did not realize you were that far away. Hwy 26 sounds great for something like this. Excellent.

Please contact me through CC once you get your demo back, and we'll set a date to come down. I'll bring 2-3 other fairly experienced Cobra owners consisting of one SPF owner, one ERA owner, maybe JBL and Arntz owners to start. These guys are all super critical however, studying all these cars like I do. We'll check it out with you and agree to provide honest and objective feedback. Not to worry, the only motivation we have is we enjoy these cars and always looking forward to the lastest creations.

To help us understand the basics of the evaluation, what is the approximate base price (minus eng/trans) of the CER you will be providing for demo?

Thanks!

[Virgule]

I'm very interested in the CER Cobra and was wondering what the outcome of this thread was.

[jmarsey]

I'm still in!

[decooney]

Virgule,
I left phone messages and emails, with no response regarding an evaluation drive. A group of us were looking forward to making an objective hands-on evaluation and comparison.

On a related note, one of the vendors coming to the Western States Cobra Bash in May is possibly bringing one of his customers CER cars for his booth since he's painted a few of them already. We hope to catch up then and see what's beyond the parts. There is a local guy selling his CER here in Folsom, CA and maybe we'll get a chance to catch up with him once this darn rain lets up. It's still on my agenda if we are still invited. We'll see.

Here is a link to the local car for sale, if you are interested: http://www.chooseyouritem.com/classi...00/138719.html

[Virgule]

Frankly, that worries the hell out of me. I have no doubt that the car's chassis and suspension design are first rate, but the kitcar world is littered with great cars moldering in the grave of business misfortune. I'm also considering a JBL, but my only gripe about that car's design is the chopped flat racer look of the body, which detracts from the classic svelte lines I'm looking for. Last but not least, I'm thinking about a British Gardner Douglas.

Decisions, decisions.

[jmarsey]

Virgule,

The JBL does not care nor does it try to imitate the classic "cobra" look. They are not replicas. They are JBL.

Good luck with your search, John

[FUNFER2]

I have red the posts about the Cutting Edge Cobra's. Curious, any updates ?
The chassis & suspension looks fantastic, and sounds like one, posted member has driven the car. Since the threads are fairly old, have they changed the body any to look more original ? The rear has a definite rake, according to the photo's. The nose looks different or maybe it's my eye's ?
The kit cost is in the upper scale of manufactures of apx. 40k. By looking at their web-site, the suspension is the best, even when compared to ERA, Shelby, Kirkham ect. (just my observation.... of photo's) The body is the most concerning. How is the fit & finish ? Doors, hood, trunk, wheel wells and over all body lines. I'm one of the guy's that like the old school look of 15" wheels. The 17's look too big for the car, like a Hot Rodded cobra. Is the car built for 17's ? I do like having 12" of tire contact though. What about the rest of the car. Interior, carpet, seats, wiring, ect...........? If any of you have a completed car, what was the total cost ? Photo's of builds to finished car would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Kevin