Cobra quandary

[Snake Psychosis]

'morning all,

I haven't been posting much as I havent' learned enough to make any sort of informed statements on a regular basis. I have, however, been dutifully snooping as much as possible with regard to what sort of Cobra that I will end up wanting to acquire.

To that end, I have come to a point where I'd like some opinions on more of an aesthetic plane. You see, I've been vacillating between the 427 Roadster and the Coupe. I realize in the end it's basically a matter of taste to the recreational driver, but I'd like to get input that perhaps I haven't thought of yet.

As such, I've listed some of the pro's and con's of each below, and I'd appreciate whatever input you folks might be able to provide. Who knows, perhaps it may sway me in one direction or the other.

427 Roadster Pros
1. Sexy all day...even to those that don't know a stinking thing about cars.
2. Fast as hell, but then the coupe is too, so that's somewhat moot depending on the circumstances.
3. Convertible, with the options of hardtop or softtop.

427 Roadster Cons
1. An open air car on a trip over 100 miles might be a bit much if you don't like the wind beating the hell out of you for hours on end.
2. Loud...but then, the coupe is too, so again, that's a wash. (personally, I'm sick of how quiet my Cadillac is, so that'd be ducky with me).
3. No room...from what I've read, some roadsters are not exactly roomy, and I've been told most drivers end up with their heads slightly over the top of the windshield.

Daytona Coupe Pros
1. Sexy all day...but usually to those that actually know what the heck it is.
2. Fast as hell, and from what I've read, with identical engine setups, the coupe is faster due to aerodynamics. That, however, is a moot point if I never take it to the track to utilize those characteristics. Besides, where besides the track am I going to be tearing down the road at 200mph?
3. Hardtop...for those that like the lack of turbulence a hardtop can offer, this is a plus. Some people tire of roadsters after a while of wind beating on them. This does not, however, suggest that you can HEAR better in a coupe vs. a roadster. The other plus about this is that it's more weather friendly...I live in the northwest, and believe me, noone can predict the weather around here for more than a few hours at a time.
4. Ease of work...from what I've been able to figure, working on a coupe would seem somewhat easier than it would be for a roadster. With its tilt nose, engine access seems quite simple, and the fear of damaging the paint or body due to work on the motor would appear reduced. Maybe I'm wrong on this, but the roadster looks like you'd have to contend with treating the fenders with kid gloves while you try to work on the plant.

Daytona Coupe Cons
1. Heat...from what I've been able to ascertain, unless you buy a Superformance with the AC already installed, you're going to cook. Roadsters seem to be notorious for retaining heat in the cockpit, and without an auxilliary AC system, or proper venting, enjoyment might be brought to a minimum.
2. Loud...as I said before, so is the roadster, but with the enclosed cabin, the coupe seems to have the potential for creating hearing loss over extended use. As I've seen some people say in here........"What's the point in a stereo?.......all you do is spend your time saying "What? What?" anyway!"
3. Lack of recognizability...face it, we like these cars because they have a certain appeal, and we like that they appeal to the general public too. The coupe, while instantly recognizable to any motorhead, is generally somewhat of a mystery to Joe Public. I've actually seen a coupe replica at a show, and wanted to just stand back and watch people for a bit. Sure enough, I got to hear some of the standard comments..."What is it?" "It's a Jaguar!" "It's a Ferrari!"............while this is somewhat amusing, I also watched the owner, and their mild look of discontentment at the fact that people don't know what the heck their car is.


I realize these are mostly aesthetic concepts, but that's kind of where my mind is at the moment. There are other reasons to consider either car, like resale, but I wanted to keep the scope of my current line of blathering fairly focused. In any event, I appreciate whatever input you folks can provide.

tim

[Brian F.]

I live in the northwest and have a roadster. Heat really hasn't been that much of an issue, a few weeks are really hot here and it's been fine. Get a footbox vent kit and you're good to go. You can always get a soft or hardtop for a roadster. Rain is sort of bothersome here, but it wouldn't matter to me if there was a top or not, if it's raining, I'm not driving.

[Ron61]

Both cars are great. I actually watched two grown men get into a fist fight over whether my roadster was a Falcon or Comet once. I sold the roadster because here in Calif. where I live it is just to hot in the summer to do much driving. I now have a Coupe and even though it too is hot, I enjoy it. And as you said, a lot of people don't really know what it is. Just some kind of race car is the most often comment I have heard so far. Being old, I actually like the coupe because of the no air in the face thing, but there was no problem with hair as I have none. A plus for the roadster was the trunk, though small it would hold a few things. The Coupe has no trunk as you know.

Ron

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by Snake Psychosis

4. Ease of work...from what I've been able to figure, working on a coupe would seem somewhat easier than it would be for a roadster. With its tilt nose, engine access seems quite simple, and the fear of damaging the paint or body due to work on the motor would appear reduced. Maybe I'm wrong on this, but the roadster looks like you'd have to contend with treating the fenders with kid gloves while you try to work on the plant.

Tim, on first blush you are correct. But study the coupe a little harder the next time you pop up the front end...I swear there are at least a few spark plugs that CANNOT be removed without pulling the headers. The foot boxes on a Coupe take up quite a bit of room in the engine bay.

Just throw a lot of soft, 100% cotton bath towels over a Roadster fender and you are good. Getting the Roadster off the ground also makes working under the hood significantly easier with less bending over (see my gallery for pics of my homemade ramps and you will see what I mean). Yes, the engine bays on these little cars are tight at times, but they can be worked on with some care, the right tools and a little patience. The trick (and hard part) is having all three at the same time.

-Dean

[Dan Stryffeler]

I can't speak to the coupe, but a little more insight into the roadster based on the recent trip to the London Cobra Show.

About 110 miles each way; have to stop half way to strech legs and give the ears a rest. We left the folding chairs at home, and bought a new set in Columbus knowing we would have to give them away on Sunday, along with a new cooler.

Clothes for two were packed in 4 grocery plastic bags - car cover takes up quite a bit of what space there is.

Forget about conversation, which may or may not be a bad thing depending on your travel companion

Open top and questionable wipers (Lucas) lead to stress when we saw big dark clouds looming ahead of us, and all the traffic coming at us with their headlights on... just like a bike, you start looking for overpasses to park under (just in case).

And it's always fun to have some yahoo pull up next to you and lay on the horn and give subsequent thumbs up.

Al in all, the car is a blast, but not what I would call a relaxing trip in the country.

The coupes were starting to look pretty attractive as an option by the time we got home.

Dan

[Chaplin]

Originally Posted by Snake Psychosis

'morning all,

I haven't been posting much as I havent' learned enough to make any sort of informed statements on a regular basis.

tim

Tim-
If you read enough around here ,you will quickly realize that that is not a requirment for posting!

[tcrist]

Tim,
As a note, I have seen a few tilt front ends on Cobras. A lot of work but I'll bet its worth it in the end.

[ERA2188]

I owned a roadster (Unique 289 FIA) for 2 years in Miami, and have a new ERA 289 FIA being built. As long as you're driving (some sun block and a good hat) the heat really isn't an issue (unless you're stuck in city traffic in August). As far as 'road trips'. I periodically drive from Miami to Key West and back on a Sunday, for the ride. 300 miles round trip. Stop for coffee, lunch, and it is really enjoyable. I have driven 350 miles one way to a cobra event, then back 2 days later. That is somewhat of a chore after the first 250 miles. But after getting back by early afternoon, I STILL took her out for a spin at 6:00 PM. You either really like these roadsters or you don't. RD

[Mister]

Maybe that is why vanilla and chocolate are made...............

I think the "right" answer is "Which do you prefer?"

I love the open car and look forward to a few hundred mile drive........I came back from the Dragon last fall, 7.25 hours with one gas stop........cold, wet and grinning.

But I also understand that a loud open car is not for everyone.

Mike

[double ugly]

I had a big block in the Hi Tech. At 70mph the gearing was such that the rpm was at 2000 and conversation was easy. Not noisy at all.
John

[Dan Stryffeler]

Mine is a 3:55 gear, running about 3000rpm at 70mph, between the wind, side pipes and old age... it's tough to hold a conversation.

Dan

[Steve R]

Tim,
Just my opinion FWIW:
Get the car that most arouses your passion. Leave the practicality at home with your Toyota or Beemer.
The roadster does it for me. Loud?.. wear ear plugs on long trips, or you could go with under car exhaust. Rain? not too worry, you won't melt... drill holes in the floor pans so it has a place to exit the car. (not joking). Don't stop. Just drive through the storm while enjoying the look of disbelief on your passenger's face. You'll laugh about craziness like that for years to come. Trunk space? pack light. There are laundra-mats and stores all across America; we're not talking about going on a safari or anything.
Remember, not everything worth doing in life is about creature comforts. Mountain climbing, camping, bicycle racing, marathons come to mind.
If the coupe gets you mojo flowing, then that is the one for you.

This is a TOY.
Which TOY have you really been day dreaming about ???

Steve

[Michael C Henry]

One thing that will hoild true is for every advantage there is a disadvantage. You will always find the is a tradeoff. The more drastic you go the greater the cons. Look it all over first and make a descision on what you want and what you are willing to live with. Once you sign it's yours and thats it.
Roadsters are subject to the weather but you can see and be seen. Weather is sometimes a good thing sometime it's bad. You may like the wind in your hair or in my case on my head. Chances are your wife or grill friend will sometime have iiisues with all that. Sun is a good thing but I like cloudy dry days . I usually wear a ball cap. I have to make sure I do not look up at speed . Usally I can't pull the hat any further down on my head. Sunglasses limit how far down I can pull the hat. And I buy sunglasses that tend to wrapp around to stop the air from causing my eyes to tear up. Roadsters leak. My Uncle described it as the type of car that you want to make sure the water can get out.
You can't realy secure a roadster ,you have to pick your parking spots and watch out for your car and your stuff. Last week I drove downtown to meet my wife for lunch. I circled the block four times to find a spot. Then I watched it rain in and on m,y car while I watched from an office window. Her friends found a parking spot on the way to the resturant about half a block from the resturant door. While in the restuant I heard a loud exhaust noise something like my car makes (Ithought it was my car). I jumped up to see and missed the step on the raised floor of our booth and stumbled ,turns out to be a couple of drag cars on a flatbed truck and trailer.
If you want to hear the noise that your car makes it's great. I don't know what good a radio would be in my car.
Colors are a big thing. My car is white . It's cool to the touch but hard on the eyes in the bright sunnlight, sun glasses help. The darker you go the hotter the side of the car. Black seats get hot in the bright sun , take a towel.
Do you think I have an oppinion? I had a car before and hav had this car since August of 99. What else did you want to hear about. I can tel a tail.

[Ron61]

Red,

I can change all 8 of the plugs in my Coupe and don't have to mess with the headers. The # 7 and # 8 plugs just require crawling under the car twice for a minute.

Ron

[wtm442]

Snake Phycosis

Buy one of each! If you intend to do a lot of long distance mileage, the coupe might be better, but it MUST have AC. But if you just want to do short drives, go for the roadster. Make sure you sit inside both before making a decision. Both can be on the tight side if you are on the big side!

Do this forum a favor - stop wishin' and a talkin' and go buy one.

NOW

[Snake Psychosis]

I appreciate the input from everyone, as it helps round out the thoughts goin' through my melon. I'm obviously going to have to try to find a couple of each to take a seat in to see how they fit, but like I said, my questions were more of the aesthetic nature, and I wanted to see what opinions were out there.

It's giong to take a while to figure out exactly what I'm after, but as others have suggested, the legwork is what will help in the long run with regard to satisfaction with one's final decision.

As for you, Warren...

Originally Posted by wtm442

Do this forum a favor - stop wishin' and a talkin' and go buy one.

NOW

...I've posted a whopping 15 times, and you're giving me flak about talking too much? Perhaps more appropriate advice is for you to ease up on the caffeine, or maybe the suggestion for you to go pound sand.

Oh, and Ron...with regard to those two guys you saw that got into a fist fight over the identification of a car...I'm thinknig that car knowledge was the least of their problems. (funny tho)

Anyway, again, I'd like to thank everyone for their input (even Warren, notwithstanding his short fuse). This isn't a decision I want to take lightly, as I want this to be something that I will be involved with for years to come. 'later!

tim

[Frank Messina]

Pick the one that excites you the most and vow to overcome or live with the inconveniences. If you can't abide loud, hot, cold, cramped and/or wet depending where you live, the honeymoon will soon end. On the other hand there are times when none of that's a factor, the temperature is perfect, the sky is blue, you're cruising at about 2000 RPMs, the sidepipes are just a burble, you're having a conversation with your wife/girlfriend/whatever, and the breeze is caressing your cheek (roadster of course) like an old lover. It's rides like that that made my wife a convert. When I started my build she was convinced I had lost every last ounce of sense I ever might have had. She is now the main agitator to take the Cobra out. Life is good. Pick one and have a blast.
Frank

[Ron61]

Snake,

Warren was just kidding with you. He is one of the more kind people on the club. His only problem is his love for his wooden Turtle.

If you get a chance go to some shows and look at different makes and types. Even ask for a ride if you know anyone close. Also ask about the problems and things they have ran into during the build. Wish you were close to here and you could look at some beautiful roadsters, my Coupe and a friends GT-40 that isn't finished yet. Whatever you decide on, you will enjoy it more than you can imagine. est wishes.

Ron

[Michael C Henry]

Just for something to do we are driving from Tacoma WA to Astoria Org. Spend the night with her Cousins and back home Saturday afternoon. I want to try and be near Tenino Wa around the time for the evening race. All in a roadster. It's supposed to be clear and 75°. Probably wear long sleeve shirts and ball caps, and sunglasses. We'll take sweatshirts, coats should be in the trunk. OH! don't forget the gas credit card.

[Norain]

Hi Tim, you Hoser. It's fun to find you here. I've been followin your quandary. Seems like a no brainer to me. THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!! I guess I see THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!! in the same light as the motorcycle. I do have and have had motorcycles most of my life. Although I don't have THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!! quite yet it's on its way, maybe early next week. Anyway, I see THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!!and the bike as loud, windy, radio delete, pure drivin experiences. My non Cobra roadster experiences come from old Corvettes and hotrods. I'm sure the coupe would be fun if you want to be cooped up in a coupe. Just wouldn't be as fun as THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!! You can be cooped up in your Cadillac. Remember you're goina roar off to meet your Cobra buddies for a few hours or a day or whatever. Your not takin a week off to tour the USA. That's what the Cadillac's for. So when you're with your pals, make that time as fun as you can. Take THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!! For those of you who don't know Tim or I, I've know this guy since the day he was born. Tim, I don't think you can make the wrong choice here. Did I happen to mention do THE ROADSTER!!!!!!!!!! Take care Tim. Cya, Jerry