Real vs. Replica, Classic Motorsports Magazine Sept issue

[Dangerous Doug]

The September issue of "Classic Motorsports Magazine" has two Cobras on the cover, one is an original and the other is a Superformance. I'm about halfway through the article and it's well-written and has a realistic point-of-view. They also have a section on various replicas of GT-40's, Corvette Grand Sports, Lotus', and well, more Cobras. Featured are ERA, Kirkham, Backdraft, FFR and so on.

Whatever happened to the Lister-Corvette replica by Beck?

This is a pretty cool issue of what I've found to be my favorite automotive magazine. Always lots of vintage racing stuff, and the editors and staff are all car guys.

As a Cobraphile, I tend to pick up every car magazine with Cobra stuff in it. If you're like me, this is one you'll want to pick up.

DD

BTW: Anyone here own the SPF or the CSX featured in the article?

[Got the Bug]

Doug,

Is the magazine generally available at book stores (i.e. Bookshop Santa Cruz or Borders)?

[RodKnock]

I subscribe to the magazine Doug, so when I finish with it, I'm happy to send it to you. Specialty bookstores Borders or a cigar shop with a big magazine rack should have it.

They compare a real 427 Cobra against a SPF with a 427W. I think an aluminum CSX4000 with an FE might have made a better comparison, but what do I know.

[Dangerous Doug]

I see Classic Motorsports magazines at the Los Gatos Borders all the time. I'd imagine the SC Borders would have it as well.

Also, note that the CSX has a 428 with estimated HP around 340. I'd imagine that a SPF with a stroked 351W would pump out more HP than that.

www.classicmotorsports.net is the web site for the magazine. Worth subscribing.

DD

[Got the Bug]

Thanks Rodney! If I happen to see it, I'll pick up a copy. Is the magazine worth a subscription?

[RodKnock]

They also have a sister publication called Grassroots Motorpsorts, which is geared to the subscriber who takes they're newer (mostly) BMW, Evo, Corvette, Subaru, Lotus, etc. to the track.

Classic Motorsports features old classic British and other European as well as American cars. Very eclectic and the articles are somewhat brief and superficial in my opinion. Lots of ads too. They're doing a multi part/issue spread on restoring a Sunbeam Tiger, right now, which is nice. I subscribe to it, so I suppose it's worth the price of a subsciption.

[CobraEd]

I thought that by some peoples interpretation, a Superformance is a "Real" Cobra. Both are "Shelby Endorsed" like the continuation cars.

They shoulda compared a Backdraft or Classic Roadsters to a real one.


.

[Traveller]

Does the artice make any references to "perky butts"?

[Dangerous Doug]

You mean like the one in my photo gallery, or the FFR type?

DD

[Rickd]

Doug, that is a great shot of the ERA custom rear suspension in your gallery (the perky butts are nice too!!). Rick

[Excaliber]

A celebrity endorsement of a product does'nt make that product any more special or different than what it was before the endorsement.

A celebrity who makes a product and sell's it under his name is substantially different. Paul Newmans salad dressing products are 'real', his endorsement of someone else's salad dressing simply says he is getting paid to say he 'likes it'.

Due to the popularity of the SPF brand name it is a logical choice for a comparison to an original Cobra, based on sales numbers. But I agree, might as well compare a Classic Roadster or an FFR! A more interesting comparison would be a modern Shelby CSX, built closer to original spec with similiar engines, etc.

FFR small block, 'race specs', might just clean up in such a test! Maybe it should compare to an FIA instead. Now THAT might be interesting.

[Dangerous Doug]

Good point on the celebrity endorsement. I might start another thread on "Paul Newman's Salad Dressing: Real or Replica?" Boy, won't that one get inflammatory quickly!

The guy makes some great cookies, too. I tasted some last night. Tasted real to me.

On Classic Motorsports, yeah, they look at eclectic cars, but isn't that part of what this interest is all about? The Brock Datsun Baja 240Z article in the same issue is pretty cool to read. I haven't read the restoration story yet, but I'm getting some interesting history of the car.

Comparing a 335 hp 428-powered original Cobra vs. a 550 hp stroked-351W in an SPF is not a fair comparison. There are other, more gnarly originals out there, but they are a small magazine and probably went with the best connections they had for the comparison. Nevertheless, it was an entertaining read.

DD

[RodKnock]

Hey, I'm just happy Evan hasn't slammed me for suggesting a better comparison would have been an aluminum CSX4000 in an article entitled "Real versus Replica."

The magazine features cars much more eclectic than a 240Z, not that a 240Z is eclectic.

[jolsen42]

The original Car is a street car owned by our own Jim Maxwell who also owns an original 289 slabside. And yes, the magazine is worth the subscription. John O

[Traveller]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Doug

You mean like the one in my photo gallery, or the FFR type?

DD

Well Doug, in order for me to answer that question, I'll need to take another (5th) look at your gallery again...............

[1985 CCX]

CSX3288 is a fantastic Cobra and also very original. Hands down 3288 is an excellant example of what a Cobra is all about. A vintage car that is true to its lineage. Raw, real, and rare....

[Baxter@gretschp]

Thanks for kind words, guys.

If anyone's unfamiliar with the magazine and would like to try it out, just go to http://classicmotorsports.net/try/

If you do it within the next couple of weeks, you should get the Classic Vs. Replica issue.

You can also get a copy of GRM if you'd like to try it out:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/try/

[JWilly]

Don't know much about the 428 FE. Is it possible that the 335 hp mentioned for the 428 that was tested is rwhp? Just curious.

[Jim Maxwell]

Well, I must admit I am a tad bit embarassed to have lost out to the Superformance in this comparision. Now for "the Rest of the Story"......
This Superformance is owned by a friend of mine. We got together at an all-Ford drag strip event a few years ago and he casually challenged me to a drag race. I had the 289 with the street Michelin XWX's on it, hardly good traction.
Well, the fact is that I romped his ass big time. You should have heard the excuses, which changed every few minutes. "missed a shift", "tires were cold", "wind shear"(hot air maybe!), and then, he really got hot when I told him that my Weber equipped "289" was really a 347 stroker. "Well, that's why I lost!"

OK.

It was all in good fun and I think he did miss a shift.

However, he was quite perturbed that he had lost to a 289, so he went home, yanked out the engine and proceeded to build an engine that would "beat you next time!".

Well, we haven't met at the drag strip since, but he beat me in this comparison and I wasn't even there! I had to work, so my friend and fellow Cobra owner, Tom Cotter, drove up and picked up CSX 3288 and took it home for the comparison. That's him in all the photos with my car. It was very nice of him to arrange the comparison and go to the trouble of spending a day getting my car and handling all the details.

Factory Five was the first consideration and if we had done the comparison at VIR as first planned, that is probably is what would have been used. But that didn't work out so it was going to be at Road Atlanta before the Walter Mitty races, but that didn't work either, then Daytona,(or the other way around), so we ended up in Davidson, NC and Mike's Superformance is a wonderful car and was readily available and he was lying in wait for me all these years, the rascal!

So, there you have it. By the way, shortly after this photo shoot, I drove the car to a great auto event in Roanoke Va where George Barris was the honored guest. Friday night was a street cruise modeled after Woodward Ave in Detroit, and on Saturday they closed off the center of Downtown Roanoke and had a wonderful display of cars and thousands of spectators.

I drove up to see George Barris, who painted my car when it was new, according to the Shelby Registry and the early owners. I wasn't sure how I would get to meet him but I thought I'd give it a try. It was only a 2 hr drive and the car ran great.
As I pulled in to the registration area on Main St. I heard a voice say, "Jim Maxwell, what are you doing here?" It was a good friend of mine whose daughter was best friends with my daughter as kids, but they had moved away to Roanoke. She offered to sell me a ticket to see George Barris at the end of the day, so I bought one. Then I asked her if there was any way I could get a personal "audience" with George. Well, it turns out the entire event was organized by her brother, a major car collector, and her job was to drive Mr. Barris around all day. Amazing!
She had George Barris at my car almost before I had finished parking it. He said he remembered the car and he admired the pearl white paint and began to describe how he did it but then got interrupted. I got him to sign the glovebox on the inside, he signed the Shelby Registry section that mentions him painting the car and then he signed a document saying that Barris Kustom painted the car in early 1967. He told some great stories and was as gracious as he could be.

As you will read in the article, I have great admiration for replica Cobras. Some of my quotes may not be popular with the owners of originals, but I just said what I think. I have to say that my 428 powered Cobra is not nearly as powerful as some of the original 427 cars that have had their motors rebuilt to modern standards, and even an original real 427 engined car should outrun me by a little.

I was glad that Mike won the comparison. He has a wonderful car, and it seems he didn't miss any shifts this time!

[Jamo]

Jim

As usual...quiet class from an original owner.