Cobra vs Today's Cars

[undy]

My 600+ hp Cobra would get totally destroyed on a track event (HPDE) by my 509 rwhp 07 Z06, driven by the same "skilled" driver. 40 plus years of technology has improved the breed. There are some here that drive Hondas as their daily driver that might argue the point though, thinking all other new cars perform similarly..


To those that can pop a sub-7.40 Nurburgring time with their Cobra, I will humbly retract my previous statement.

Dave

[Bailey]

The answer depends absolutely on which Cobra, how it is prepped, and which street car.
Just like you cannot compare a C4 to a C6 Vette.
There are some very good cars in current production, and some really poorly designed replicas.

[Tommy]

I don't believe there is a single correct answer to the original question. When I ran autocross, there were few modern cars I could stay with because the courses were so tight. I did much better on middle length tracks where top speeds maxed out around 100 MPH. They gave me room to use my power/weight advantage. On tracks with long stretches that allowed top speeds above 140, the Cobra's terrible aerodynamic drag was a disadvantage against modern cars with slippery shapes. The bottom line is that no one car is better than all other cars on all tracks. This Corvette C5 Z06 owner learned that a few years ago when we met at a track day event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz7tLHkOiRE

[vettestr]

Tommy,
Good run. It is all about working what you have or being able to use what you do have. The Z06 is clearly no slouch but was out classed on this day and track. Why were you able to run quicker than the Z06, I am asking you to identify your cars advantages or disadvantages and ignore any driver skill variables? I guess it would only be fare to ask for the same comparison to as delivered 1966? Cobra. Not sure if that should be a big block because of your HP or a small block to match weight. Ford's 1971 claim for a Boss 351 was 330 hp (246 kW) @ 5400, 370 lb·ft (502 N·m) @ 4000. Does this answer todays technology cars to yesterdays and what cars if so?

I suspect you have higher HP #'s and weigh about 30 percent less than the 3200 pound Vette. Your a shorter wheelbase with less track width to apply about the same suspension makes an interesting mix, is this an advantage or disadvantage overall?

stolen info from .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette_C5_Z06
The stock Z06 weighs in about 3200 LBS with the LS6 engine = The initial 2001 LS6 produced 385 bhp (287.1 kW) and 385 lb·ft (522 N·m), but the engine was modified for 2002 through 2004 to produce 405 bhp (302 kW) and 400 lb·ft (542 N·m) of torque.

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by vettestr

Tommy,
Good run. It is all about working what you have or being able to use what you do have. The Z06 is clearly no slouch but was out classed on this day and track. Why were you able to run quicker than the Z06, I am asking you to identify your cars advantages or disadvantages and ignore any driver skill variables? I guess it would only be fare to ask for the same comparison to as delivered 1966? Cobra. Not sure if that should be a big block because of your HP or a small block to match weight. Ford's 1971 claim for a Boss 351 was 330 hp (246 kW) @ 5400, 370 lb·ft (502 N·m) @ 4000. Does this answer todays technology cars to yesterdays and what cars if so?

I suspect you have higher HP #'s and weigh about 30 percent less than the 3200 pound Vette. Your a shorter wheelbase with less track width to apply about the same suspension makes an interesting mix, is this an advantage or disadvantage overall?

stolen info from .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette_C5_Z06
The stock Z06 weighs in about 3200 LBS with the LS6 engine = The initial 2001 LS6 produced 385 bhp (287.1 kW) and 385 lb·ft (522 N·m), but the engine was modified for 2002 through 2004 to produce 405 bhp (302 kW) and 400 lb·ft (542 N·m) of torque.

My guess is that my car and the Z06 had similar power to work with, but I had two big advantages and one smaller one. My biggest advantage was the 800# in additional weight he was carrying. Second, he was running whatever tires come standard on that car and I was running Hoosier racing tires. Lastly, this was not my first track day, so my car was pretty well sorted out(e.g., corner weights, tire pressures and shock absorber settings).

The earlier reference to Top Gear's lap times got me thinking. I noted that two of the fastest times on their web sites were by the same car, one with and one without a rear wing/spoiler. The Koenigsegg CCX dropped its lap time by almost three seconds by improving its aero down force. I think that says a lot about why Cobras became obsolete as race cars as the competition embraced aerodynamics back in the 60s. That is also why I believe they probably wouldn't fare well against modern supercars on most tracks.