Your fastest high speed pass

[BevanWright]

I have had my cobra just under 180mph at a circuit based at an airfield, on the rev limiter in top.

It did get a little light feeling, and once I popped my head over the top of the aeroscreen and just about pulled my head off.

The car had aeroscreen and covered passenger compartment, I made a flat bottom, and was going to make an air dam, but now we can not race at the airfield any more. Plan had been to hit 200.

[smada001]

My fastest was just a little over 200mph. The NASCAR driver Brad Kesilowski has a foundation called the Checkered Flag Foundation (checkeredflagfoundation.org). His foundation brings wounded veterans to watch his races and hang out with him (when he's not busy preparing for the race). Notice that when he wins races, he grabs an American Flag for his celebratory burnouts, not the checkered flag.

On the Monday following his Sunday race, he takes all of the vets and their spouses for hot laps around in one of his specialty NASCARS he had made (with passenger seats) for his foundation. I went to Talladega last year, thanks to his foundation, and Brad drove me around on a hot lap going 200+.

Oh, and it didnt hurt that he happend to win that race last year. Going to victory lane, meeting El Capitan, getting sticky from the celebration, and hanging with Brad's sister for two days made for an amazing experience.

[Lex]

I was in a track event at Nashville Superspeedway with my old engine (just over 400 rwhp) and they got me on radar on the front straight at 147 passing a Porsche. I went to 5th gear as I went around him and about the time I pulled back in front of him all hell broke loose!! Concrete track, 9 quarts of oil, Racing slicks and the rest is priceless!!

[henrik]

approx. 125 mph in the cobra... no fun above 100

approx. 150 mph heading North on the German autobahn in a BMW 535 ("road train / convoy" of 4 cars in the night... I was last in line letting the front clear the left lane for a little hour on our way home from skiing

But the most fun on... a brand new Volvo R was giving me the angry lights from about 5 Feet distance - wanting to pass me badly... I was in my "sleeper" 1998 Saab 900 convertible on the highway doing 85 mph - when Right lane was free I changed lane, but the very moment he came passing at full trottle I let the turbo rotate... at 155 mph he gave up ( cars in Europe are often restricted to mph 155 and my mechanic have had my Saab at 175 mph )

[FWB]

a certain speed in a car that can do that speed verses a car that is,.... well not made to go anywhere near that speed.

140 mph in a 66 buick riviera is a bit scary........have driven faster in other cars, but that ride had the most pucker power...i don't think the tires were touching the road in the front....lol

[Mdman352]

135 twice and 145 once with plenty of pedal left on drag radials. Decided it was awful fast and I'd better back off. I still love nailing it from a start up to 100 though.

[itstock]

GPS or speedometer? I've been 168 gps in another car. And 139 gps in an suv (which was more comforting than the car at the same speed).

Eventually I'll give the Cobra a try, but I think that right around 130 which I should reach in a 1/4 is where my comfort level will be breached in this car.

[Luce]

I hit 145 when the car only had 400 miles on it. The wife insisted I slow down, but I had more than plenty left. I had just shifted into 6th to cruise. Other than the violent wind, all systems were go. This was at a Octcobrafest in the Hill Country.

I had my SL 600 to 155, then blued the rotors on the freeway, with the top down.

[wetdog]

ok heres mine, cobra some where around 140 lots of buffeting not very pleasant.

zx 14 with the governor defeated ,203 on the gps it was a life changing expirence i did it once and never again ...i was kinda affected by it for a while it wasnt hard or really scary but really intense! kids dont try it even at home .

[Bernica]

Back in my "mis-spent youth"...120+ mph in a '61 Ford Starliner with a 427 medium-riser. No seat belts. I believe I used up a life in that one and remember it to this day.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Bernica

Back in my "mis-spent youth"...120+ mph in a '61 Ford Starliner with a 427 medium-riser. No seat belts. I believe I used up a life in that one and remember it to this day.

I'm envious - A 61 Starliner with a 427 and top loader would be an awsome car to have.

[vector1]

160mph on a honda cbr900 on a deserted county road that looked pool table flat, that turned out to have more undulations than a mountain range.

[garyjettrike]

wile test driving cobras for dax in the UK i have exceeded 170 mph many times but on one occasion i did bend the wind screen and the centre stay with the mirror fell of so i never wanted to push it any higher than that with a windscreen on, the cobra had a 502 Chevy with a 5 speed tremec and a 2.88 jag diff

[landmass]

The fastest I've had my Hurricane Motorsports Cobra was 140 mph at 6400 rpm(4th gear) on the long straightaway at Palm Beach International Raceway. I shifted into 5th gear, but didn't seem to gain any speed in the few seconds I had before having to slow down for a curve. The car remained steady and felt solid. I may have been able to go faster, but ran out of straight track.

[Tim7139]

About 188, give or take a couple, in my '06 Gallardo. 6 lane closed highway, still not too bright on my part......stable, but things happen pretty quick.

[cycleguy55]

My fastest behind the wheel was 40+ years ago. My first car was a '56 Ford Sedan Delivery that came with a 272 CI Y-block, 2 bbl. carb and an oil bath air cleaner. I transplanted a 312 CI with a 4 bbl. and drove that for a while. I was on a local highway an decided to open it up one night and saw an indicated 127 MPH on the speedo needle before the dancing front end convinced me to back off. Well, that and a couple of bent pushrods...

A couple of years before that I was a passenger in a 440 GTX as we were heading to the lake. The driver had it wound up to about 140 MPH for a short while, but like my old Ford the front end got light at those speeds. Damned wipers didn't work well either, so he had to back it down when we got a few sprinkles.

Still a newbie with the Cobra, but looking forward to finding a safe place to play and try it out.

[66gtk]

Young and dumb at age 17 in my dad's 1985 vette. Are you all aware that a bone stock vette back then could do 150? Well, I got it up to 152 according to the digital speedometer (the analog stopped at 85). Bugs crash really quick onto the windshield at that speed in rural ND.

[Dwight]

2014 Ford Focus 119 on the speedo but 120 on the GPS That's all it would do.

not bad for a 2 liter

[Igofastr]

Took a small SUV to 140 on the autobahn. Had the GT40 to 125 yesterday (not sayin' where). Had the Cobra to 135-136 on a small track outside Reno.

[Phill Pollard]

Not me or mine but there is a guy that runs the standing mile at the Mojave Mile event when I do.

His car is listed in the results section as a 1965 Shelby Cobra. I've seen the car but was too busy to really check it out very well so I can't say if it is genuine or a replica.

His name is listed as Virgil Benton and his hometown is shown as La Jolla, CA

I see 3 runs he made in the October 12-13, 2013 event:

1). 184.5 mph
2). 187.6 mph
3). 192.6 mph (his best time of the weekend)


I also see 2 runs he made at the April 12-13, 2014 event:

1). 191.7 mph
2). 191.9 mph

That's haulin' BALLS especially in a open cockpit car. I run my 2010 GT500 there and my best speed was 187.3 mph but I just couldn't imagine running my Cobra at anywhere near that kind of speed.

I think the driver would run out of balls long before the car did.


Phill Pollard - Co. Springs, CO
ERA 427 SC Cobra #446