chopper has left the building.....
 

This is sort of a good news/bad news post. ERA #297 has been sent to a new home in Connecticut. Interestingly, the new owner lives about 20 miles from the ERA factory, so I guess it's sort of a home coming for the car. The car was shipped out to Connecticut via Horseless Carriage transport last Wednesday. The new owner is a previous Cobra dude and a member of this web forum, who recently sold his E-M and was looking to get into an ERA, so it all seemed to fit nicely.

Two things prompted the sale. Jan is in the process of getting her pediatric clinic up and running, and we needed the cash to help her defray initial expenses for the business. She has a site selected and the contractors are already doing the interior build-out to install the necessary amenities. She has hired a pediatrician and (if I am up to speed, a big IF) a couple of nurses, and plans to open up her clinic on the corner of Apache Trail and Idaho Road in Apache Junction sometime in February. We just felt that the financial priorities at this time should be on the clinic, and the equity in the car will help her cover initial expenses until everything gets up and running.

Second, I've found that my job has involved an increasing amount of travel over the past couple of years. This has dictated that the Cobra has sat for longer and longer periods of time in the garage, and it just seemed to be a major waste. As an example, I would like to have been with you guys on the run to Tortilla this morning, but was instead driving back from some late afternoon testing down at Ft Huachuca and didn't get back to the house until around noon. It's all been a bit frustrating but that's life in the big city. The ERA represented about eight years of some relatively intense work and expense, and as usual, it seemed that just as I was getting it set up the way I wanted it, it was time to sell. I plan on getting back into the game in the future, once the clinic and my job situation sort themselves out. The wish list is for either a Daytona coupe or a Cheetah (no boos, please). I told the wife that the proceeds from the sale were a loan, not a gift, and I will be around to collect in a couple of years. Till then, I'm looking for a mint-condition Honda 650 Nighthawk for use as a weekend toy. I plan to hang around the site here, but Jan and I will miss the morning runs to Tortilla Flats and especially the Christmas parties at Herschel's.

Chopper,

Good luck on you and your wife's endevors. Some things are more important than cars and after everything is going well you can always get another one. At least you live in a state that will allow that.
Best wishes and don't stop posting when you have a chance.

Ron :)

Chopper, congratulations/condolences. Your car was a thing of beauty, and that's coming from a Chevy guy.

You know, there are people that attend things that also don't currently have a Cobra, and probably won't in the foreseeable future, right, Fitz? Oh well, Labor Day's acomin'.

%/

Christamas Parties at Hershal's....:confused:

Now If I have the right Hershal ,you may get some pressure for a GT40 instead of the Daytona etc..

Say Hi to Hershal (BTSNAKE) if you see him..%/

Bernie

Bob,

we need you also without Cobra :-)
"Call" again,

Dominik

Bob,

You and Jan are still members of Arizona Cobras. You guys have been with us since the beginning. You will not get off that easy. I expect you see you both at the anniversary party, and any of the runs you and Jan can make. If you need to relieve cobra withdrawals, I'll give you my keys.

Mike


Mike

I guess I could start a "sub-club"...

Something like "F&F AZ Cobras" -- Former and Future...

I'm the founder, eh Mikie?

:) :) :)


Ben

Ben,

You are the founder of the Future AZ Cobras.

Mike

Mikie:

Jan and I very much appreciate the invite. I must say that both of us have thoroughly enjoyed all of the events which we attended with all of the club members. Even the one run to Tortilla Flats with the "mini-Cobra" was a blast because of the club folks who are, IMHO, some of the greatest folks we have met since moving to AZ four years ago. I fully intend to get back into this in the future; it'll just take us a little time to get cleared with the clinic and all.

Seeing the car leave was one of life's bittersweet moments. I bought it eight years ago, thinking it was the last sports car I would ever have to buy. I felt I had done my homework and all, including doing things like compression checks on the engine, etc, etc, and felt I had covered all of the bases. Eight years, one engine rebuild followed by an engine replacement, a five-year battle (eventually successful) against the FE-overheat monster, a differential rebuild and a bizillion other little projects later found us at a new fork in the road, one which offered a different direction in our lives. Throughout it all, Jan has been nothing short of spectacular. Even when the engine overhaul resulted in a complete failure only 1100 miles later, her only input was "Just get it done right this time." The transport picked up the car last Wednesday, and I took it out to the truck, outside the gate, so the driver didn't have to try to maneuver a tractor-trailer through our little streets. After he had departed, I walked back to the house and stood in front of the garage, thinking how empty it looked. Jan came home and observed the same thing, then asked "What are you going to get next time?" How can you beat that?

Chopper,

Come back and visit every now and then.

Who is going to be the chief right wing wacko?

I can only aspire. :)

Best of luck to you and your wife!!!!