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Who do you let drive your Cobra ?
I just thought I would pose this question as to whom would you let drive your Cobra.
My eldest son is now off his P plates and now I don't see the cobra unless it needs fuel. I am more than happy for anybody to drive it. I am happy for my friends to drive it so they can experience the fun of the drive. The only proviso I have is, if you bend it, then you have to help mend it. I know there are a lot of you out there who are more discerning on who gets a drive. So who would you let drive it? Rod |
I am probably in the minority here but I just let very few trusted people drive my Cobra, and then I was with them and only on a back road with no or very little traffic as my insurance only covered me as a driver. As for the Coupe, right now there is only one person that I have let drive it and I trust him completely.
Ron :) |
Depends on the car. The first Cobra I built was fairly mild, with a decent 302 and a C4 auto. I let a lot of people drive it. It was fun, cool, and not overly dangerous.
This car is brutal. Excellent suspension and brakes, brutal amounts of power. Enough power to get you in trouble in a heart beat. I let very few people drive this car. Disrespect this car once, and it will kill you. |
I've let a number of friends and my 22 year old son drive mine, but always with me in it. I let them get on it a bit, but not go all out. I wouldn't be comfortable letting anyone drive off in it without me - I think the temptation to romp down on it to see if it's hype or real would be pretty strong for a lot of people. The difference between the passenger seat and experiencing driving it is day and night so I'm happy to let friends have that opportunity.
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My brother drove mine - but only in a parking lot. He is bigger than me with boat sized feet and wide sole tennis shoes on, I wasn't sure he could reliably find the brake pedal down in the tight foot box if he had to stop suddenly on a city street. I think he agreed once he got in and started to drive it. I would be very unlikely to let someone drive it on streets without proper footwear and a little time to get familiar with the pedal layout.
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No one but myself.
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I let a lot of people drive mine. But I don't let just anybody drive it. I have to know they can handle it.
Dwight |
I actively encourage my wife to drive mine. I rarely ever get to see a Cobra driving down the road so when we're both out in separate cars I often ask her to drive the Cobra home so I can follow along and enjoy the view. She's a competent but careful driver and I've encouraged her to drive all of my hotter cars. I've also let a few friends drive as well with me riding shotgun.
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im building mine so if the mrs wants to take it and pick up a g/f and go for coffee she can she drove our gtr skyline with no probs . ive promised my son a drive as he is a very capable driver and has cut hundreds of laps in my race cars over the yrs .
at the end of the day it's still just a car and to be enjoyed it should be used . when a friend of mine built his nearly 20 odd yrs ago I had a towing business and towed his cobra too the painters and auto elec /trimmers ect ect and never charged him once the car was on the road he tossed me the keys on a Friday night and was told to bring it back on sunday night me and the ex drove it all weekend it was that car that got me to build my first one . |
I'd let my wife drive mine. Her daily is an M4 with a stick. She doesn't seem interested in driving it though. That's about it.
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So far only one other person has drove mine and I did so b/c I drove his Superformance....I offered to my dad once but I think he was scared����
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Wife
Brother in law Son when of age. Friends that can swap cars. That us always fun |
A gal let me drive her '34 Ford, I didn't return the favor. No guilt. + my insurance expressly states "no guest drivers".
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My wife asked to drive it once and I said yes no problems. After I explained all the little nuances of things like the pedals being offset to the right (in RHD Cobra that is) and non-power assisted brakes, she said - no. Maybe another time.
My three sons who "helped" me build it have all had a drive with me in it, but they are not very good in a manual as they all drive autos. Although the Cobra is just about impossible to stall given its torque. :-) I wouldn't feel comfortable letting my sons drive it on their own as I feel its too tempting to do something that will bite them or someone else. The car doesn't bother me, its them hurting themselves or someone else. Maybe when they are in their 30's rather than 20's :-) cheers Gregg |
My 24 year old son has been the only other person I trust to drive "Buford"
The first time was when we drove it back from picking it up in California. I let him take the wheel about half way back to Idaho. He had, to that point, just had the "passenger seat" experience. I told him to step on it as we got back on the interstate. He did and the look on his face was priceless. It scared the Sh!!!t out of him. That had to be the best thing I could have done because he gained a high degree of respect for the machine. He is more cautious than I now days driving it. Later that same day, on the long straight by Pumpernickel Valley, NV, he took it up to 150. Fast learner. All other people that pester me to drive it, I reply that they can when they hand over a signed check for the value of the car, for me to hold. No "bend it / mend it". It's "Break it / Buy it". So far all check books have stayed with their wives. |
Years ago, my tuner took my car for a road test after some dyno tuning. Upon returning the keys, he emphatically commented not to let anyone else drive my car. I suspect things may have gotten a little sideways, lol.
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Two other people have driven my car. They both have high performance driving experience to say the least. I have had many people ask to drive it. I offer to take them for a ride and they can drive it carefully after we get back. At the conclusion of one ride after a car show, the gentlemen called me an a$$hole for accelerating like I did. I have since seen him at other shows and he tells people I almost made him crap his pants. Hasn't asked to drive it since. And no, he didn't want to drive it after the ride. My 15 year old son will be taught to drive it so he knows how to drive a manual. As you know, these cars aren't very forgiving. Be safe.
Scott |
nobody but the buyer or a $65K deposit.
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Take 'em for a ride and show 'em how fast it really is. Most people have no idea what these cars are capable of. They likely won't want to drive it after that. These cars can be lethal in the wrong hands. Even my buddies that we race with are surprised at how quick mine is. I know how fast it can swap ends. I wouldn't want to be responsible for their deaths.
This thread reminds me of a very well-off guy in a nearby town. Upon his son's 16th birthday he presented the kid with the keys to a new Viper. The kid promptly went out and wrapped it around a pole, killing himself and injuring his passenger. I wonder if the father would do it again. |
My wife has driven it once, and my father borrows it occasionally maybe once or twice a year.
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