Cobra Kit?

[miniboy1962]

Hello guys, i am looking to buy my first cobra. There is one for sale that i have found but he does not know what kit it is? I was hoping someone would recognise the chassis from this and would be able to tell me who built it and how i could get in contact with them. Also if anyone has used this kit, how it has fared with both road handling and engineering?





Thanks for all your help.

[Kanga]

I saw that on Ebay, I was interested too, what does the current owner say?


Steve

[miniboy1962]

He said that he only just got it through his family. He doesn't know what sort of kit or what engine its set up for. It was a bit of a gamble, so i thought i'd ask here.

[Aussie Mike]

That looks like one of Dave Tuckers kits.

He posts on here from time to time and his handle is Venom0427


Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Here's a link to his gallery

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/s...0&ppuser=24829

Cheers

[miniboy1962]

Thanks Mike,

I'll PM him and see if i can get a bit of information.
Do you know whether he has sold many and if they are easily engineerable and registerable?

[miniboy1962]

That is exactly the same as the one in the pic. Thanks heaps mike. I'd been searching around all day looking through suppliers photos trying to find something. Does he own a business or does he make them himself? Sorry about all the questions i think i'm a bit excited.

[NASSTY]

I'll tell you what is not:
RCM (Bongailas) or Classic Revival.

It doesn't look like a Python Cobra (George Vidovic) either, but I couldn't be sure
http://www.python.au.com/

edit: slow to post: I started this response and then dinner called. When I posted I saw Aussie Mike's post. Bugga

[venom0427]

Originally Posted by miniboy1962

Hello guys, i am looking to buy my first cobra. There is one for sale that i have found but he does not know what kit it is? I was hoping someone would recognise the chassis from this and would be able to tell me who built it and how i could get in contact with them. Also if anyone has used this kit, how it has fared with both road handling and engineering?





Thanks for all your help.

Yeh, looks like one of “RC Sorts Cars” kits. Pretty cheep too, funny how the photo is in b/w. And it “looks like a car you just found at the back of a farm in perfect condition”.
Suss, suss, suss……………but ill take the bait...just for fun?

Look if the guy is Gen. And he is selling it for $4800 (the same price I’m selling a body new??) then it’s a good buy, just for the parts and the chassis.

As for the engineering?????????????????.... That was left up to T.I.C. who I have not heard of them for about 8 years.
And on top of that how are you going to build a car prior to the new regs…?

Is the Melb cobra club meeting at the end of every month, or at the start…?

That’s a lot of ???

[Aussie Mike]

Looks like it's been under a tarp for a long time. Especially when you see the garden rockery built up arround it.

Also looks like the owner has just sprayed the hose all over it to make it wet and shiny looking for the photos.

Black and white photos could be hiding a lot of deteriation from years of sitting in the back yard.If you were serious about this car I would have a close look at it in the flesh before bidding.

Looks like a reasonable thing appart from that. Tube chassis looks pretty. Figure in some more cash for your engineer to do torsion and beaming test, bump steer etc as I doubt there will be an engineering report with the chassis.

Might be a cheap start for a race car though.

Cheers

P.S Vic Club meetings are on the first Thursday of the month. New venue is the German Club Tivoli on Dandenong Road, Windsor.

[BMK]

Mmmmm a race car Mike.... Worth throwing in a thousand each.

[miniboy1962]

Does anyone know the number for this RC Sports Cars? I have only found some numbers that dont work and one that goes through to a lady that doesn't know anything about it. Is the company still around?

[BMK]

RC to my knowledge is no longer around. I think the owner was a David Tucker or similiar.

He built three different chassis designs - the one advertised is the tubular version.

The body was lifted of one of the Laurie B. cars - RCM bodies.

[venom0427]

Originally Posted by Bernie Knight

RC to my knowledge is no longer around. I think the owner was a David Tucker or similiar.

He built three different chassis designs - the one advertised is the tubular version.

The body was lifted of one of the Laurie B. cars - RCM bodies.

As to the owner of the compony you are right, but as to the body you are defiantly wrong, they never yoused lorries body at any time, the body yoused was a copy of a artnz / butler body bought from a bloke in Bayswater, the body of lorries was to stuffed, so they went with arntz, to check this ask Jason Millington, that’s the body that they took the mould off.

[NASSTY]

Laurie's body is directly copied from an Arntz shell which was copied from an original

[venom0427]

Originally Posted by NASSTY

Laurie's body is directly copied from an Arntz shell which was copied from an original

yes, the last peice was correct, the body was taken in 1967, tone of the first fiberglass cobra kit cars built, and if you get the poster of the 6-8 cobras on it, the silver one in the top r/h corner look's like the closest shape to the one we are talking about.

What I heard was, that he bought the mould from the Healy factory.

well they (RC) had two choices, copy lorries or the one from bayswater, I think the right choice was made.

even lorrie knows who's body was yoused,

but non-the-less, the body was still %#@#............you know the rest.

still to this day, cant beleve that this story is going around, wake up guys????

[NASSTY]

To make sure that your (verom0427) facts are straight I'll ask Laurie directly and post the answer.

[NASSTY]

Here are the facts from Laurie Bongailas directly:

"The RCM (Bongailas) Body was copied from an Arntz (Butler) shell that was imported in Oz in 1984. The Arntz shell was directly copied from an original Cobra.

Originally the Healy Factory started this with Gerry Blackman & Rob Rolland. Graham Docker was to engineer it. Later Laurie bought the shell from the Blackman & Rolland. He undertook the project by himself. Laurie then developed a chassis to suite which has largely not been changed since."

Rob Rolland, owner of the Healy Factory, has given me permission to state:

"I undertook to create, along with Gerry Blackman, a replica of a Cobra using an Arntz body that was imported in Australia in 1984. In 1988 Laurie Bongailas took over the project and developed his own chassis. I have seen many finished RCM cobra replica's since."

Therefore Lauire's body is and has always been a direct copy of the Arntz/Buttler shell. To say otherwise simply is not correct.

David it would appear that you have issues between yourself and Laurie. I have seen several RC Sports cars that looked exactly like a RCM; both chassis and shell. Jason Nicholson's ex-cobra, which was a RCM, was your demo car was it not? I have heard suggestions that that same demo car was what your body moulds were taken from.


RCM has sold over 80 kits and continues to do so. How many did you sell?

Perhaps you should clear the air and state what is true and correct instead of slandering Laurie's name and product.

[venom0427]

Originally Posted by NASSTY

Here are the facts from Laurie Bongailas directly:

"The RCM (Bongailas) Body was copied from an Arntz (Buttler) shell that was imported in Oz in 1984. The Arntz shell was directly copied from an original Cobra.

Originally the Healy Factory started this but in partnership (at the time) with Graham Docker, Gerry Blackman & Rob Rolland, Laurie Bongailas bought the shell. Later Laurie bought them all out. Laurie then developed a chassis to suite which has largely not been changed since. "

Therefore Lauire's body is and has always been a direct copy of the Arntz/Buttler shell. To say otherwise simply is not correct.

David it would appear that you have issues between yourself and Laurie. I have seen a RC sports car that looked exactly like a RCM; both chassis and shell. Jason Nichols's ex-cobra, which was a RCM was your demo car was it not? I have heard suggestions that that same demo car was what your body moulds were taken from.

RCM has sold over 80 kits and continues to do so. How many did you sell?

Perhaps you should clear the air and state what is true and correct instead of slandering Laurie's name and product.

You might be right, or maybe???

Yes I owned one of Lorrie’s kits, and I thought it was the best think since sliced cheese, how wrong I was.

Look I’ve been sitting here for about half an hour writing all about that body, RC, RepleCar (and buy the way that was my business name), and as I just got back from having dinner with mi kids, and I thought………………….Who the hell cares, I never copied lorries kit, id never wanted to, and I know about 10+ people that know that as well.

Obviously you’re a mate of Lorries, and good on you, but one of his so called mate’s brother in law, painted it so I could copy it (MY BODY, NOT HIS), but as to me copying that thing.
I paid $2000 for the body at Toyospares, and then Mick painted it, for that one of the bodies out of the new mould was his for doing the work,

The only part that was copied was the bonnet, and even that was stuffed.

As to having issues with Lorie, I have none, I couldn’t be bothered.

May be it should be some others to get on with there lives.

NOW, its time to get back to the kids.

Thanks

[venom0427]

PS: and here are the facts from David......62 kits.

And by the way,
If you had 3 cobra builders, all building a cobra kits (Lorie, GV and RC) and it was built by someone a long time ago, say late 60s, then, yes they all would look the same.
Lorries was the same as butler.(body and chassis, jag front)
RC was the same as butler (body and chassis, all of the above)
And GV was the same as butler.(body & chassis)
And the 3 builders in Australia copied the same style, but from a different source.

now. were did rmc, g force, king cobra, drb, homebush, harrison and robnell get there bodys from.

robnell.......dax?
g-force.....dax?
RMC.........dax?
king cobra..dax?
homebush...??? looked like one of mine??????
harrison????????
DRB?????????

so in 2006

were did your builder get his body from, Because i now a lot of people copied our's.



slander is such a harsh word.