Observations on new Backdraft from Vintage Motorsports

[CobraJM]

Santa came a couple of weeks late this year and drove a Plycar semi instead of a sleigh. BDR #1474 was delivered on Sunday and I managed to get about 100 miles on it over the last few days. Pics and build list below and my initial observations are after.

Pics: The Gallery / Roadsters / BDR1474 | \\VINTAGE MOTORSPORTS

Build list:
Guardsman Blue / Wimbledon White stripes & roundels
Vintage Motorports 427Xv2 motor with 9.7 compression (pump gas in AZ is 91 octane). Dyno'd at 470/468 at rear wheels
TKO 600 transmission (hurst shifter handle with white ball)
3.64 limited slip differential
Vintage Motorsports custom brushed aluminum turkey pan
Braided nylon engine hoses
Full front 3M clear protection
Rear fender 3M clear protection
Ceramic coated headers (but NOT sidepipes... I want the patina)
"Old style" seats - no BDR logo
Cam lock 4 point seat belts
Heated seats (in AZ???? Yes already useful!)
LED headlights, LED brake lights & turn signals
Vintage Motorsports tow hook

Random observations:

1) Vintage Motorsports was GREAT to work with. I was (am) new to Cobras and Jay took a lot of time answering all of my questions, giving me build updates, and gave me a very fair deal. Jay even talked me OUT of some options that would have increased his profit but we're not necessary for my intended use of the car. I don't think I could have found a dealer further away from Arizona for this build but it was worth it and I would definitely buy from them again. I have no experience with any other dealers/finishers but I can say that VMS seems to take great pride in the workmanship of the items they have control over (engine, options, etc).

2) Engine - pictures did not do it justice! I had probably looked at the pics a few thousand times but when I opened the hood the first time I was taken aback by how amazing the motor looked in person. Very clean install. Of course the options for engine dressing are infinite but I particularly liked the non-coated valve covers with the brushed turkey pan. Aside from looks the business end is great so far. Starts right up, has a powerful sound, and pulls nicely while still being easy to drive around town. I had it on the freeway yesterday was cruising at about 70 mph with 2700 or so RPMs. I pulled ahead of the car next to me and it was effortless even in 5th gear.

3) Steering/suspension - this is the first car I've owned without power steering. Not a huge deal, just different. Will take some getting used to. That said, when at speed the steering seems extremely responsive and tracks dead straight. Does not seem to move with the gullies in the road. In regards to suspension I think it rides like a sports car but again I don't have much to compare it too. My friend who owns a CSX4000 (more on that later) rode with me and said the BDR has a much nicer ride.

4) Fit/finish - I would say overall "good" but I don't have much to compare it too. I did find a few minor issues: the rear plate bracket and light are off center. Not terribly noticeable and most would not catch it. I know though... Which is not good for me ha ha. There is a slight flaw in the paint on the hood scoop at the leading edge - looks like it was masked for the stripes poorly. Again, most would not notice. Also, the scoop itself seems to "dip" on the right side when looking at it from the front - this causes the stripes to look slightly off vs the rest of the car. Interestingly this may be a common BDR problem as I've seen the same issue in pics of other cars on the Internet. I also found that the fit between the drivers door and car body (specifically at the very top of the door) is off a bit and there is some rubbing between the two (went though paint already). It is not visible when the door is closed due to how it overlaps but I need to keep reminding myself that this is a hand built car and not a factory BMW. I am just going to get some Teflon tape to put on the areas that rub to keep it from getting worse. One item that is my fault is that on day one I was careless when taking off the shoulder strap and the metal buckle hit the top of the door and took out a small chip. Needless to say clear door film is already on its way to me. In regards to the paint (and other than the one flaw I found) I think the paint is laid down well. The color is much better in person than most photos of BDR guardsman blue. It is not as "bright blue" as some of the pics on the Internet make it seem.

5) Misc - I am very happy with the car overall but have a few small gripes: turn signal lever is cheap. Knob at the end is painted plastic, the stalk feels like plastic (bends when used) and the self canceling feature only works part of the time. The start button is painted plastic and looks poorly painted at that. The various indicator lights on the dash are very cheap looking. The carpet, while I'm told is better than in past BDRs, feels/looks cheap. I might be spoiled in my BMW daily driver but I've always liked the quality of BMW carpet and it can't be that much more expensive to put nice carpet in a $40k rolling chassis. Finally, the floor mats are a complete joke. Paper thin with no backing material to help keep them in place. Also, these are "factory" mats and don't even fit well in the car! The cutouts are too small to fit around the obstacle at the front of the door. I plan on making a template and taking to an upholstery shop to get proper mats with some sort of backing to keep in place while driving. These issues may seem "ticky-tack" but I did say at the begining "SMALL gripes" ha ha.

6) BDR 1474 vs CSX 49XX - my friend owns a late CSX 4000 car and I took my BDR up to his house so we could compare. My first impression is that the CSX is beautiful. I'm sure part of that is how well my friend treats his cars. I sat in the CSX and noticed right away how much more room there is in the BDR. Not only does the extra 2" of wheelbase help but the BDR steering colum sits higher than the CSX and the seats are a bit thinner so it works out to almost twice the room between your lap and the bottom of the steering wheel. The pedals in the CSX were not as far left as in the BDR foot in however the clutch and brake pedals are too close to wear regular tennis shoes when driving. I told my buddy I'd rather have the pedals in mine further right like his but he said he'd rather have the layout in the BDR since there is more room between the pedals. Go figure. The paint was nicer on the CSX as well and the carpet material seemed nicer. We did take some measurements and backdraft hid the extra 2" of wheelbase really well. 1" is in the doors and the other 1" is somewhere between the headlight bezel and front of the door. Also we found that the rear fender humps are approximately 1" wider than the CSX on each side. The wheels on the CSX don't come out to the edge of the fender either (like on BDR) so we are guessing the rear track width is likely 4"-5" wider on the BDR than CSX. Overall my friend was very complementary of the BDR and thought it was very nice (no offers to trade staight up though...)

Thanks for reading my rant!!!

JM

[66gtk]

Very nice looking BDR. I like your steering wheel choice and wheels, too. Well done.

[cycleguy55]

Very nice car.

Enjoy it - but be careful!

[eunosracr]

Lovely car. Welcome to the madness. Be safe and enjoy it in good health.

[ASO544]

Beautiful car!!!! Love the VMS Turkey Pan and Tow Hook.... Need to get those for my BDR!!!

[madmaxx]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

[BADSN8K]

Good Stuff I cant say it any better about Jay and Brian..... NEVER forget BRIAN!!!!!

Together the Duo ROCKS!!!

[Hrdayz]

Nice review and I agree that Jay and Brian at Vintage are great about their business. I just got my car back from Vintage for service and some upgrades which included a set of floor mats which have the nubs on the back so they don't slide around. My old mats were getting a little worn since they were moving around so much. I assume you could get a set on backdraft parts website and I believe they were in the area of $150.00 or give Jay a call.

[GLS-BDR226]

Nice car and very comprehensive review. Having an early BDR, I'm surprised they haven't managed to get the driver's door fit fixed. I thought the rubbing on mine was an early model problem. But this is minor, even the early BDRs are great fun.

[Kobura]

Congrats on your beautiful BDR from Vintage. I hope that you get as much fun and pride of ownership out of your car as I have had from mine. Many of your observations are coincident with those I have made of my car, both pluses and minuses. Certainly, the pluses far outweigh the minuses, at least for my sense of values. The main issue that struck a chord with me was the visual "flaws" that you discovered with the BDR roller. I had to reconcile my sense of perfection with the practicality of driving an incredibly fun car. My car is far from being a candidate to win a prize in a car show because it has some of the flaws that you noted in your car's appearance as well as a few others. e.g. Waviness in the side panels, less gloss in the clear coat of the basic car color(blue) versus the stripes(grey), large gaps in fit of the doors, and a few other things that those of us who might have an obsession for perfection would notice. It may be that you really are bothered by the "flaws" that you perceive in your car, in which case you are faced with the dilemma of getting rid of it because of them, or keeping it because you find a way to rationalize the situation and let yourself enjoy driving and owning a great car. The latter is the choice that I made and I am fully satisfied with my BDR, especially when I open the hood/bonnet and see the expertise and craftsmanship that Brian has performed to create a jewel of an installation.

[Late Apex]

Well done and I like the roundels plus the unique tow hook for tracking if needed.

[Clois Harlan]

Nice ride and I can tell you all the Backdraft team are first rate guys from Tony Martin, Reg Dodd, Jay, and James Yale. Its hard to beat their timely deliveries quality workmanship. Good choice of builder.

[madmaxx]

I can tell you there is not a Cobra replica (fiberglass) without paint flaws. I will find some in every single paint job. I have looked at 50 plus over the years at shows and always find something. I am not saying it is right just the way it is. I have had flaws repaired only to come back a couple years later!! Don't know if the glass is still reacting but it was what it was. I recommend Kirkham brushed finished.

[CobraJM]

After re-reading my original post it seems I may have come off a bit more negative than I had intended. While there are some minor flaws I was merely trying to give an accurate assessment...... but don't get me wrong - I LOVE the car. I have about 250 miles on it now and the grin hasn't come off yet. The only thing that still nags at me is the damn turn signal not canceling all the time ha ha... On a side note I went to Barrett Jackson on Sunday and went by the Hillbank Tent (Superformance dealer). I played dumb and asked the salesman about differences in SPO and BDR. I was expecting him to talk up the SPOs but he was feeding me a bunch of crap about BDRs that I know to be false. Not surprised as they of course want to sell SPOs. I sat in a new SPO and have to admit it was very nice. On a scale of 1-100 (and this is just one man's opinion) if the fit/finish on a BDR is an 85 then then SPO is a 90 (making up the numbers, but the point is the SPO was barely 5 points higher on my 100 point scale). So I'll concede the fit/finish is better on the SPO but personally not worth the extra $20 grand for a fun weekend driver. Not trying to stir anything up, but just my opinion.

Finally, I ordered my personalized plate a couple of weeks ago... might irk the purists on this site since I have the small block based 427 and not the big block 427 FE - but "7LITERS" is on it's way to me from the state. Everything having "427" in it was obviously picked over.

[csw]

I don't know if the grin will ever leave! I just turned 3000 miles since March and the kids and I have enjoyed everyone of them. I have learned to accept all the attention and questions it draws, and even let people (especially kids) sit it and harness up for a picture. Now I'm looking to create a tract to hand out to those I talk to about the importance of a relationship with Jesus with a picture of the car and details about the history of the original car on the front and the tract on the back. If you are believer in Jesus Christ, I encourage you to view this car as a tool to meet people where they are and introduce them to what's really important in life. If you are not a believer, I encourage you to invite Jesus into your life as your personal Savior.

[allcarfan]

CobraJM....I saw your car in person. My 1456 was on the same plycar trailer as yours...along with one of Mario Andretti's cars. They dropped off 1456 and told me 1474 was also inside

As for this:
Misc - I am very happy with the car overall but have a few small gripes: turn signal lever is cheap. Knob at the end is painted plastic, the stalk feels like plastic (bends when used) and the self canceling feature only works part of the time.***I have the same problem. Mine doesn't bend, but the self cancelling feature doesn't always work***

The start button is painted plastic and looks poorly painted at that. ***Mine appears to be metal, but I never paid attention. If its painted, it fooled me!***

The various indicator lights on the dash are very cheap looking. **Classic looking is more what you mean.**

The carpet, while I'm told is better than in past BDRs, feels/looks cheap. I might be spoiled in my BMW daily driver but I've always liked the quality of BMW carpet and it can't be that much more expensive to put nice carpet in a $40k rolling chassis. **when do you feel your carpet? Or do you mean the carpeting over your center console?**

Finally, the floor mats are a complete joke. Paper thin with no backing material to help keep them in place. Also, these are "factory" mats and don't even fit well in the car! The cutouts are too small to fit around the obstacle at the front of the door.**they are, indeed, paper thin, but mine fit perfectly. You did swap sides when you got the car, right? they are installed on opposite sides, upside down when you get your car. Not talking down to you, just know a guy that made that mistake**

[CobraJM]

Originally Posted by allcarfan

CobraJM....I saw your car in person. My 1456 was on the same plycar trailer as yours...along with one of Mario Andretti's cars. They dropped off 1456 and told me 1474 was also inside

As for this:
Misc - I am very happy with the car overall but have a few small gripes: turn signal lever is cheap. Knob at the end is painted plastic, the stalk feels like plastic (bends when used) and the self canceling feature only works part of the time.***I have the same problem. Mine doesn't bend, but the self cancelling feature doesn't always work***

The start button is painted plastic and looks poorly painted at that. ***Mine appears to be metal, but I never paid attention. If its painted, it fooled me!***

The various indicator lights on the dash are very cheap looking. **Classic looking is more what you mean.**

The carpet, while I'm told is better than in past BDRs, feels/looks cheap. I might be spoiled in my BMW daily driver but I've always liked the quality of BMW carpet and it can't be that much more expensive to put nice carpet in a $40k rolling chassis. **when do you feel your carpet? Or do you mean the carpeting over your center console?**

Finally, the floor mats are a complete joke. Paper thin with no backing material to help keep them in place. Also, these are "factory" mats and don't even fit well in the car! The cutouts are too small to fit around the obstacle at the front of the door.**they are, indeed, paper thin, but mine fit perfectly. You did swap sides when you got the car, right? they are installed on opposite sides, upside down when you get your car. Not talking down to you, just know a guy that made that mistake**

So you are telling me if not for your car getting dropped off first I may have had mine on Saturday and not late Sunday afternoon?!?!?

Yeah, my start button is chrome painted plastic and has some "bubbles" in the chrome paint so easy to tell that it's plastic.

In regards to the carpet I'm talking about the carpet on the tunnel, back wall, etc. (you have leather on your tunnel so likely not an issue for you) Not a huge deal, but just feels a bit cheap to me. Maybe I'm wrong but carpet is one of those things I feel that goes up in quality much faster than price. i.e. manufacturer could spend the extra $50 or $75 per car to get the carpet that is twice as nice. Whatever... I'm not sending the car back over it ha ha.

As for the floormats yes I saw that VMS put them in upside down on the opposite sides... obviously was to keep them fresh during transport. After putting them in correctly the lack of a backing had them sliding all over the place. I gave in and ordered the aftermarket mats from the Backdraft site and they are MUCH better. Carpet is better quality and they have the rubber backing with the little "spikes" in them to hold the mats in place. no problems sliding around any more. I was a little disappointed as they still don't fit exactly right.... I have a few areas where they curl up the sides of the doorsill and/or tunnel since they are too wide in those places. I would think Backdraft would make the custom aftermarket mats that actually fit a Backdraft. But alas they work well enough I'm too lazy to change them out or search for replacements. If they wear out years down the road I'll probably get custom mats made by an upholstery shop. For now I'd rather spend that time in the seat!

I hope you are enjoying your car - I saw the pics and it looks great. I believe we both have the same LED headlights. I love them as they don't stand out as being modern during the day and I get great visibility out of them at night. I did have to aim them a bit higher but it was a very easy job.. took about 10 minutes and I only needed a screwdriver (tool not drink).