My guess is BDR's track is 9" wider because of the BWM rear axle. Perhaps it's difficult and/or expensive to shorten. Either way, even though it's not as correct as the original, the car should handle better. The appearance of the full wheel wells isn't hurt either!

I appreciate the feedback. I'm travelling to Boynton Beach next Wednesday for a hands-on. I think the insight will help me make a better decision. I'm sure a sporty drive in the Florida sunshine won't be too bad either.

Since you will be in South Florida you should plan to extend your stay till Friday night or Saturday night. We are having "Crobaploza" at the Sebring Race Track.
There will be 50-60 Cobras, plenty of SPF's and BDR's as well as FFR's.
All running on the 3.6 mile track. Running starts Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. Sebring is a 2 hour drive from Boyton Beach. Let me know if you want details. I know Reg is planing on taking his latest personal race car there.

Is there an SPF forum that I can offer my opinion in? Doug, you come across real nice as you make "gentle jabs" here. As for the $6k less equipment for $10k less I believe that needs to be backed up... and you need to include all "charges" when you make that calculation.

The Lexus vs. Toyota comparsion does not apply at all here. There are two completely different approaches when it comes to BDR vs. SPF, but I will leave it at that.

Finally for a direct BDR to SPF comparison the best judge would be someone who owns or has owned both, and there are a number of people in this group so I open the floor to them.

I usually stay out of these conversations because they so often end up with a "less than friendly" tone. Everyone seems so emotionally tied to their opinions. Which is all we offer....opinions. There's no right or wrong answer.

That being said. I own one of each (a SPF and a BDR). They're both quality cars, look great, and draw a lot of attention.

I love them both. Even comparing them side-by-side still leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Everyone drives differently. Are you buying for mainly cruising, racing, etc? Keep in mind that the "feel" of these two cars is very different when you're actually on the road. And even that can be tuned with different components so is even that a fair statement? Then you add in different powerplants, transmissions, etc and there are even more variables.

What would I change about my SPF?
Of the top of my head, I can't think of anything. Fit, finish, driveability is all top notch.

What would I change about my BDR?
First, let me say it's a great car that runs / rides very well. But there are a few things that I would change (and will). Most of these are personal preferences and another person might not think the same things. What I would change:
1. Rear gearing. The gears that come with the car are just not right for the kind of driving I do.
2. Drivers position. The steering wheel seems angled up to much.
3. Gear shifter. It's just too long and it makes the throw seem huge. Pretty cheap fix.
4. The paint quality was just below what I expected. If the SPF was 5 (when it was new - I bought it used) the BDR was about a 4.25 - 4.5. I've heard this has been resolved with newer cars (don't know for sure).
5. The wheels that came with the car are not anywhere near as nice as the ones on the SPF. They're not bad, but not great.

Would these same things bother you? Probably not. You'd probably have other things between the two that you like / don't like.

There are just too many variables for there to be one answer to this question. I have a top with my SPF but not one with my BDR. How much does that matter? Well...again that answer will be different for each person. So again there's the whole "what options you get with each car" debate.

My best advice to anyone interested in either car, and you've heard it before, is to go drive each of your options. If you drive both and then pick the one that suites you best, you'll be happy.

Thank you Saps for your insight. Out of curiousity how many miles do you have on each one? Did you buy the BDR new or used? And from who? Just want to add more details to the comparison.

Since you have BDR#180 I want to note that the paint then was Sikkens, and now (and since car #200 or so) it has been PPG.

I bought the BDR new from Reg. There's a good story involved in that and I think Reg is a class act.

I don't remember off the top of my head the miles on it. I'll look and let you know. It's very few (because of an engine problem NOT related to BDR that is now fixed). I bought the SPF used and it has 9000 miles on it.

I had heard the paint issues were resolved (thanks for the confirmation). And even on mine, the paint is good...just not superb (it's really just one tiny spot that could be fixed with little effort). But then again, personal driving styles come into play. I'm a driver. I hate washing cars. So the paint isn't an issue.

I hope I got my point across that I love both my cars. I really think that the "best" car for each person will vary.

I realized that I didn't really answer the original question:

Am I happy with my Backdraft? Hell yeah.

Because I have no space, one of the cars will be up for sale soon. Which one? THAT I don't know....

saps, I got the space and since I've already got a Backdraft I'll take the SPF and keep it garaged for you till you find a buyer, then I also will be able to make a subjective comparison of the 2.. I will only run it once a week to keep the systems operating.

http://performanceunlimited.com/scof/subscribe.html
From the SPF forum rules:

Is there something they don't want us to know about? :confused:

You get a decoder ring when you own an SPF (Ssshhhh, thats a secret). :D

Good insight from everyone. I appreciate the feedback.
I was in Boynton Beach yesterday, spent the morning with Frank while Reg was working on the car he will drive at Sebring over the weekend. I'm buying #369...392 stroker and TKO electric blue (the same color as a Porsche 911 cabriolet I used to have). The drive convinced me and the BDR crew were quite pleasant to work with.

They are adding a tonneau and heater. I plan to have it picked up shortly and transported to Kansas City. Really looking forward to getting it.

Thanks again.

Congratulations! You're going to love it!

I am sure you will love the car. I bought #298 in January after meeting with Frank and driving one of the demo cars. I have not regretted it. It sure does attract a lot of attention on the streets. They added a tonneau to mine but I have only used it once when it was parked for an extended period to keep dust out of it. Once the weather got better it has stayed off.

I got the tonneau to minimize sun damage to the interior and keep curious folks, curious while it's parked. Who knows if I'll actually take the time to use it, but that's the plan.