Saturday Escapades

[Jim Barnett]

Early Saturday morning I drove out to California Cobra in El Cajon and met some VERY nice Cobra people. Armond, the owner of the place and one of his shop mechanics (and I apologize for not remembering his name- I was in "LA LA LAND" from the minute I entered the shop) were there to demo a couple of the Backdraft Cobras for some potenitial customers. CA Cobra builds complete turnkeys as they had two sitting out for test rides. One was bright red, 351w, T-5 with 400HP and the other was metalic grey, 351w (427 stroker), T5 with 500HP. Well I couldn't resist an offer to ride in both. Now these BD Roadsters use BMW suspensions and ride VERY nice. I first went out in the 500HP version and all I can say is OMG!!! IF I thought my 302 CR was fast, then the BD was a SHEER ROCKET. I was then asked to ride in the 400HP for comparison. Now I WAS told that the 400HP was more docile and actually a better choice for an "all around driver" (i.e. something that would be more practical as an every day driver), I was STILL AWED by the acceleraltion of the 400HP!! Only words that can adequately apply is AWSOME or possibly even SCARY!! The BDs that were sitting all around the CA Cobra shop were BEAUTIFUL!! Quite a few were the darker Indigo Blue with either white or silver stripes and exact replica guages. Most were also 351Ws in one HP configuration or another. Needless to say, I was literally "babbling" when I left the place. For THAT kind of money (for a fully registered, out the door car, I don't know how anyone couldn't WANT ONE!!).

After I got home I took BLUE out for a drive. I tried to compare her features and performance with the BDs that I had just riden in. Well, my tentative conclusion was that she isn't ALL that much different than those other "ladies"!! I admit that she isn't quite THE Cobra that I really wanted since she isn't the Indigo Blue that I like so much and she doesn't have the exact replica guages and dash layout and shifter that I want and she also doesn't have the large 5' Lemans gass filler, BUT she IS MINE and I bought her for a nice price. What I am going to do is REDRESS my BLUE to the configuration that I want her to have. I figure that I can't afford to buy one of the BDs (without selling my Hemi), so I'll just reconfigure my CR the way I want. I'm going to call Armond tomorrow morning and see HOW much all that is going to cost (the 400HP engine swap can be the last thing I do since my 302 scats right along as it is and looks and runs like it was brand new!). Only thing I am concerned about is the changing of the Lemans filler cap from the 3" BLUE has to the 5" that I want. I'm sure that someone who can work with fibergalss can patch the existing hole and cut another before I have the car repainted (whatcha think, Don??).

Anyway, before I put my CR away for the day, I talked my youngest daughter (24) to take a ride in it (my wife is still too pissed off). We went out for a 5 mile loop into the "country", IF you can call it that, near my house and she LOVED IT!! Her exact words were (when I asked...."WELL...??) "VERY LOUD!!" Oh well, chaulk one up for BLUE!!!