I am finally able to afford a Cobra Replica - Please help me decide on one

[patrickt]

TButtrick -- Dang, sensitive aren't we? No, I didn't make it up. Read this: http://www.erareplicas.com/427/rsusp.htm

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Some things to consider: Cars like Kirkham, ERA, Contemporary (no longer produced), Unique and Shelby are much like the original car, which is a beast. The newer cars, like SPF, Backdraft, FFR, and some others tend to be more modern and refined, and may look like a Cobra on steroids. They are very fast, and many have Roush small blocks or the like. There are also some Cobras that are somewhere in between. If you want a car that is close to original in looks and performance, you gotta pick one of the top five. They look original. If you can live with less than that, one of the others may be your ideal Cobra (and for less money). It's all about what YOU want.
Either way, you should visit a few manufacturers, as many as possible. It will pay off in the long run. What you don't want is to buy or build a car that you wish you didn't. Spend the most that you can afford and don't settle for less than what you really want. Good luck.

[CNGreen]

Wow, I hadn't considered that my FFR doesn't even make the top five...

Sheesh.

[TButtrick]

Originally Posted by patrickt

TButtrick -- Dang, sensitive aren't we? No, I didn't make it up. Read this: http://www.erareplicas.com/427/rsusp.htm

OK then.. I guess we have the Kool-Aid thing under control.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Originally Posted by CNGreen

Wow, I hadn't considered that my FFR doesn't even make the top five...

Sheesh.

Every parent loves their own child best!

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX

Every parent loves their own child best!

Yes, and posts seem to get just a bit more acerbic shortly after the cocktail hour.

[madmaxx]

If you just called me acerbic, i will take it as a compliment since I do not know what it means, LOL!!

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

If you just called me acerbic...

Not at all!

Originally Posted by TButtrick

OK then.. I guess we have the Kool-Aid thing under control.

No Kool-Aid drinking about it, torque steer and live axles are a well known, and well discussed, malady. Here, this was the simplest torque-steer/live axle/FFR thread I could find for you. Torque PULL hard to the right

If you want though, you can just skip down to the last post by Mr. Smith:

Originally Posted by B. SMITH

KSTADT,

IF YOU HAVE A LIVE AXLE, THE PROBLEM COULD BE THE FOLLOWING;

LOOKING FROM THE REAR, UNDER ACCELERATION, THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY WANTS TO ROTATE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE. THIS EFFECT PRESSES THE LEFT REAR WHEEL HARDER TO THE PAVEMENT THAN THE RIGHT, ACTUALLY LIFTING THE RIGHT WHEEL, LIKE OLD MUSCLE CARS.

THE END RESULT IS A LEFT SIDE LIFT AND A RIGHT REAR DROP AS THE CAR TRIES TO COMPENSATE. EVEN WITH A TIGHT DIFFERENTIAL YOU PULL TO THE RIGHT BECAUSE THE LEFT REAR IS DOING MOST OF THE FORWARD PUSH DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL TRACTION ON THE LEFT SIDE.

THIS EFFECT IS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED IN I.R.S. VEHICLES.

B. SMITH

[TButtrick]

Those posts threads don't even remotely conclude that this is a properly working live axle anomaly. There can be numerous causes for that type of car behavior. Tires, frame torque, suspension, misaligned driveline, bla, bla, bla. NONE are subject to a live axle and suspension that is set up correctly and the diff working properly. That's what limited slip reduces. Your IRS has the same limited slip. Suspension is what makes an IRS work better but like anything, there is a cost in complexity. And BTW... who the heck is B. Smith anyway and why is his word they say-all on the subject? I don't get your pointless.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by TButtrick

I don't get your pointless.

OK, I give up.

[Sharroll Celby]

Meanwhile, to get back on-thread the original poster should sit in as many Cobras as he can, to get a feel for the cars' fit for him. And when he finds one he DOES fit in, I would hope he would get a chance to drive one, escorted by the owner, on a deserted street somewhere.

[diegokid]

I pondered this question for years. After looking around I went with the Unique from the Weavers in Gadsden Al. They treat you like family before and after the sale. Most important to me was the way they build the body itself.

I grew up on the river and we built fiberglass boats through the 70's. They were light weight very strong and most all are still around today. My brother replaced a seat with a bigger one that was built in 1973. Anyway they build their cars like we built our boats.

If able give them a call and take a tour of their shop see for yourself.

[jagxjr5012]

Originally Posted by joey_hv

just go to factory five and get it over with.

If you go to Factory Five it would surely be over....buy an ERA

[jagxjr5012]

Originally Posted by TButtrick

But then again, you can't buy an ERA done to this level for $40K. And it has a single rollbar.

Here is an ERA for $44k...looks like a nice car.....$40k might buy it...

http://www.clubcobra.com/classifieds...uct=1641&cat=2

[cobraviper_99]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Shelb...fCarsQ5fTrucks

[jagxjr5012]

CSX4789 is a great deal at that $$ for sure....

[TButtrick]

Originally Posted by jagxjr5012

Here is an ERA for $44k...looks like a nice car.....$40k might buy it...

http://www.clubcobra.com/classifieds...uct=1641&cat=2

Damn good deal for someone. I'd love to see more details on the car.

Originally Posted by jagxjr5012

If you go to Factory Five it would surely be over....buy an ERA

Ignorance is bliss. Publicly displaying it goes to a whole other level of stupidity.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by jagxjr5012

If you go to Factory Five it would surely be over....buy an ERA

Deep down, TButtrick wishes he had bought an ERA, but he will never admit it.

[TButtrick]

I thought you gave up? The only thing I'd wish for is an ERA/KMS body over my F5 guts. Other than that, I'm more than content with what I have.

[428street]

Scrivy:

As you can see this questions elicits many responses from many owners. There are many manufactures and each person is going to feel strongly about their choice or they would not have bought their specific car.

Obviously we all went through the same questioning and thought process you are going through now.

Each car manufacturer has their own pluses and minuses.

Understand that whatever one you will buy will be an absolute labor of love and by no means your best investment from a growth standpoint. You buy and/or build one of these cars because you LOVE the car, for nothing else. Also, it will cost you more then your budget, you can 100% count on that. I found that out real quickly. Some are more structured then others but I found once you get into it you start getting a more clearer idea of how much detail and accuracy you want regardless of the research you put in now. Detail and accuracy cost money.

I also went through this thought process about 3 years ago.

I choose ERA for a couple of reasons. First was they were 45 minutes from my house. Second was I wanted as close as possible to an original street car and stay within the budget I set for myself. Peter (owner of ERA) had an original street car, they were close and in my price range I went with ERA and am VERY happy.

I would have loved to buy a Kirkham but it just was not in the budget. I would have equally loved to buy a 60's CSX street car but that wasn't going to happen either.

I think it comes down to how anal you are as a person and how close you want to be to original.

I'm not going to repeat what has already been said because the advice you have received from other is spot on.

If you like to talk send me a PM and I'll give you my number and we can run through it all on the phone.