How 'bout a Best of the Best forum/list

Coupster · #1 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 10:52 AM

First of all - this site's awesome. Took me a while to find this thing, but now that I have I don't know what I'd do without it.

I've been a fan of Cobras since I can remember, and yearned for a high quality replica for some time now (in the process of convincing the wife that I need one...).

Anyway, in reading through numerous kit car publications, cobra guides, cobra-related websites and postings on these forums, it strikes me that there isn't really one place to go to for an "objective" listing of the "best" replicas (kits, turnkey-minus), component suppliers, engine builders, paint/body shops etc. etc.

I'm thinking of a list that talks to the pros/cons of various suppliers/OEMs, but ultimately strives to list the best people to do business with.

Any chance the editors could take a stab at putting this thing together? Forums are great, but you ultimately get a lot of subjective input, and it's not always easy to find what you're looking for. I fully realizes this isn't easy, but it'd prove an invaluable service for the cobra community - of that I'm certain, and ultimately drive more traffic to the site.

Just a thought.

Excaliber · #2 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 11:23 AM

Coupster,,,,you trying to start a fight? LOL

There are to many variables to say conclusively WHO's car is the best one for you. Of course money is a big factor, but it goes beyond that.

One reason I love my Excal and the Classic Roadsters is because they are a little bigger than "standard". One reason I hate Excal's and C.R.'s is that they are a little bigger than standard!

If I was going "pure racing" on a budget I'd choose FFR. I'm not a big fan of that make, but it does make a good race car choice, light weight, easy to get parts for, cheap to maintain, etc.

If I was a "high dollar" racer JBL would be hands down the car to have. AND it's a little bigger than standard, helps handling and gives me room for my "cup holder" (wimp that I am, ha ha).

The point is this:
I own TWO Cobras right now. I STILL cannot decide on any given day WHICH one is the best one for me. Maybe neither of them!

You CANNOT compare MANY of the "kits" to say an SPF. Because SPF is essentially NOT a "kit". It is sold only as a "roller". Very difficult to compare many of the Cobras available to the others.

Ernie

KobraKarl · #3 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 11:40 AM

HHHHhhhhhhmmmmmm, you said " a lot of sbjective input"

Tell you what .......you get the subjective out of this topic ......and I'll produce the list...

Excaliber · #4 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 01:23 PM

HHHmmmmmmmm,,,,,,Each car "listed" would have to have such a large "paragraph" attached explaing WHY it is on the list and the position it has been assigned, you would have a BOOK on your hands.

And that book would be "subjective" at best!!!

Curt C. wrote such a book, I bought and read it. It is surely out dated now, yet still offers some good "basic" advice. But it misses the mark BIG TIME on many levels. Ownership of various builders change, kits are improved constantly (or go down hill at the same time). This is a very dynamic (changing) market.

My take on it? ANY Cobra is better than NO COBRA at all (well,,,,unless it has some totally "off the wall" power plant, but thats just my "subjective" opinion). I'll pass on a Front wheel drive Honda powered Cobra, but it might be just the ticket for somebody!

Ernie

KobraKarl · #5 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 02:00 PM

Ernie , I was just being "ironic"some of my humour ends up being just for me...

Excaliber · #6 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 04:12 PM

I liked the HHHMMmmmmmm part, I figured you were right on the target actually.

Ernie

Coupster · #7 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 06:07 PM

I just love the versatility of American English. Take a perfectly good word, e.g. ironic, misuse it throughout several decades, and all of a sudden it becomes a substitute for another word, e.g. sarcastic although the two bear no relation to one another in British English. When I saw the post above, I felt compelled to look up the word 'ironic' in an American English ditctionary, and sure enough, it's become a synonym for "sarcastic". I suppose ~300 million wrongs now make a right...

(Mis)use of the English language aside, I do believe a BotB list is possible. As indicated in the original post, it's not easy. In essence, one would have to strive for a good balance of subjective and objective data, and the list/database would need to be updated regularly. Let's face it, there's a lot of emotion tied to cobra replicas, and in reading through the 1000s of posts scattered throughout the forum it's often difficult to discern the true motivations/knowledge of those posting.

We all know there are 10s of dodgy kit builders out there. We also know that it's generally accepted that Shelby, Kirkham, ERA and Superformance produce the highest quality replicas in terms of quality of materials, the "authenticity" of the total look (interior and exterior, fit and finish of panels etc., strucural rigidity of framce/chassis etc., but one has to dig deep (as a newbie) to find this "data", and even then it's often represented as nothing more than an opinion from some unknown (e.g. me). You may disagree with my listing, but that's besides the point (I just reference the above to wind you up).

The Cobra replica guide (forget the exact name) is an OK place to start, but it's not so much a guide as a short advertisement (in the manufacturers own words) for a number of kit builders/OEMs who happened to "make the cut". In reading through this thing, it's not the least bit clear whether Jimbo's Cobra is of the same overall quality as the Kirkham, or whether the SPF looks more or less authentic than an ERA. Why not begin compiling this type of list on this site? Heck, the editors could even charge for access, or produce a standalone monthly mag for Cobra enthusiasts based on those listings - just like a regular car magazine. The pros/cons of the best cars (along with indicative pricing) could be listed, along with customer references. The fact that it'd be put together by a relatively small group of experts, would lend an air of objectivity to the whole thing. Of course the subjectivity could never be done away with completely - it's simply unavoidable.

Anyway, that's enough from me. Let the criticism continue....

casaleenie · #8 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Coupster

Anyway, that's enough from me. Let the criticism continue....

[/b]

and I agree.....

KobraKarl · #9 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 09:45 PM

Coupster,

In as much as I enjoy an english usage dictum on a Cobra board ,I could ,nay I must ,point out that "sarcasm" is indeed an "irony " as the writ is the inverse of the inferred, hence "ironic" . That my awareness, now turgid, with the luminecence of an onlooker literati I shall here forward disdain irony's callow heir , sarcasm..........or not.....

KK

Excaliber · #10 (**permalink**) 05-04-2003, 11:01 PM

,,,,,,,huh???

Ernie

Art Burtt · #11 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 06:04 AM

Yeah word up!

Roscoe · #12 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 07:01 AM

Objectively....which Cobra is best?.....Well....er....MINE!

Roscoe

casaleenie · #13 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 07:37 AM

KobraKarl,
I couldn't have said it better myself. (Whatever it is you said?)

Coupster · #14 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 08:28 PM

KK, Gotta give you an A+ for perseverance. Or as you put it, foolish consistancy is the hobgoblin of tiny minds.

Screw the BotB forum - we need a "Roast Forum".

Excaliber · #15 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 08:34 PM

,,,uh,,,we got one of them, and your UP! LOL

Ernie

Coupster · #16 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 08:36 PM

Excaliber,

Question that absolutely nothing to do with Cobras, or the English language for that matter - honest: I presume that's the Hawaiian state flag you're flying. What's the Union Jack doing in the upper left hand corner? Asked the question when I was in Hawaii last, and the hotel staff didn't know the answer. Something to do with British occupancy many moons ago...

By the way, in case you're wondering, I'm not even British...

Thanks.

Excaliber · #17 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 08:52 PM

The British were a big hit here for awhile. I've read several different versions on "where the state flag" came from. Seems like the story changes depending on whom you talk to.

Foreign "invaders"? My favorite was the Russians! They came to Kauai to "conquer" the island! Met with the King and DEMANDED some land. The King was like, "Sure, hey whatever Brah, plenty land for everybody". So the Ruskies built a "Fort" and eventually left when the figured out it was quite possibly the quietest place on earth, and nobody cared if they "conquered" or not. LOL

Ernie

KobraKarl · #18 (**permalink**) 05-05-2003, 10:09 PM

Sh!t,Coupster, If you must have a little "dust up"over your linguistic peccadillo's, In the future, I must insist you provide your own "pithy rejoinders" and piercing "bon mot's" .....of course if you cannot afford your own ,I can supply you with some for a nominal fee. .....................and as always "fu(k you" is still free...

KK

Coupster · #19 (**permalink**) 05-06-2003, 06:51 PM

Excaliber - that's kinda the impression I got. Didn't know the Russians had occupied the islands - learn something new every day.

KK - isn't imitation the most sincere form of flattery? Why reinvent the wheel - you clearly have the coolest apothegm. That said, I believe the exact expression by R.W. Emerson was actually "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of LITTLE minds", so you can't claim your obiter dictum as either original or a good copy...

... Wish I knew how to create the grinning faces - the most I can manage are the smilies.

That said, what do I know... As Victor Borge once said, "It's your language, I'm just borrowing it."

Coupster · #20 (**permalink**) 05-06-2003, 06:56 PM

OK, my wife just read this post (I had a grin on my face), and has accused me of "web rage". That's a new one to me. She thinks this may escalate to a fist fight, and nothing I can do or say can convince her otherwise. My assertion that this is just harmless fun hasn't gone down well. Alas, I must end this thread right here.

Gents, it was fun while it lasted.