Thanks, guys!
The maiden voyage was fantastic. The engine note alone is entirely worth it; I think that is the main reason I wanted a Cobra in the first place!
Absolutely delighted with the driving. Rock solid tracking, and the suspension handles all the bumps we have up north flawlessly. Steering, brakes, pedal placement, driving position, all just right.
Webers were nearly perfect. I tried but couldn't really find the transition from the idle to the main circuits, smooth all the way up. I could cruise at and smoothly accelerate from any RPM. No need to try to keep it in the main circuit RPMs (around 3,000 and above). Perfectly behaved in street traffic and a beast when let loose. And the sound as it winds up! I could listen to that all day!
Some who have the dual outlet Weber manifold and the
oil cooler complain about not maintaining enough engine heat on the highway. I did not have that problem. Heat stayed right at about 140 degrees, sometimes a little under.
Although they weren't supposed to, the fancy McTrumpet stacks and wire mesh screens disrupt the air flow enough that Doug felt the Webers lost a little something at the high end. After Carlisle, I'll take it to Inglese for a look. May just go back to the open stacks.
Didn't really come close to the limit cornering, braking or accelerating, but it feels easily as strong or stronger on all counts than the Porsche Cayman, 911 and BMW M3 I drove at a Skip Barber school at Lime Rock (M3 is the closest). I don't think the Lotus Exige (which I also drove there) would have much edge handling, and it is a lot less comfortable than an ERA. And the Lotus doesn't make that great sound!
In fact, my ears are still a little sore after three hours driving yesterday. The noise is not really bothersome while driving, but I guess it adds up over time.
As far as wind goes, the car is pretty comfortable around 60-65, so the temptation to speed is dampened somewhat (almost got caught nonetheless!). Around 80, I wouldn't trust keeping a baseball cap on for very long.
The Kirkey is VERY comfortable even though it initially feels snug. Very happy with that choice. I'm 6', so sitting on the floor isn't a problem with visibility.
To anyone starting a build, I very much recommend the rectangular rear view mirror for the cockpit: you can hardly see anything in a Raydot.
The combination of the 3.07 differential and the Richmond Road Race 5-speed is very good. The 3.04 first is just right: starts rolling easily but I still get a nice long pull. The 1:1 final probably isn't the best for cruising and highway gas mileage, though, but I knew that going in.
The instruments all look great, but the NOS speedo started to go haywire after about 15 miles, so that will need attention at some point. I also think it is undercounting mileage. The only thing I would change is the placement of the
oil pressure gauge. Where it is now it is partially blocked from view by the steering wheel. I think I'll have it swap places with the less critical fuel pressure gauge so it is easier to keep an eye on.
The only thing on the drive that was a concern was, more often than not, I got a bit of grinding on the shift from fourth to fifth. Very strange; no idea why that is happening. I'll check in with Doug and Peter tomorrow.
BTW, the 289 is now the hot car at ERA: Peter P. said that his backlog is nearly all slabsides and FIAs, with a couple of GT-40s. No 427s other than what's in the shop.
So there you have it! I'm officially an ERA owner now! Time to go for a drive!
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