London Cobra Show 2017

[Stearman]

Input/suggestions from an outsider looking to drive in one of these days.

1. Having different types of discussion forums open to the general public throughout the day. Example from experiences from the aviation world. Each public forum would last 15 to 30 minutes long and would host about 20 people. The topics could cover a multitude of items. This can be under one tent and the topic and time would be listed list outside the tent (or building). People choose which forum to attend.
Sample topics:
A. Buying a used Cobra, what to look for.
B. How to shop and navigate for insurance.
C. The history of the London Corbra Show.
D. New cars Manufacturers show and tell or showcase. New product rollouts.
E. How to remove and install wheel spinners correctly. And how to use safely wire. (With a hands on experience with a mock up).
F. Road tour highlights from past LCS trips.
G. How to best pack for road trips.
H. Highlight different Cobra clubs across the country

NOW, keep in mind...the experienced Cobra owner may or may not attend these public forums, it just depends on the subject matter. But, it does engage the general public into the activities and they are the future success of any program.

2. As any very serious buyer would appreciate, a chance to drive a particular Cobra kit brand. How would this work?? Depends on many factors, #1 would be the liability which kills most ideas instantly. BUT, If anyone went to the aviation meca known as Oshkosh, different manufacturers would let a pilot fly their aircraft (with an instructor) for a very steep fee which would be used as a deposit if you chose their product. If you did not buy their product, you just donated your money to their pockets.

For the LCS, Maybe charge $250 (+\-) for a predetermined route maybe on a closed coarse and open road, with a "factory rep" which would last so many minutes. Basic operations, left and right turns, bumps, braking, backing up, parking. Getting in and out of a Cobra, experience the wind and noise. Maybe the fee just goes to cover the cost of liability insurance and gas with the rest being donated to the LCS? The point is, make the fee high enough to put a sting in someone's wallet so the idea does not turn into drive and thrashing of someone's car. It's not an autocross, it's a buyers decision guide.

Trust me, spending a few hundred bucks to experience and understand something ahead of time is worth it compared to spending thousands on buyer regrets. A Cobra is a life long dream for many, but after learning your shoulders don't support you trying to get out of the car and burning our leg on the muffler....sometimes it's better to hang on to a dream rather than have that dream fulfilled with heartache of achieving that dream.

Things to consider to weed out the average wannabe: again...keep the price high to cover many unknowns, maybe have a pre-signup prior to the show with a non-refundable percentage fee (cover no-shows). Having a pre-sign up campaign can help coordinate types of kits to showcase, number of drivers, length of events. Keep the drivers age limit above 30 or higher due to liability.

Just a couple of ideas....totally understandable if these ideas get filed in the round file cabinet.