New Cobra Kit on the market!!!

[john chesnut]

Hello everyone, Many of you know who I am. My name is John Chesnut and I have just become a new vendor on this forum. My ad will start next week!
I was an Arizona State Police officer until knee injuries prevented me from working in the field. Not wanting a desk job I left and began selling products that I invent. I have sold about a million unique coin banks for kids, www.bigbellybanks.com. and I invented a self launching fishing system for kids that I originally sold on the TV shopping channel, QVC. I sold over $1,000,000 worth in 48 minutes of air time. Now I license patents for products that I invent.
This has allowed me to follow my passion for unique and high performance cars. I have been working pretty much full time for the past 8 years on them. My original car, the Dragon, has been a fixture at Run n Gun and I believe has a reputation for having great performance and handling. Originally designed around 1987-1996 C4 Corvette parts, I am just introducing a new version based upon the 1997-2004 C5 Corvette.
I have always loved the Cobra and wanted one. I recognize that alot of Cobra builders want one that replicates the original as closely as possible. That's cool. But, I wanted a modern Super Car with the original look. So during the past year I designed and built one that uses a race quality space frame of my design and the C5 independent suspension, brakes, steering, and differential. I took my car to Run n Gun in 2008. I spent the first 2 days finishing the car. I had not fired it up before I got there. On the third day I put it on the road course and in my first full driving session set the fast time for all cars running on street tires. I was running a 400hp engine, others had truly big power. While fast on the track my car is a smooth riding street machince too.
The Cobra is shorter and much narrower than the Vette. To make those parts work required a new narrower steering rack, new shorter axle shafts, and converting the Diff from a transaxle set up into taking a driveshaft.
I used the Vettes LS6 engine in my car but a great set up would be a 427 small block stroker Ford engine with a 600 Tremec 5 speed. My pictures show the car with Vette wheels, but period correct looking wheels from Vintage are available.
My cars are light. The frame weighs 315lbs and complete cars with an LS6 or small block are right at 2200lbs. They drive and ride like no other. I believe that my body is gorgeous and it is the correct dimensions.
My Cobra is in production now. Kits start at $17,990. Turnkey minus cars with all NEW Vette parts are $34,990, and complete cars with 480hp LS6 and T56 6 speed transmission or with a 520hp 427 Ford stoker with a Tremec 5 speed are $49,990. I am a small company so production is limited.
I am choosing not to participate in the recession. While other companies are contracting or closing I am developing new products and growing.
Please check out my web sites, www.chesnutmotorsports.com and www.dragonmotorcars.com to see full pictures and details. (There are a few errors on the web site, they will be corrected this week.)
Thanks for looking, I love all of the different cars. I believe that mine offers a new high performance option. Feel free to contact me with questions or comments. jmcbigbelly@yahoo.com, 603-504-4106 (cell)
Have a great one, John

[mrmustang]

Beautiful looking car, wish you the best of luck with your latest venture.




Bill S.

[Silverback51]

Wishing you the best of luck.

[LMH]

John
That frame looks beyond stout!! I hope everything works out great for you.

That's a great story about chasing your dreams! I invented a 1000 things in my life and never pursued them beyond my own use or idea stage. That's awesome what you did.
Larry

[1985 CCX]

John

Great to see you at The Windmill this am. Can't wait to see your handy work first hand, we will all have to drive up to see you as a group once driving weather returns.

You should plan atrip to SAAC34 this year with the group out of NH.

Jeff

[Karl Bebout]

John, best of luck with your new venture. You've got ballsobrass to start in this economy but it looks like you've got a really nice product. Love the color. I'd painted my NAF '03 Cadillac Copper Sunburst almost six years ago and have had more compliments than I can count. Looks very similar, if not exactly the same color as yours. Great choice! ha.

[rustyBob]

WOW that is awesome...........shouldent have any problems selling a lot of those.good luck and much success.

[Sminor]

John,

Gorgeous car! I can't wait to see one on the street. Kinda curious though, why two louvre cutouts ?
steve

[onefastmustang]

John

Good Luck with your car.. It's beautiful. Did you sell your banks at the BIG E a number of years ago??

[john chesnut]

Larry, I would like to be in Tucson right now! Thanks for the info that you emailed me.

My car is painted a Vette Z06 color. It is Atomic Orange Effect. While it looks good in the pictures it is spectacular in the sun.

My frame comes to a Vee at the front. It is skinned with aluminum before the body slides on. The air from the radiator is routed out the side of the car. Hence the double cut outs. This keeps the car from lifting at speed as the air isn't trapped under the hood. I have vents to go in the openings but I kinda of like seeing the headers!

Since the pics were taken I have installed a longer throttle cable which allows it to be hidden. And, the air filter has been remotely mounted above the radiator. Now there is just a polished tube showing in the engine compartment.

And, Yes, I sell my banks at the Big E. I have had a booth there for 15 years. Various members of my family have worked it for extra money, and my kids have worked it to make money for school. My booth will be open again this Sept!!

[onefastmustang]

Cool.. I bought my kids some of those banks about 14 years ago... I remember the guy there saying he made them.. That must have been you. Small world. I miss the Big E. I live in California now. It would be a bit of a drive. But we still have the banks...

[john chesnut]

That's cool that you have some of my banks. One of the reasons that I love them is that they get used for along time.
I had had 5 surgeries to walk and was living in a Tipi because I didn't have any money. I made the banks and took them to an art show and sold 970 of them in one weekend! I didn't have nearly enough so most of my sales were prepaid orders.
That weekend I made more money than I did as a Highway Patrol officer. Thank God for those banks!

[decooney]

John,
Very nice. So, i have to ask - what's the name gonna be?


CMS 427 Cobra?

[boomerangj]

I will live vicariously through you!

And your kit is on my list to consider. I am very partial to Corvettes and like your concept very much. I am going to put a Chevy heart in my kit anyway. Might as well use Chevy suspension as well.

I just read an article on "forced entrepreneurship". It had to do with people creating their own jobs in the current economy. As I am. It looks like your unfortunate injury caused you to do this many years ago--and it appears you have done well. I hope that many will see the lesson in this and feel optimistic about the future. We need optimism now. I believe this attitude-more than anything else-will get this country revved up again-in spite of the government.

Good Luck with your venture-But I don't think you will need any luck. In sailboat racing (my other passion) we have a saying that the race is won before the start gun is ever fired. Ie; it's about preparation. Looks like you have prepared well.

[john chesnut]

Hey Duane, I guess that I need to stop refering to my car as a Cobra replica. Any body have any good ideas on what to call it? CMS 65 Roadster? CHESNUT 65 Roadster? CHESNUT C5 SNAKE?

[trularin]

Nice looking car.

Need to come to London.

Good luck.

[decooney]

Originally Posted by john chesnut

Hey Duane, I guess that I need to stop refering to my car as a Cobra replica. Any body have any good ideas on what to call it? CMS 65 Roadster? CHESNUT 65 Roadster? CHESNUT C5 SNAKE?

How about just CMS Cobra (C5)

Then when you make a different version of it, and I know you will it can be CMS Cobra (??).

[Buzz]

For another brand of replica, CMS is probably ok, but once you are producing Cobras CMS is waaay too close to CMC (!). I would strongly advise avoiding any potential confusion or mistaken cross reference with that infamous marque! If Chestnut Motor Sports is already your registered business name, then avoid the abbreviated version when marketing the Cobra.

Some quick suggestions:

CSS - Chestnut Super Snake

CTR - Chestnut Thoroughbred Roadster

C65R- Chestnut 65 Roadster

Another moniker to avoid:

Chestnut Racing And Performance Products Extreme Roadster

Edit: Wait - hold on, now - that may not be so bad. Here's the tagline:

"OUR NEW ROADSTER'S PERFORMANCE IS SO EXTREME, YOU WILL SOIL YOUR BOXERS - AND WHAT BETTER PLACE TO BE WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THAN IN THE C.R.A.P.P.E.R.!!"

[rustyBob]

Buzz, are you in advertising by chance ........if not you should be

[Bill Bess]

How about...ASPNUT-SCV for chevy powered cars and ASPNUT-SCF for ford powered cars.

Easy to remember and "catchy sounding", Bill