looking into superfomance - Page 3

Cashburn · #41 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark IV

Hey,

As I recall, you are ALSO a member of the "hosed by Lubinsky" club. There are not many survivors so be nice to me...................

As my mother used to say "don't make me come over there" (i.e. your forum!)

Not a member, never gave him a dime... used the interwebs to determine the stench was right

But I am having fun, so hope you are too.

I can only speak for the operation here, we are legal on fed, state, county, and even town level. I am lucky to have a brother that is a golden wrench and runs his own shop with a similar passion to keep these dreams alive for people.

Sorry if it went the wrong way... I've said from the beginning the products are not competitors when the customer puts their wants/priorities on paper. I never saw any of these forums as "ours" or "yours" and respected the posters interest in both.

Blittleton · #42 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 06:23 PM

again a response blown out of proportion, I believe if you want to buy beers for everyone, you may be alone for a long time.

patrickt · #43 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 06:28 PM

I just want to see an aluminum bodied SPF.

dont · #44 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrickt

I just want to see an aluminum bodied SPF.

I'm sure that most are "plastic" like yours and mine.

patrickt · #45 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dont

I'm sure that most are "plastic" like yours and mine.

I'd bet you're right. I'd also be willing to go out on a limb and say no one, ever, has sprung for the aluminum upgrade.

Yet, that is....

mrmustang · #46 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 07:00 PM

And thus, another thread ruined by petty bickering, perhaps those who are guilty should have thought twice and taken it offline instead of potentially turning off another "cobra fanatic" from dealing with any of your dealerships. I've met all of the guilty parties and expect more out of the three of you. Guess today is the day you should all step back and think about just what you posted here and what effect it can and will have on your personal businesses in the future now that the posts are here to be seen forever once Jamo or Computerworks sees it and this thread gets locked down.

Bill S.

patrickt · #47 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmustang

And thus, another thread ruined by petty bickering, perhaps those who are guilty should have thought twice and taken it offline instead of potentially turning off another "cobra fanatic" from dealing with any of your dealerships. I've met all of the guilty parties and expect more out of the three of you. Guess today is the day you should all step back and think about just what you posted here and what effect it can and will have on your personal businesses in the future now that the posts are here to be seen forever once Jamo or Computerworks sees it and this thread gets locked down.

Well, I feel pretty good about myself.

Mark IV · #48 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 07:09 PM

Hey, if youse Sharks keep comin' on Jets turf, there's gonna be a rumble!

Sorry if this got out of hand, I just wanted to point out that having one brand "comment" on another never helps either!

I have NO problem with any of the other brands and no issues with the dealers...I just want everybody to "play nice"!

Bill,

I don't recall meeting you although I may have....do you recall where/when it was?

And yes, there is an alloy SPF in the states, several years old.

RalphSchmalph · #49 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 07:10 PM

Getting back to the original question.......I bought 688 from BDR two years ago and I couldn't be happier. The 342R is a great match for power to weight ratio and I've happily tracked it many times without a trailer. Two things helped with my decision, first the dealer is 30 minutes away and they do a great job of servicing it; second, the BMW suspension is fabulous! I've ridden in an SPF and it looked and handled nicely. It was definitely heavier but that might have been in part because of the 351W engine. I didn't think it cornered as well as the BDR and the footbox was just a bit tight. I'm 6' tall. Other than that, it's all about the relative look. But for me there's nothing like the way a BDR handles the corners and the Roush engine is strong, reliable and has great torque through the gears. i've got almost 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine.

mrmustang · #50 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark IV

Bill,

I don't recall meeting you although I may have....do you recall where/when it was?.

We met many years ago when I was doing some research on the import of the "continuation" AC's from Brian Angliss. We have met at other times, long before you and I belonged to this forum. None of which are important or earth shattering.

Bill S.

RodKnock · #51 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark IV

And yes, there is an alloy SPF in the states, several years old.

It may not be "kosher" to say here, but if it's OK, do you know the approximate cost of the aluminum body upgrade to a SPF? So there's a one of one SPF MKIII out there somewhere. Hmmm.

I'm still thinking of the one of one Copper Cobra.

BTW, I don't think anything less about Cashburn, Blittleton or Mark IV. Personally, I'm happy that dealers have the time and inclination to post here at all. They all seem like good guys to me.

Blittleton · #52 (**permalink**) 04-14-2010, 08:19 PM

rodknock,

your next Woodford Reserve is on me. I'll be at London with a fresh bottle. All Welcome.

Bill

BlueRooster · #53 (**permalink**) 04-15-2010, 04:09 AM

Stop toying with fate and just buy the Superformance already.

patrickt · #54 (**permalink**) 04-15-2010, 04:17 AM

I really like SPF 623's colors.

SD5805 · #55 (**permalink**) 04-15-2010, 05:23 PM

Wow, some of you guys need to play nicer. Its all about the cars anyway. ERA, Superformance, Backdraft, FFR, BB, Unique, Just having the opportunity to just own a car like this is a blessing. One needs to decide on what his or her budget is and go from their.

Also, what is the goal to be a driver or a historian. If the historic significance is important to you to get as close to an original cobra as possible than the choice may be different than one who just wants a nice cobra for enjoyment regardless of car history.

I remember back in 2006 I also had a back and forth btwn Superformance and Backdraft. I almost purchased a used superformance out of NY for approx 51K., But I ended up with a brand new Backdraft custom ordered with the color and engine to suite me and my future driving style.

It was the best bang for the buck at that time. It made sense to me that everything was brand new, And I could break in the car and engine in my own way.

I have no regrets and I'm a serious driver. I have over 14K miles and proud of it. These cars are NOT made to sit in the garage and only go from one car show to the next. These cars will run their best when properly used NOT abused, but runned well and often.

The drive train has been flawless, it handles great right out of the box. Bryan a Vintage did a great job completing the car. And a good friend of mine really helped me with the final selection of the engine.

Most of all have fun, Get good quality, honest feedback from people you trust during your selection process. If you find your self getting over whelmed, take a step back, go to some car shows, and visit some dealers to see the cars up close and personal.

I'm very happy with my Backdraft, although when I see a Superformance, the fit and finish may be a bit better cosmetically, but you do pay for it up front;however, you may also get more down the road if you sell. Who wants to do that??

Hope this Helps. And Give me a PM. I always like to have cobra partners to ride with.
Moreover, If I had to do it all over again, I would be still be happy with my purchase.

Jimbocobra · #56 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blittleton

Maybe Jim has called me personally and his question was answered. We do our business away from forums because of this type of responses.

Turns out I did call Bill and Reg, much ado about nothing - stupid question, I take it back. The dealers didn't have to reply, the owner of Backdraft, Tony Martin did! He was right, nothing to worry about.

I did 20 runs, got a 1.6 60 foot time and the half shaft works fine!!, even with the drag radials. The halfshaft held up like a rock. I also drag raced it two times last year - no problems. You might also notice a couple posts above entitled: "Spring Drag Racing", in it an SPF owner snapped his two years in a row!!! And funny enough, the post the Time Machines Motorsports LLC- Superformance Dealer is referencing details the plight of an SPF broken half shaft, not a BDR --- READ IT!

I do, however, get a lot of private messages and e-mails about the slave cylinder from SPF owners from a post I made back in 2009. After a few adjustments following Bill's instructions (off line), mine works fine now - for well over a year, turns out some of them are SPF owners and have not been so lucky.

Seriously, BDR's "puking" half shafts? Are you kidding...I can't seem break mine no matter what I do. Hey, SPF's are nice cars - not better or worse -just different.

gary osborne · #57 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010, 09:16 PM

Hey guys....fast cars break. I don't care what manufacturer's name is on them. I have a SPF with well over 60,000 carefree miles on it since I bought it 11 years ago. The first 45,000 went on pretty fast. The last 15,000+ has been a little slower due to a career change. Nonetheless, I have driven mine hard and had no problems at all on or off the track. Now keep in mind I am also running a 514 with about 600 HP and the same torque. I am currently replacing that engine with an 800 HP 800 ft lbs Jon Kaase P-51 engine. You strap that much engine in a car (and many if not most SPF's are running well over 500) and hook it up (tough to do....I know) and there is a chance something is going to snap. If you are only running 400 HP...there is a big difference. The nice thing about big HP is it is hard to hook it up and when the tires are spinning...nothing is gonna break...LOL.

Comparing SPF and Backdraft is tough to do depending on what you want in a car. If you just want a fun basic car, the Backdraft is tough to beat. But you add all the things that come standard in the Superformance and you will see a backdraft rivaling the price tag of the Superformance. Of course, the REAL cost of a car is not how much you pay for it. It is the difference between what you paid for it and what you can sell it for. And even THAT number will change a lot depending upon how long you keep the car and what you have in it. I could sell my car today at about the same price as I paid for it. That is mostly due to the fact that prices have increased over the years. But that works to my advantage. It is probably too soon to guess how well the resale value will hold up with some of the new manufacturers but the Spf holds its own against most of the others. I imagine (although I have not checked) that a Shelby holds very well due to the name if nothing else.

Hal Copple has somewhere around 150,000 miles +/- on his SPF with virtually no troubles. Yeah, he has gone through some brakes and had some minor upkeep things to do on it. The engine (which is has nothing to do with SPF) has had some work done. But it has to be the highest mileage cobra out there and it is absolutely gorgeous and tight as a drum to this day. Keep in mind that he has a good 50,000 miles of track time on that car and NO he does not baby it around the track. That says a LOT about the quality of a Superformance. It does not mean others are not as good. It is just a real life example that SPF has been tested in ways few others have and it remains like new.

As far as who is fastest....that story will never be told to anyone's satisfaction but I would venture to say it has a lot more to do with the name of the driver than the name of the car. I know three or four SPF drivers who i would put up against anyone without concern for what the other person is driving. I also know a couple of Backdraft guys who are FAST (one is a dear friend and Backdraft dealer which is one good reason I would not say anything bad about a backdraft). But one has to remember that the car is not what makes these guys fast. It is the skills they have developed behind the wheel.

pjmoore2003 · #58 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 06:45 PM

It's been already said... You'll like one on looks mostly. Go with that. Just remember, you can make your BDR look very vintage... it just won't ever have the same shape. But I'm happy with that. Love the mean look, dual round tail lights. I like having 17's for wheels, but I also like the classic billboard look. 17's and it still rides nice over bumps.

PJ