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Metal-morphous,
Thanks for sharing the awesome picture and your thoughts. I hope to be just like you one day!!! Chris |
Bernica, thanks a lot for Dr. Hal's article link! It was such a cool and funny story. I'm looking forward to one day soon being able to relate to his story just like you and the other Cobra owners do...
Chris |
Going to Olthoff and test driving a car is an excellent idea. Maybe he'll also have a 289 car to try on, for street driving you'll probably find it more peaceful :)
Good luck finding a high performance driving school with Cobras of any kind. The closest you'll probably come to are the Formula Mazda (open wheel, light wicked fast little cars) at the Bondurant school in Chandler, AZ. I drove one in my class and will do a 2-day with them next spring. |
Driving the Cobra and the related enjoyment is a once in a life time experience. If your desires are influenced by the positives and accepting any negatives without question, enjoy your life and dream.
No doubt, the side pipes sound great, but after longer than around town type driving, might just be annoying and the thrill diminishes. Same for the stiff ride, no top, cramped quarters, stuck in traffic with high heat/sun, a sudden rain storm that was not predicted, etc. But those were the conditions accepted in advance. In my case, the Z06 and Cobra serve two entirely different experiences and purposes, both enjoyable. |
Thank Tony! I'll keep that in mind when trying to find the best place to take some real lessons. I'm really looking forward to meeting Dennis Olthoff I know he and his Dad basically wrote the book on SPF's. Thanks again...
Cheers! Chris |
All good points Don. Mentally I've excepted all the negatives in addition to visualizing the positives about my dream car. When I finally visit Dennis Olthoff Racing and take a test drive, I think I'll really be able to see what I'm actually getting into prior to ordering my SPF. Thanks again for your thoughts....
Cheers! Chris |
Cobra's aren't for *****'s.....
Chris: I think you will be very pleased with a Superformance. The build quality is truly outstanding. I purchased my roller from Dennis Olthoff back in 2009, even though Lance Stander is virtually in my back yard, as Dennis made me a deal I couldn't refuse.
Make no mistake about it, Cobra's aren't for *****'s. But then again NOTHING ELSE COMPARES. I've owned, restored, or rebuilt well over 90 different cars and this one is the first one I'm keeping till my son steals the keys off my deathbed nightstand!! |
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You've come to a great place for input and support. I think some people always wanted one while others just want to try it and see how it is to own and drive one. Another factor has to do with weather and where you get to drive it, and how often one actually gets to drive it. Situations vary. Good luck, have fun. SPF makes a great car. |
I met a guy today that had his Kirkham Cobra at the Palo Alto Concours. He said it's 7 years old and he drives it to work. The car has more than 100k miles. He is selling it, but only because he has a number of cars and is running out of room. Since I'm building a Cobra but haven't spent much time in one, this was a good data point that these cars are useable - especially in NorCal where you rarely if ever need to worry about unpredictable weather.
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It was shown on Myth busters once, that if you drive fast enough in the rain, you won't get wet. has anyone experienced this in their Cobra?
JD |
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But in the Cobra you just get wet. |
Driving a Cobra 'fast' in the rain makes it an off-road vehicle.
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The doors are another question. Rain comes around the bottom of the windshield and gets into the channel and drips on your lap or feet. Some rain also comes down the inside of the windshield so carry a rag. That same rain will also cause fog on the inside. I had a defroster in mine that helped but wasn't a total solution. Around here, such rain is also accompanied by hail. Keep your tonneau cover in the front seat with you so you can stop and duck under it. Moving will NOT keep rain splashed up by cars on your left or right sides from getting you wet. It comes from the side so you will get splashed some by passing cars (or when passing cars). And when you slow down or stop at a stop light be prepared. I kept some towels behind the seat for such emergencies. I never deliberately took the Cobra for a drive in the rain but around here storms can develop in a matter of minutes, drop buckets for 10 or 15 minutes and clear up. Also be careful with what tires... Hydroplaning is possible with some. I had Goodyears which were pretty good. |
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The Bondurant school will let you drive your own car in the advanced classes depending on which class (won't mix others with the Formula Mazdas) and only recommend doing it for 1/2 day so you don't go through a whole set of tires. I was going to take my FGT but the weather was awful so I drove their Corvettes. Next class will be the Formula Mazdas. Just so much fun. |
I had an unexpected rain experience I'll never forget. Very similar experience to Tony.
15 minutes away from home on a sunny day, in an instant it became a deluge. Only way home was a 70mph parkway with no underpasses to hide under. Rain comes around the windshield sides over top, down the inside of w'shield, and your ass is immediately in a -literally-bucket of water. The terror comes when having to merge onto traffic going 70 (no problem in street cars) and have zero traction to accelerate in with them. Sideways at the hint of throttle, I almost ran out of room in the merge lane except for some kind soul who was exiting and let me in. I was more soaked from sweat than rain. Then tramlining on the BB's in channels of water in the lanes. And being passed by Hyundais with no traction problems. :o Funny, I learned that major water into the scoop and the sealed air pan is absolutely no problem-except for the engine bay mess. For a week, I was drying the carpets with a heat gun and polishing magnesium...:CRY: |
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HOWEVER, some exceptions: - Deluge-style thunderstorms with huge drops don't all blow over - Water will land on the back of the car and roll back down into the cockpit. Doesn't get you wet, but gets carpet wet - Lay the visor horizontal or rain hits it and drops on the dash - Water will come up from the front wheels and in around the door seals (which aren't great, at least on my car - if it was a regular occurrence, I'd probably play with better weather stripping) - Some water will come around the windshield and drip onto your leg - You better hope there aren't any lights or stop signs....%/ - The look on people's faces when you go by in a rainstorm in a cobra with no top is priceless. :cool: I also carry a car cover and a tonneau (not one you can drive with) if I'll be out and might want to cover the car during a rain storm |
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