Noel,

You should really come out and see us/ take a ride with us. We always have something going on just about every weekend. The WCCC has a large variety of cars brands and engine types to view and get seat of the pants opinions of. We are going to breakfast and for a cruise this Saturday if you are interested in riding along with one of us? Feel free to contact us through this thread or e-mail. I believe we have 50 or so active club members in the Chicago area.

Come on out, you won't regret it.

If you make a purchase soon enough you can race it at the dragstrip on May 15th with us. :D

Really, take a look at all brand cars and engine types before you make any decisions. You may end up liking a car you never knew existed.

Except in '68 and '69 when it was won by a.......small block. ;)

Couple of points not mentioned - 1 how long do you want to wait for delivery - not sure about Superperformance but expect to wait a long, long time for one of the other "top" cars. 2-do you want a 427 style body or the 289? If you want the 289 you have fewer choices (manufacturers), some look like the original and some look like a cross bred 289/427 (the 289 also won't accomodate a big block unless you are 5'6" or sit on your feet.

$70k will get you into a lot of choices (ERA included) but probably not a "complete" Kirkham or Shelby.

Best advice above - go to a Cobra show - you'd be surprised how many makes make your list and how many don't (all a matter of taste as they say). There are lots of "used" Cobras with 5000 or fewer miles, some makes dominate the "used" market and some are extemely rare (may say something about "owner" satisfaction).

Don't forget to put aside $5k for title, tax, shipping & insurance. Then there's a trailer, tow package, tow vehicle, etc. etc. etc.

Unless you spend a fair amount of time looking at and comparing various replica Cobras and options, you may look back a year later and be sorry about your choice.

A few posts on this thread is not going to give you the education you should have before spending that type of money. Spend a lot of time reading all the forums here, and go see as many cars as you can. If you do that, you'll actually figure out what you want. No one else can tell you.

Thanks a lot for all of the responses! It makes complete sense to meet with owners and get a better feel for the differences. I've driven 2 different cobras, both with small blocks. I'd be happy to meet up with you guys this weekend (sans cobra, of course). I was planning on going out to St. Charles Motorsport (the shop that D&M recomends to install the drivetrain) to talk to Alex about all of this same stuff. I'm not sure if going from St. Charles to where ever you guys are going to be is practical.?? Where and when are you guys doing your drive? If it's feasable I'd hook up with you guys.

Also, part of the reason that I was leaning toward the SPF is just time and practicallity....basically, i can have one ready to roll in a week or so, instead of several months of waiting to be built.

I do not have my heart set on the SPF it just seems easier and faster (to get, not a faster car), since there are cars at D&M right now.

Re: New guy....needs lots of advise.
 

Wow 60K? I'll tell ya what I'd do! REMEMBER THIS IS PERSONAL PREFERENCE!

JBL
Black.
17in polished wheels with some 315's on the rear
Tremec 500
bolted to a SCREAMING 331 with a HOT cam.(10:1 compression)
RPM band from 2000-6500
AFR 205 with forged internals. (PROBE)
And make sure it pops when you down shift...Oh yeah baby!
Black ceramic coated pipes(Short ones that end at the door.)
Full Fire supression system.
AutoMeter Cobalt guages with one of those huge RPM guages bolted next to the rear view mirror.(Yellow Shift Light.)
Now that is a street machine! I'd just troll around town hunting for Vettes and Vipers all day!


Badman has a D&M SPF with a St Charles Motorsports motor. Talk to him.
Sid :JEKYLHYDE :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :cool:

Noel
We must live fairly close to each other. I am in the DePaul area - Halsted & Armitage. I will be home the rest of the week in the evening. Drop me an e-mail if you want to stop by (richmusson@aol.com)
We are doing a breakfast and cruise this Saturday Morning. If you want to hook up let me know and I'll try and find an empty seat with someone. Mine is spoken otherwise I would offer it.
Talk to you soon.

Rich Musson

Noel: Lots of good information for you here. If you are interested in opinions on Cobras, you've come to the right place. If I had it to do all over again and had more bucks, I would go for an aluminium (we spell Al many ways here) Shelby 427 sideoiler, similar to the one I already own, and either an aluminium Shelby or Kirkham 427 S/C. I've heard that Kirkham makes the body and chassis for the current Shelby anyway, but I don't know for sure. Either of these will make you the envy of most of us on this forum. And while you may not care about authenticity now, there are significant advantages, including when it is time to sell. [Many years from now.] ;) Rich

Noel,

It will be great to meet you this weekend! St. Charles is not close to where we are going. I'm out in the Elgin/St.Charles area and its a 1hr drive to Mattson.

Sid

Noel: I too have been asking some of the same questions. Let me ask you this...People are speaking about re-sale, re-sale, but when I make my purchase regarding a Cobra, this is a once in a lifetime toy. After my initial Cobra, I might modify it to fit my future needs, but I expect this Replica to last the rest of my life! My Cobra will not be the fastest on the track (cause there is always someone faster) but it will be quick enough to have a smile on my face, and the uneasiness of driving too fast, running through my veins.
I recently had the opportunity to drive a classic roadsters cobra, and needless to say, I fell in love with everything about the Cobra. It has a fit like few others I have looked at. It is a little longer in the wheelbase, a little wider, and they claim it has a 50/50 weight distibution. That to me means that the handling is superb! Let me tell you it is too! I spoke with a person that has had one for over 15 years, and nearly 80,000 miles on it. His car is still in Awesome condition. For me...I cn always do upgrades to make it what I want, but I also want a SHOW-STOPPER on the road, and good performance when I decide to take it to the track. I am not a professional Racer, but would like to go try my best on the track, while still having a little Honda/ Corvette EATIN MACHINE!!!!
I was just curious what you wanted out of your Cobra, and is it going to be a once in a lifetime deal for you too?

Hi Noel-

Good luck in your decision. I went with SPF because I like the way they drive and the finish is quite good. I didn't want to wait for a turnkey from the other high-end manufacturers which have been mentioned. "Authenticity" is a nebulous concept, to say the least, but only you can determine how accurate you want your reproduction vehicle to be compared to an original.

As for the engine, I got a Roush 402 with Dart block, and I couldn't be more pleased with its performance. I might have been happy with a crate motor, but I got a good deal on the Roush and it has the right characteristics for how I drive.

Whichever you choose, if you're like me you'll wonder why on earth you waited so long...

Noel,

Sorry for the delay, email me at; 427cobra@bigvalley.net.

Hey Noel,

Welcome to the insanity:LOL: I was in your position this time last year. The best thing I did was to hang out with these guys and ask questions. There are lots of variety here and plenty of guys that are very willing to help. I started out wanting to build a FFR and found out that it was not really for me. I found out that the average is about 18-month build and $30-35k costs. I went with Backdraft Racing for a sans engine/trans cobra. On paper it was a hands down decision. They offer a car that is a little easier to get in and out of and is said to accommodate most anyone 6'-4" tall. The car comes with lots of great features, but I am not happy with the fit, finish and some of the install work. I still think it is a great car and very comparable to the Superformance. However, the Superformance displays a better fit and finish. I believe I will spend an extra $1k getting those kind of details addressed.

I went with a stroked small block 351/393. In my view it is a better fit for the car. Against a big block you will have snappier response, a little better handling, better gas mileage and plenty of torque/horsepower to propel a 2300lb car beyond most any guys limits of performance driving. I am not knocking a big block, because they are awesome in their own right. To me the extra cost is not worth the only 2 real benefits. Big cubes means big torque, which is difficult to handle at any speed below 30mph. The other benefit is they are simply impressive and closer to what helped make the car famous. FYI, I built my engine for approx $6k and if everything goes right:JEKYLHYDE I will wind up with just over 500t/500hp.

I looked around for a used Cobra and did not have any luck finding what I wanted. I believe this is the best route and as they say the biggest bang for the buck if you can find what you want. Again, hang out with the club. You usually can't beat experience. Good luck and enjoy the pursuit.

Jeff