Nice intro and details, welcome and I am sure that you will get many suggestions.
For what its worth, for the budget and the ease of rego, if it was me, this is where I would be placing my coin.
1981 Arntz Cobra for sale
Great base, with scope for easy personalisation. If it was me a would be going for historic racer look, decals, pin drives, side pipes. All this and its LHD.
Its worth a flight on the weekend to check it out..... your search may be over quicker than you think with less headaches.