[REAL 1]

Steve: My policy with Chubb does exclude track racing and any claim resulting from "street racing". Makes total sense. Street racing has no place on public roads. Period. No excuse.

What I am getting from all this is that the problem is more demographics of Cobra drivers combined with the "home built" factor.

I have done no research but just from what I have seen I sensed that the Cobra crowd was in general a more "aggressive" group of drivers as I noted previously. Guess I was right. All you have to do is read thread after thread on this cite where guys are striving for more and more horsepower from lighter and lighter engines. My 427SO putting out 502 hp is mild compared to some of the others including SBs. Guys are always looking to squeeze more and more power from these things far exceeding what the originals did.

While I think the street rodders are into power too they perhaps put more emphasis on the showability and "shine" aspect of the hobby.

If Ed is right about the NSRA or NHRA as to working with them then we have to form our own group.

As to power. Look. A Cobra is a Cobra. They by their nature will be putting out at least 385hp with a stock/base line 351W or a worked 302. Unless we are willing to run 6 cylinders the carriers will never be happy about the substantial power these things have.

But I don't think its the performance potential that putting the kabosh on writing policies. I think its US!

Carriers look at us as a very aggressive driving group driving around with our hair on fire in home made missles. Its thats simple.

Steve, why can't carriers put an endorsement into every Cobra policy that does exclude street racing? If you have an accident going 100 mph in a 55 mph zone maybe you should forfeit coverage. I have no love for insurance companies, they are snakes, but whats fair is fair. That would help give them protection agains the overly aggressive Cobra owner.

We as a Club could form a group that establishes a process to establish a Cobra is road worthy. We can have a qualified builder or consultant give us a list of requirements to be checked on every car for it to be road worthy and has been constructed properly. This list can be created and distributed by every Kit Manufacturer as a list the owner can have "certified" by a ASE qualifed mechanic in his area. That "certification" when obtained can be provided to the agent and carrier when coverage is applied for. The carrier then knows or has some reliable assurance that the car is road worthy.

I see a responsibility for the kit manufacturers in this process. They need to step up to the plate and assist in the solution by being involved. This is their problem as well. Maybe one solution is for each manfacturer to build each kit to a certain phase including suspension, brake lines, pedals, anchoring seats and belts and steering. Thereby making these cars closer to factory built. We will pay for it but it may make the carriers more comfortable.

If we as Club want to form an approval process such as the NRSA thats fine but we need to be careful about our potential liabilty. Unless representatives of our "group" are actually involved in the inspection process any "sticker" we give is nothing more than acknowledgment that the owner has had the items on the check list checked by an independent mechanic and we are relying on the fact the owner/mechanic has been truthful.

If we as a group provide the inspectors...well that opens the door to liablility for sure. Not sure we want to go there.

I think the key is to give the owners the tools to assure the carriers the cars are roadworthy when completed.

The carriers want business. They just don't want to buy a claim.