[Russ Dickey]

Coupster:
As someone who is also in the market for a Cobra, I have also had this discussion with many members. My choice is simple: an FE Big-Block. First, because I'm a purist and that's what the originals came with. Second, because there is absolutely no engine in the world that, to me, sounds like an FE.

When you go to a car show or cruise night, and a nice small-block Cobra rolls through, it gets smiles and a few thumbs-ups. When an a nice FE car rolls through, every single head in the place looks that way, and a small crowd begins to follow it to the parking space. The odd firing-order of the FE just gives it an unbelivably sinister, reverberating sound that you feel in the pit of your stomach. That's when the hood goes up and the "Ooohs" and "Ahhs" begin.

Not to say that a small-block doesn't get a response, it just won't generate the same buzz as the BB. When a BB car rolls up, you (and everybody else within a quarter-mile), know it. Again, I'm not wanting to offend any SB guys, I've heard some of your cars with some pretty wild cam grinds, and they do sound mean.

Of course, the drawback is the cost. From my research so far, an FE costs about 25% more than a small block or even the 385-series big blocks, whether it's the initial purchase or replacement parts.

And as far as the racing end goes, Carroll Shelby won with small blocks, but Dick Smith has won hundreds of races and several national championships with his original big-block car. It's all about how you put the power and the torque to the ground. Unless of course you'll be doing a lot of autocrossing....