I am 51 years old and have wanted a Cobra since before I graduated from high school in 1966. My interest in cars started when I was only 13. My uncle had a 1939 Packard V-12 Convertible, a 1932 Cord L-29 Phaeton and several other cars. This interest spilled over to my dad. My dad thought that buying and restoring an old Model A coupe in partnership with his son would be fun and also keep me off the streets and out of trouble during my teenage years. It is a cherished memory and eventually led to me opening my own restoration shop which I operated for many years. Now retired, I can work on my own cars which include a Cobra replica. I have built several Cobras for friends. I designed my own tubular frame as well as many chassis components. My car(s) differ from other replicas mainly by attention to detail and originality which is just a carryover from my restoration background. I guess it took this long before I had both the time and the financial resources to produce the kind of Cobra I wanted. The journey in building the car has been an important step in the process. Over the years my 100 plus Model A Fords my have played a part in the delay of the Cobra acquisition (the condition of some of them would question whether they could actually be called a car). Didn't mean to rattle on. This is my first reply to the forum yet I read it regularly.
Oh, by the way, in answer to the original question....it's more than a midlife crisis thing.
Jim