Okay..I have seen this thread several times in the past, but resisted the temptation to read everything because it was just too long.
Boy, was I WRONG! Here's my story...
I'm 51, but still act like I'm 18 - or so my wife and friends say!
(Just wish some things still
worked like I was 18 again
) In 1966, while a Junior in High School, my Dad said he was going to buy me a car when I graduated High School, since I would need one to go off to college. Cool, I thought, let's go see what I want. Thus began a never ending series of trips all around the Memphis area to various car dealers to see the features of everything they had to offer.
Finally, in November of '66, I was making one of my weekend visits to the dealers and there it was. On Hull-Dobbs Ford showroom floor. A 1966 427 S/C Shelby Cobra. It was white with blue stripes, as I recall, and they had it all cordoned off so no one could get close to touch it. It was tilted up on an angle on the right side, so passers by could see it plainly from the street. Even though my Dad was a "GM Man", I was taken by it's rakish profile...hell, it only had two seats! How's a guy supposed to pursue that single thing we all wanted when we were 16 with only TWO seats? Never mind the testosterone overload, just LOOK at this car! It was enough to raise the hormonal level all by itself!
But then came the realization that even in my wildest fantasies of 16 year old girls and the like, my parents would NEVER spring for the $6,682.00 that was on the window sticker on the right side of the windshield. Hell, I had a better chance at Ann-Margret than that damn Cobra!
When I graduated, I received the keys to a 1967 Chevy Camaro, 327 2-barrel (Thank you!), with a 3-speed manual in the console. Power nothin', but still a nice ride for a 17 year-old. I was thankful and drove it for three years; wrecked it several times, but had it repaired each time. Never got back to the Cobra, but after getting married in 1973, fell back in love with English cars and began a love-hate relationship with various old English iron: a Bug-eyed Sprite, a Healy 3000, an MGB-GT, culmanating with a E-type Jaguar that was a real gem! How I loved that car...but, hated it all at the same time.
Finally sold the English iron and bought a new Porsche 944 in 1984. Sold that one and bought a new '85 Porsche 911 Carrera that I kept for 15 years. This is the car I sold to buy my SPF...
Five or so years ago, a friend of mine and I began to talk of building two Cobra kits side-by-side. We talked about it for weeks, but reluctantly gave it up after realizing that we really didn't have the time to spend on such a project(s). But, in our searching for kits, prices and options, we came across Superformance cars. Wow, we thought, these were indeed the ultimate, but failed to get any pricing information because we figured we just couldn't afford anything like this.
Then earlier this year, I saw a Cobra around Memphis. I don't know which kit it was, don't know who owned it, or anything about it. But, it awakened the urge to go check on the kit cars again. When I got back to the office, I started some web searching for Cobras and was overwhelmed with the amount of information available through the web. When I got home that night, I probably visited 20 different websites devoted to Cobras. I came across the Superformance website again, and this time decided to call someone and ask for a brochure and procing information. It didn't take long after that until I found ClubCobra.com. Within a few weeks, I had decided to sell my beloved Porsche and pursue a Superformance Cobra.
Had SEVERAL discussions with the wide during these times! After our annual visit to our financial planner, I realized that our investments and our financial picture was pretty darn good. We had paid off our house in the past year, my retirement was funded, we had no outstanding bills - in fact, didn't owe anyone anything. We had just had twin boys (after 26 years of marriage!), and we were working an aggressive plan to fund their college education. Everything was on track, in fact, we were ahead of our plan! So, I figured in five years, when the boys started private school, I may not be able to afford a new Cobra...but, if I already HAD one, maintaining it would be cheaper than buying a new one then. After a lot of explaining our financial condition, my logic in purchasing one now, and some rather heated discussions with the boss, it finally came down to "Look, I'm going to buy this car. You can frown and be perverse about it, or accept it silently, or be enthusiastic along with me. But, I'm going to buy this car, either with your consent, or not. What can I do to help you be okay with this?"
The upshot of this long story is I sold my Porsche within 3 weeks after calling two friends who had said they would be interested in buying it if I were to ever sell it. I never placed an ad anywhere - it sold by word-of-mouth. I had two different buyers actually bidding on my car! I wound up getting enough so my depreciation on the Porsche ended up being $52.8888 per month for 15 years! Cheap fun to say the least. I ordered my SPF within two weeks of selling the Porsche.
Finally...34 years after seeing my first Cobra, I own one! I hope to interest my twin boys in all things automotive. They've already sat down in #770. Drew just looked around a few moments, then reached for the steering wheel and laughed. Will (The
Wild Man ) immediately smiled and reached for the wheel and the cockpit edge. I think he was trying to hang his little left arm over the edge and look cool. They show GREAT potential...!
Ahhhhhhhh, yesssssss. Life is goooooooooood!
Happy Christmas, my friends!