Finally, someone gets it right.
This is basically a LICENSING deal. SAI can get the finished product cheaper and, I'll bet, better from an off-shore supplier.
The sad thing?
Now you all (SAI fans and arguers of the "Original" issue) are buying IMPORTS!
I-M-P-O-R-T-E-D; yet,....REAL! Whoopeee! The Real thing from 1/2 way down under...
As in from beautiful, enslaving, uber-cheap SOUTH AFRICA! (South Afri-k-a to those of the land)
But, that's O.K.; 'cause, the only REAL Cobras were imports, also...or do you still not get it?
Good for you. Now, call SAI and say,"Thanks for driving the value of my car down!" Cause in-case you haven't been reading the latest "Auto-Snobbery" magazines...your "kit" or "component" or "Minus" car isn't a real enthusuasts car to begin with and now this slap in the face...or haven't you heard?
Now, enough of my usual sarcasm...
It's nice to see the posts that suggest that most of these cars are really nice REPLICAS of the cars we all loved when we were kids.
This whole "Who's building the REAL Cobras this week?" thing has only validated the fact that these are all replicas and if you've got to have Carroll's name associated with your car (Why, I'll never know...it's not like his personal performance in the industry has done much for us...i.e..."Can you say,'Series 1?'" as previously posted on this thread) you are going to pay an inflated premium that'll likely be DE-VALUED in the future.
Now, for those of you hiding behind the Romance of the Original Cobras and then incompetently comparing the manufacture and out-sourcing of the current SAI replicas to the sourcing of the original "A.C.'s": Are you Mad? Are you Drunk?
We are all here because the REAL ORIGINAL COBRAS were infact made from completed and sourced rollers of the A.C. Cars Company and, INFACT, were hand formed from ALUMINIUM and, INFACT, were rollers that rec'vd there engines and very few other finishing touches from Carroll and company.
These are the real cars that bit us...the ones with their across the pond heritage...their racing pedigrees...their FIA wins...their ugly "Ace" parentage...not these uber-marketed-prisoner built-multi-outsourced- wannabe-after the fact-only in name-replicas.
Show me any real consistency, outside of Carroll's name, between the old cars and the new cars. Can you guys even name the original trannies, rear-ends and tubing brands? You know, the things that gave the originals their "flavor"? What've ya got? Smiths gages? Al. Haldy wannabe wheels? Replica-wannabe-power-trains?
It's funny, when I was a kid, the 289's would kick the 427's all over the hill and road courses (In the hands of the eventual club racer/owner...I guess you had to be there) ...now we all think the "unwanted" 427 is cool. Yup, the 427 that all the Shelby employees and drivers would laugh at ("I wonder how long 'til it blows up or comes back on a wrecker?"). Which brings me to a point...
The only thing I've seen in this REPLICA industry that really had the Original feel and "flavor" (flavour for those in the U.K. & Canada...) of the original? An E.R.A. FIA replica. It (Actually...on several occasions...they) took me right back to the late 60's & early 70's when they were racing the local tracks of So. Cal.
Yup, an unofficial - ain't got Carrolls name on it but it's more like the real ones than SAI's - E-R-A!
It has the feel and presence of, well...you know...the real cars.
Or...do you?
I think SAI owes people like Evan, who really is an enthusiast with a real car..that's a real replica...in my opinion, a check for dep. value and an appology for their marketing snafu.
In my humble opinion...this is all marketing. And for those of us that know the difference/reality of it all:
The guy driving down the road in his B&B, Contemporary, E.R.A., FFR or SPF REPLICA is just as happy as just as happy as the guy in his SAI (CAV?) REPLICA. It's just that he paid less and got more.
If you don't get it...don't worry...you never will.
Just me an' my opinion(s),
Manny
BTW, there's a reason they call it a forum...you know..."A public meeting place for open discussion". If you're still steaming, go get a dictionary and figure out what the words mean! If you'd done that to begin...ahhh, never mind...you're never gonna get it...are you?
