My first drive in a Cobra was the day I bought it and brought it home, though I had taken drives in a couple of others. We'd looked at the car a couple of months before. Made the decision in early Sept 2000. Early on a saturday morning we caught the ferry to Seattle, drove to the dealer in Bellvue and bought it. Did a short test drive in another one, never out of 2nd. Went through all the pre-purchase hassle, did the purchase and waited for the car to get out of the Detail shop. Four hours after we first walked in the door it is ours. Time to take it home. I climbed in, buckled up the harness, went through the starting ritual, blipped the throttle, engaged the clutch, and killed it
It was in Third gear--duh!.
Finally got things straightend out, off I went, about 6 city blocks to the freeway on-ramp, on to the freeway to downtown Seattle, " If you see kay this sucker is fast", lost my wife in the traffic. Then really started worrying about the other Idiots on the freeways--yikes. I was driving white-knuckled with a grin a mile wide
Made it to the ferry terminal way early and was about 4 cars back--on the ferrries when you are in the first to load you are loaded on the main car deck at the front of the boat-- when it came time to load, as I came aboard into the car deck, the exhaust rumble in the confines of that empty space--loud doesn't quite describe it.
The deck crew held up another car and signalled me forward, right up front first off.
When we got to Bainbridge to off-load, the tide was out, so the ramp had a good incline--I started the car and noticed a lot of walk-on passengers peering over to see what the racket was--not wanting to make a fool of myself again I double checked that I was in first--hmm steep ramp a little more gas as I engage clutch--and off I go laying rubber up the ramp
Saw lots of thumbs up for that little stunt--but it was fully unintensional.
We drove it very carefully around the island that afternoon, then it rained Sunday and for the next 2 weekends
