Chevy engine?

[BossCER]

Hey Karl,
I'd bet SCOBRAC would like to dance!

[Excaliber]

Makes my ERA with a 427 side oiler and four speed top loader look like 'real' bargain at $45K!

Chebbie with an automatic for $40K? This is a joke, your pulling my leg. Right?

[ItBites]

Mine has a chevy motor in it and I really wouldn't have it any other way, but that's me. Obviously, then, I am not a biased Ford fanatic, so you can trust what I say:

Everyone here is right that $40Large is too much for this car. The right price might be $30K or less... Does seem like a nice car though.

BTW, BossCER, I don't think SCOBRA should dance with Karl. I know Karl and he still has not even pushed his buggy hard yet. I think his 60' times were about 1.35 or 1.4. He's still got quite a bit of tune left in the motor.

[ATexasSnake]

A Cobra replica with a Chevy engine will always be worth less than a comparable car with aFord engine. If you want a Chevy engine, buy a Corvette.

[Jim Barnett]

Being a DIE HARD MOPAR fanatic for years, it's hard enough for me to admit that my Cobra is the most AWESOME "don't ..ck with me car" that I personally have ever driven and it has a FORD engine. IF it had a CHEVY engine, I'd NEVER have bought it, PERIOD. Bastardizing cars like that is BLASPHEMY, IMO.

[ItBites]

ATexasSnake:

I have a Corvette. It has a chevy engine.

I do not have a Cobra and neither do you. We both have kit cars designed to look like a Cobra. My Kit car has a Chevy motor. Your kit car has a Ford motor. If I had Cobra, it would have a Ford engine. But that'll never happen. I've heard this BS before many times about "well, if you had a Corvette, you wouldn't put a Ford engine in it, so why put a Chevy in a Cobra" and it doesn't hold any water at all!!! I have not heard of anyone ever putting a Chevy motor in a Cobra. I have put a Chevy in a kit car, which has only one Ford part in the entire car (turn signal switch) to my knowledge. I guess if someone wanted to build kit cars of the Corvette, I could care less what they would be powered by.

Again, do not forget we are talking about kit cars, not Cobras.


Jim Barnett: I understand the money/value thing and agree a Ford motor to most will hold more value... fine, but saying a kit car which has no affiliation with Ford Motor Company (even yours is an LA Exotics - I do not recall when they were acquired by Ford?) is BASTARDIZED if you do not use a Ford motor is ludicrous (but not uncommon on this site). What bastardization is taking place if the car is not made/sold by Ford? The whole car is not true to the originals, so why does the motor have to be. By your logic, your fiberglass body is a bastardization, since Ford (or AC) did not make it.


Think about it folks and don't get so full of yourself...

[Dangerous Doug]

ItBites: You make some excellent and valid points. However, for some people there is something about staying "true" to the original Cobra "mystique". Take me for instance: I had set out to build a 427 S/C, but in the midst of my research decided I didn't want a FE under the hood. It did not seem "correct" to have a small block Ford under the hood of a 427 S/C, so I did more research and absolutely fell in love with the ERA 289 FIA body and bought my Cobra to build. I am building a 289 (which, incidentally is NOT a Hi-Po which would be ultimately "correct") and that seems like the right mix---for me.

I think the desire to stick with the "mystique" is reflected in the resell value of the Chevy powered Cobras. It is also reflected in the resell value of 427 S/C's with small block Fords under the hood.

But none of us are here to invest our money wisely, are we? This is about what's fun for you, and enjoying our Cobra (replicas). I, personally, go for the "mystique", though just about every Cobra I see makes me stop and enjoy the lines.

DD

[ByronRACE]

You'll find that most Cobra guys are Ford guys.

Showing that Cobra to a Ford audience will likely yield more inflammatory comments than praise.

Showing that Cobra to a Chevy audience will likely yield more praise than inflammatory comments.

Who is your audience? And, even if you don't show the car...as a Cobra owner, you have an audience whether you want one or not. People will want to see the car everywhere you go; most of which are Ford fans.

I have a friend with Ford powered Corvette. How much praise do you think he gets from the Chevy crowd? That's why he did it. He frequents race tracks on Chevy days just to stir up drama. I'm sure whoever built this Cobra was a Chevy guy and knew full well what kind of reception he'd get from the Ford community as well.

If you want that kind of attention and are prepared to deal with it...it'll certainly get a lot of it. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you're after.

Byron

[BossCER]

Hey itbites,
I don't even know SCOBRAC or his car. I simply saw that it seemed to be a well sorted out ride by the times that it runs, hence the statement.
I will say though that I am amused to see one chevy boy run to the aide of another.
Have fun

[Karl Bebout]

Didn't know that I was in need of aide, but I do appreciate Itbites sentiment. I still catch lots of razzing from the AZ Cobra gang I hang out with, but its not nearly as caustic after there were several of them watching me at the strip.
We all like our cars and want different things from them. A lot of people get satisfaction from making, or buying, something as close to an original as possible, some people make lots of upgrades to the power or handling or braking or creature comforts, some people like to have their car be 'way different, but still similar, to the masses. At the end of it all, its your car, its your money, enjoy it the way you want. I do. The Ford vs. Chevy debate will never end and in fact, it would be a pretty boring world if we all liked the same things. Personally, I enjoy the friendly ribbing I get for having a bastardized replica of an English sports car, that Shelby was smart enough to bastardize into something many people would find appealing, even if it took a few decades. As for the "unfriendly ribbing", can Johnny come out and play?

[jmarsey]

It's very simple, Chevy sucks!

ps, unless it's in a Butler, Arntz, Austin Healy, Jag XJ6, or Lister.

[Karl Bebout]

jmarsey

Good Retort! Well thought out.

[Capt. Bob]

A little input from a Chevy guy. I am scratch building a Cobra that will be either a 383 or 406 small block. The car you are looking at looks very nice to me, my only problem with it, its an automatic. That might be fine with you. From what I have read, Chevrolet was the first engine of choice by Shelby, Mopar # 2, Ford came in a distant 3rd. Thats what I have read, it could be wrong, but if true, does'nt that make you Ford guys eggplants? Capt. Bob

[ATexasSnake]

Jeeze, I guess I struck a nerve with ol' ItBites. I have all the respect in the world for Chevrolets. Over the years I have owned a '62 Corvette, a '63 split-window coupe and a '65 coupe. (Then I got Married). Today I drive a Chevy Suburban (Texas Cadillac), and my wife drives a new Tahoe. When I started researching Cobra REPLICAS, I was told time and again that any Cobra REPLICA would be worth more with a FORD engine than with any other, ergo, I opted for a FORD engine in my Cobra REPLICA. Oh, by the way, my Cobra REPLICA is not a "kit car". It was built from the ground up by a guy who has been building Cobra REPLICAS for 30 years.

[blykins]

Capt. Bob.

That's not even a valid point. It doesn't matter what Shelby thought about doing....it's what he did.

Replicas are replicas. They were meant to "replicate".

It doesn't matter if he thought about putting a Allis Chalmer tractor engine in there. The only thing that does matter is what he ended up putting in it.

Who's to say.....Maybe even at some point, Shelby was laughing with some of the guys saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if this thing was 4 wheel drive and had 31x10.5 mud tires on it?"

He thought about it, right? Then should we have legal license to make a car crusher out of a Cobra and call it a Cobra replica?

No.

[Excaliber]

Capt Bob, it AINT true.
Think about it, your going to build a 'hot rod' or a 'race car'. You go through a whole series of questions in the process.

What kind of motor? What kind of car? Where will I get the money? Who will sponsor it? In the 50's Shelby was leaning toward OLDSMOBILE, which he ultimatly did when he built the Series 1. Shelby went to Donald Healey for a body before he went to AC. Does that mean his FIRST choice was Austin Healey?

Shelby was 'shopping' for SOMEONE to sponsor a ride, for a 'deal' he could put together. The Cobra could have been an Austin Healey or any number of other 'suppliers' with a Olds, Buick or what ever engine had fate dealt him a different hand.

[blykins]

Slick, good point about the Healey bodies.

I guess according to others, we could use A/H bodies with Chevy engines and call them Cobras because Shelby "thought" about using them.

There's some excellent logic floating around here.

[Capt. Bob]

I guess my point was not well understood. My fault. My thinking is that the reason Shelby chose the Chevrolet engine to begin with, was because its the best. He wanted the best , and was turned down by Chevrolet because they already had the Corvette. Too bad for Chevrolet, the Cobra was alot lighter than the Corvette. They could have had something. Capt. Bob

[fastraxsg]

Lucky you guys don't read/write on the UK CobraClub.com site. They have a host of different things under the hood like Pinto engines, Rovers and even the odd Jag. I'd love to have a Ford in mine , I'd even take a Chevy, but I've got a Holden 6 'cause that was what was in the car and there isn't any thing else around at the time. Still, its a heap of fun. Enjoy it, drive it, no matter what its got.....

[Excaliber]

He wanted a Chevy because it was the 'best'? Well thats a matter of opinion!

What he wanted was FUNDING and if that came with an engine, even better. For the application (light weight body, small block race car) the Ford 289 was a much better choice than the HEAVY GM small block. An Olds engine, his 'real' first choice was incredibly heavy compared to just about anything else.

Of course Shelby didn't know the light Ford small block was 'coming soon'. Based on available engine choices say in 1959 the GM small block was a logical choice compared to what was available.

The GM small block weighs considerably more than the Ford engine, and weight is the 'holy grail' when it comes to racing!