Jeremy,
You should also contact
Unique Motorcars. I should begin by telling you that I do not work for Unique. I don't even own a Cobra yet. But I have spent the past 10 years researching and deciding who to hand my folding money to when the time comes.
Looks - Unique's replica is
very close to being an exact copy from a visual standpoint. The only other replicas that are closer to original would be ERA (more expensive) and Kirkham (much more expensive). The differences are very minor and are simply impercievable to about 99% of the population.
Ride - Unique has a very well designed suspension and the ride is not harsh. This is true for most all of the "blue chip" manufacturers (ERA, Kirkham, Superformance, B&B, et al). Please bear in mind that NO cobra is gonna provide the plush ride of, say, a Honda Accord.
Cost - Unique is VERY competitive from a cost standpoint. Please take plenty of time in this area to make sure you're comparing apples to apples as closely as possible. Create a spreadsheet. Unique's "Deluxe Pallet Kit" is extremely complete and very well priced.
Difficulty - This is probably one of Unique's strongest selling points. Their assembly manual is simple and to the point. No fabrication. No welding. It's probably one of the most straight-forward assembly manuals you're likely to find. In fact, you can even download it from Unique's website! So download it and take a look for yourself.
Hope this helps.
Keith
EDIT - I forgot one very important thing...
People - The first time I visited Unique was about a year ago. I had just turned 29 at the time, so that makes me a tad younger than the "typical" person planning to buy a car of this calibre. Upon meeting Alan Weaver (the company is owned and run by the Weaver family), I was quick to inform him that I was probably a couple of years away from making a purchase.
This fact did not change his attitude at all. He was very happy to show me around his shop, answer numerous questions, and even take me for a spin in one of the 289 cars. While Alan and I were having a Q&A session, Alan's mother (Jean) sat down with my wife and started going through a bunch of photos from the previous year's Cobra Fest.
Basically, they treated us like we were part of their family. That sort of thing goes a long way with me. These people are simply some of the nicest people you're likely to meet. To be fair, I've also heard the same about the fine folks at ERA. It's been my experience that all the
best companies are run by people who are just plain nice folks.