Knotts...I was a little disappointed

[Tongue Pirate]

For those of you "Knott" in attendance that, heavy on the sparkle, thing was VW powered! I It must have also been on a VW chassis as it had the old big wheel bolt pattern. I didn't know whether to cry or be overjoyed I was so thrown aside with confusion. & the fender skirts!? Brilliant Artist or Crazy Person? I'm still really undecided & overwhelmed! I think that picture alone sums up Knott's for the year!

[Traveller]

Someone needs to email that pic to Carroll Shelby.

On second thought, don't. I'm affraid the 'ol gentleman's transplanted ticker couldn't handle it.

[joea]

There were actually some really nice Porsche kits there...they use Briggs and Stratton motors in those right?

[Tongue Pirate]

Yeah, I almost forgot about the Porche kits. They were pretty nice!

[67Cobra]

Originally posted by Tongue Pirate
Brilliant Artist or Crazy Person? I'm still really undecided & overwhelmed!

Crack smoker.

[6T5 Cbra]

You can almost 'feel' the power from here.
</p>
<img src="http://www.cobragarage.com/Images/Knotts%20-%20Apr%202003/knotts030412-14.jpg">
</p>
or better yet ....
</p>
<img src="http://www.cobragarage.com/Images/Knotts%20-%20Apr%202003/knotts030412-25.jpg"
</p>
Heavy sigh ............

Gene

[Edley Rondinone]

A Miata Cobra!! I agree; seemed like a poor turn-out, but it was the same as last year. Why is this event BOTH days of the weekend? Even JBL gave this show a pass, as they went to the Long Beach Grand Prix! (I guess they only have one car, and one person who knows anything!!) lol!!

[Traveller]

I like the 'batmoblie-like' humps behind the seats on the 'Cobug'

It's like an car wreck or maybe a freak show.

Your first inclination is to look away in horror but you continue to stare at it nonetheless with a mixture of fascination and nausea.

[STG]

The photos don't show it, but that silver metalflake VW/Cobra had HEAVY metalflake in the paint. You could just about count the individual flakes!

[Tongue Pirate]

You can't critisize people for trying!!! But you can question! Right?

I think they would do better to do more advertizing, schedule on a better weekend & try to draw some major manufacturers or at least their cars. It's really dissapointing to go to an event like this & not even see an example of what most companies have to offer. Sure there were some examples of a few cobras but what about the rest of the kit car world? This is "THE" event for SoCal isn't it?

[Edley Rondinone]

I agree with you guys; with a little better choice of weekends, and better advertising, and more sponsor involvement, it should be a much-bigger event than it is.

[Richard Hudgins]

Originally posted by Edley Rondinone


A Miata Cobra!! I agree; seemed like a poor turn-out, but it was the same as last year. Why is this event BOTH days of the weekend? Even JBL gave this show a pass, as they went to the Long Beach Grand Prix! (I guess they only have one car, and one person who knows anything!!) lol!!

Well Edley,

JBL gave the show a pass because they had customers that needed real support at the LBGP and the Kit Car folks changed the date.. SK/JBL builds many components for the CART teams and this had to take precedence over the Knott’s show. (I hope you understand “CASH FLOW”)

I do wonder why you say that JBL has only one car and one person who “knows” anything. Have you read about John Marsey, Scott and Jay Torburg, Tom Wolfe, David Beale, and of course everyone’s favorite, the Butcher. How does these folks equate to one car? Have you spoken with JBL Dave? Have you spoken with me about technical stuff? Do you have an agenda here? If so, please elaborate so that JBL can respond with some semblance of reality.

Of course, your statement is probably just a bit of levity. And in good sport. At least that is the way I am taking it.

It would have been nice to go to this club based show once again. We would of seen a lot of our friends and talked to many folks who do not have a clue, but certainly have opinions. Like, “why don’t you have dropped footboxes”, what donor car do you use, where did you get those valve covers, what are the funny round things on the suspension, they will never work, what do you mean by “anti-roll bars, and finally, My cousin has a real one, therefore I know everything about all cars.

Edley. Please note that I have once again had a few adult beverages and anything said above I will feel bad about tomorrow. (At least until the hangover goes away)

[Excaliber]

That silver VW metal flake Cobug must be Batmans weekend car. I guess it's true, all best nuts come from Calif. ha ha.

Richard, looks like you didn't miss much. Supplying parts to some of the CART teams? Whoa, I'm impressed!

Ernie

[427SSSS]

NO BIG BLOCK CARS????

That's 427 cubic inches of boat engine in this devil.


http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...ts2003-med.jpg

[vettestr]

Here is one of several big blocks present. This one is 542 inches of Dart/ Gen 6 Block, motor built by Shafiroff Racing.

[Bart Carter]

I was impressed by the VW Cobra. This guy made his own mold and made 3 bodies. He used to make the bodies for Kellison. When I saw the work and ingenuity that was involved, I had to give him credit. The spats and headrests were things he was trying to see how they work.

I would venture to say there isn't anyone else that could do what he has done, aside from manufacturers.

Again, I was impressed.

[Edley Rondinone]

Richard Hudgins: No offense meant! Yes, I made that comment about "One Car..." as a joke. Maybe not in the best sense of taste, but an attempt at a little humour. I think the JBL cars are technologicallly quite advanced, and great racecars! And I DO understand "Cash flow." I would have done the same thing. This knott's show seems to become more irrelevant as time goes by. .......................427SSSSSSSS, there was a Cobra there with a 4.6 Ford engine in it, down near the southern edge of the show. Those motors are HUGE!!

[Richard Hudgins]

Hi Edley,

I know there was no offense meant. It is always hard to make a joke that everyone gets. I hope that everyone got yours. I did.

Ernie.

JBL/SK has been building components for many years for race teams and suppliers as well as design work. This is what we live off of. Not the Cobra.

Some of the current race customers for your perusal.

TRD: Engine components CART, (now IRL), F1 and offroad.
Honda:Engine components CART (now IRL)and F1.
Chrysler: Engine components (FIA Viper and LM sports car)
Reynard: Suspension and chassis bits
Lola: Suspension bits
Macmillen: gearboxes and drivetrain
Hewland: gearbox components
Staffs: gearbox components
Mickey Thompson: Gearboxes and drivetrain
Oreca (FIA Viper) Chassis bits
Swift Engineering (Chassis bits and engineering)
Cunningham (FIA vipers and NASCAR engine drive systems)
Everingham(sp) (NASCAR engine drive systems)

These folks are what keeps JBL/SK Specialties in business. As well as many normal commercial firms. We build optics, touch control mechanisms, Kennedy motorcycle bits (The Harkey king) etc.

In other words, it takes a lot of other effort to support the build of the JBL roadster. the marketplace will never support the technology cost of the JBL.

We do it because it is fun. The folks that own a JBL are always smiling after a short drive. That is the point of it all.

There are some new really amusing things coming in the next year or so from JBL/SK. I think that we will have a lot of fun with these new products.

(of course, we will not make any money from them, but they will be fun and will raise the bar in the industry. Whatever that is worth.)

[xlr8or]

Stan,
I know who the other two are but I won't tell since I was there when you took the picture.

I felt the show was quite heavy on Factory Five as usual but what I missed what that I only saw one 289 car.

As mentioned above there were a couple of real nice GT 40's there to see.

It was also nice to get to meet some of the rascals here and put a face to the names.


Scott

[Jon Miller]

The best part of the show was the big wood roller coaster across the street, but I guess that was not really part of the show........Oh well.

-Jon