Comments from passenger's first rides?

[Edley Rondinone]

Here's the story: You get your Cobra out on the street for a drive. Of course, ALL your friends/wife/girlfriends/complete strangers want rides and, being the friendly diplomat that we all are, we oblige them with rides around the block, on the freeway, down to the local cruise etc etc etc. What are some of the memorable comments that your passengers have said to you, or to whomever else might be listening? One of my older sisters had her fingers in her ears the whole time, saying "This thing is SO LOUD." The other sister said "This is REALLY COOL!" So what have your passengers said about their first (or subsequent) rides in the Cobra?

[bmalone]

To a person, they all said they had whiplash.

[pderouss]

Many of mine just laugh all the way round the block. It's the noise that does it.

[Ron61]

Took our police sergant who has a new Corvette on a ride over to Shasta Dam last Summer. After stopping and getting out, all he said was either I drive back or send a unit to get me when you get back.

Ron

[Corky]

I took my 8 year old nephew for a ride around a long block. on to a bypass and back home. He told his dad and me that he did not want another ride because he had a head ache from hitting his head on the body behind the seat. His ride was fun but not the headache.
A friend of mine got his first ride and said he loved it and could now cross one thing off his list of todo's, list list also contained walk the Hoover Dam, skydive and build his own house. I was glad to help fulfill a life long dream for him.

Corky

[Wayne Maybury]

Comments so far have been, in no special order;

WOW!
My neck hurts!
Man, that thing is fast!
Man, that thing is loud!
Man, that thing is cool!
OUCH, I just burned my leg even as you were telling me to be careful of the side pipe.
WOW!

Wayne

[Pete C]

I've taken many friends for their first Cobra ride and most hoot and holler. The first time I took my brother-in-law for a ride, we had a spirited jaunt over some country roads and he didn't make a peep. I drove back home and as we got out of the car my brother-in-law said, in a flat voice, "Don't EVER do that again".

Cheers, Pete C

[Ron61]

Wayne,

Don't tell people to watch the hot side pipes. That is the one sure way they will burn themselves. I have a permanent handprint in my passenger side one. I told the guy to watch the hot side pipe, he said ok and them put his hand on it to push himself up out of the seat. Left the whole palm of his hand on it and I have been to all the motorcycle and chrome shops around and they said the oil from the hand is in the metal itself and the only way to get rid of it is to replace the pipe. I notice that if I just don't mention it at all, hardly anyone touches them.

Ron

[agro1]

People are usually too scared of it just by the idle and the looks (open cockpit, low to ground, flimsy doors, etc...) My driving is usually a factor but I try not to goose it before telling them, "OK that was 1/4 throttle, this is half throttle...You wanna see wide open ??" Very few people ever say, "Sure, floor it..." At almost 3/4 throttle most people are usually either laughing their a$$ off at the thought that something could actually acellerate THAT fast, or looking for something to grab onto and trying to remain calm cause they know it'll all be over in just a few minutes. I usually just cruise with that last group of people, but it's fun to stab it and grab a couple gears just to see that fearful uncomfortableness in their eyes

The best was a friend of mine who loves race cars and knows what 500 + hp in a 2500lb car can do - So he says to me, "Dude, are you sure you know what your doing ??" So at the next stop sign I dump the clutch and do a nice (controlled) 360 in a perfect concentric circle burnout, keep my foot in it and continue on up the street with the rear end hangin' out to the right all the way through second. He never questioned my car control skills again and now asks me to let him know before I goto the skidpad...

[Lowell W]

All the usual comments, but this was a new one on me: Today at a stop sign, the guy ahead of me stopped his truck, got out with a camera, snapped a picture, waved, got back in his truck and took off.

[ohekk]

I took a lady friend for a ride...nothing other than a cruise through the country back roads. Up the gears on the straights, down the gears through the twisty turns until she asked: "How fast is this?"

All alone with nothin' but straight ahead of me ...I stopped.. she looked at me with bewilderment like "What are you doing?"
then I nailed it: 1st gear and the Excalibur lept like a tiger pouncing on it's prey...2nd gear and she accelerated like a rocket and mid way through 3rd even I started to tremble...so I backed off.

What did she say? : "I pee'd my pants!"

[CSX 4027]

What's it like being a passenger in a Comp Car?
Rule #1...Earplugs!! Open exhaust will make you deaf.

Rule #2...Keep Mouth Shut! No Windshield for the passenger leads to either swallowed bugs or looking like a thangsgiving turkey with your cheeks and neck flapping in the wind.

Rule #3...If you have to scream to the driver to slow down because you are scared for your life, never gone that fast before and feel like your head is going to get ripped off by the wind force,........See Rule #2

[casaleenie]

The first time I was in the car with someone else there was a lot of screaming and crying going on. A lot of grabbing for something to hold onto and wide eyes... Actually, I was the one doing all the screaming and crying and grabbing... Fred Savill, the previous owner, took me for ride down in the Tampa area... It was awesome... When we got back to Fred's house I changed my pants and thanked Fred.. We loaded the car for the trip back north and I've stopped the crying and screaming and have been smiling ever since... Thanks Fred!!!

[David Kirkham]

It wouldn't be polite to post what Jamo said...

David

He is no longer a fan of "Little Blocks."

[snake oil]

Most of the girls/ women say;
It's too loud.
It messes up their hair and it smells like exhaust fumes.
SLOW DOWN !!!

Most of the guys can't talk
until they wipe the huge grin off their face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then usually, it's;
let's do that again

[TERRY M KRYSTOFIAK]

MY YOUNGEST SON MATT WAS ALLOWED TO RIDE IN ONLY ONE SACTIONED EVENT BECAUSE OF THE SINGLE ROLL BAR. THAT EVENT WAS THE VIRGINA CITY HILL CLIMB IN NEVADA. THE FIRST TWO YEARS HE ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO IT. I THEN HAD A NEW ENGINE BUILT WITH A TAD MORE HP/TORQUE. AFTER THE FIRST RUN HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND SAID, "NO OFFENSE DAD,BUT ILL PASS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND". HURT MY FEELINGS, BUT IT WAS A RED FLAG! HE WAS RIGHT, WAS WAY BEYOND THE ENVELOPE...DID DO MY BEST TIME, WAS JUST ALITTLE TOO CLOSE TO THE CLIFT. HE STILL WON'T RIDE WITH ME, EVEN IN THE GT350. MAYBE AT 25 HE HAS A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER!

[Whaler]

I think some of that feeling can be attributed to the feeling we all have as men when we are not the ones in control. I can't stand to sit in the passenger seat of many cars. Maybe its a guy thing.....hey where's the remote??

Hell I get that way when I ride in a damn cab and u guys can picture some of those cabbies. You know the ones who can't speak english, but believe they are the best drivers around.

Ever have that feeling that your foot is mysteriously moving out and feeling for a clutch/brake or gas pedal......LOL Hell your sitting in the passenger side of the backseat and it still takes over?

The big thing is to warn or give a little advance notice.
That way the "jeez, I just sh** my pants" factor is minimized and the whole event becomes a much more pleasant experience for the "rider" So much so that he/she may try it again one day.
You know the old "I will be gentle dear" line.
Some folks are darn embarassed when they get that scared or cry out. I like the straight faced cool ones the best. Stonefaced bast$%^s who don't crack a grin for nothing. They are at the top of the pole for targets in the passenger seat.

In general....
When no means yes and stop means faster . May not apply here like it does in other recreational sporting events..........LOL

So when my ride is on the road in the next month, I am going to go out and scare myself a few times before I cut loose.

It will be a while coming before I think anyone can say they have these cars completely figured out and mastered. With 400-500 hp and ony 2400 LBS, it could get ugly too.

Drawing the line with my rides individual tolerances will help.

As for my rides I will guess and say I think the grins will be first thing on their faces. Next comes the reactions to the power of torque pulling you in all gears 4 and 5th most notably. Wasn't there a story about Shelby winding full throttle thru the gears from a stop and challenging people in these cars to try and reach for a $100 dollar bill off the dash.If they could reach it, they could have it.

Heres one quote I can repeat so far. My wife and sister inlaw swear they say "it sounds like the world is ending" when they hear my car start up in the garage. All I am doing is starting it up and keeping it from dying when its cold. Nothing too horrible just 1000 to 1300 rpm. 428 with good pipes and a nice cam...sorry
Seen my cat lately.........high tailed it a while back

Tim

Sounds like fun

[Tinker51]

I took my friend Summer out for a ride, nice country road lots of sweeping turns. Just a nice 45 MPH run. She was laughing and saying how much she loved the car. I came to a stop sign, looked both ways then stabbed it and it launched hard and pressed us in the seats. She was laughing the whole time. As we were getting close to the house she said "My teeth are dry because I have been smiling the whole time". Now that is the right attitude from a passenger.

[Edley Rondinone]

At the Ford car show at Knott's yesterday, I saw this one young woman with a camera, taking a picture of my Cobra. I asked her if she wanted a picture of HER in the Cobra, and she was in the car, all buckled in, in less than 15 seconds. I took her picture, and she was so happy! After she sat in the car for about a minute, looking around, fingering the steering wheel, etc, she got out and gave me a big hug and said "Thank you EVER so much!"

[BANDIT 1]

"The ride was awesome, so what do you think about sex on a first date?"