how fast have you gone??

[Hal Copple]

Since i posted about Chris' and my trip down the measured mile sat, doing right at 147 mph from a standing start, i have gotten to wondering how fast other replicas are, top speed. I am aware of the reputed and disputed 197 mph done by the Cobra (Dick Smith?) years ago, of course. When the course marshal asked me what i thought i would do at one mile, i told him low 140's, a guess. But i am running a five speed tremec, .68 fifth, 3.73 rear, but ran on the substantially smaller Hoosier slicks, which gave a more advantageous gearing.

While my car was accelerating as it went thru the two timing lights, i really do feel my top speed, my car, about a 460 hp Stroked Windsor, is about 155. Perhaps with a TKO II, with a .80 fifth, it might run faster, getting more up in the power band, i think i was at about 5000 rpm in fifth. I have been reading some of the old, contemporary road tests, they often claim a top speed of about 165 mph for the 427 cars. But they never actually timed them. Just guessed, perhaps.

It starts to take a lot of power to add those extra mph, so i think that it takes a whole lot more power to go say 165 to my est. 155. Or faster, even.

So has anybody out there with a non-full on race Cobra or replica, done a true accurately measured top speed, or a timed one mile run? Not something read off the car's speedo.

By the way, it was scary to me, so it is not something i would want to do often, or much faster.