Superformance Owners, what do you think?

rsimoes · #1 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 06:46 PM

What do you think of your cars?

Handling?
Ride?
Paint quality?
rattles?
cowl shake?
fit and finish

etc....

Thanks!

Rob

BlueRooster · #2 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 07:09 PM

I love it! Now get back in the garage and finish your car.

rsimoes · #3 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 07:11 PM

Yes Sir!

Hal Copple · #4 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 07:47 PM

well, i am. but it is best for you to judge for yourself. I am sure somewhere not far from you is a SPF you can inspect.

there are many nice replicas out there, SPF is one of them.

millennium200 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 09:54 PM

Handling, have not driven other makes enough to compare; however, I am satisfied.

Ride, have driven over 500 miles a day on several occasions and my SPF seats fit me great, very comfortable.

Paint Quality, compared to other makes I have seen, I am overjoyed with the paint quality.

Rattles, I do not have any.

Cowl shake, the only time I have ever seen the cowl shake was in a wind storm in Utah with wind gusts up to 75 mph, and yes, I have the newspaper clippings to prove it.

Fit & finish, best in the business for the money.

So with over 8500 miles in less than two years, I am very satisfied.

OneFastRide · #6 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 09:59 PM

Hi Rob,
I think you will have hard time finding ANY Cobra replica owner that does not love their car, regardless of the make!
I love my SPF, that's for sure. Where do you live? There must be a SPF dealer or owner near by. Check one out first hand, up close and personal.
Steve

gstrentz · #7 (**permalink**) 10-07-2003, 10:09 PM

Love it,great paint, no rattles,no cowl shake,best for my money

Jack Zupan · #8 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 04:29 AM

Rob,

I certainly like my SPF and think it is great in every respect including finish and ride qualities. You are not that far away from me. Come up some weekend and see for yourself.

Jack Z.

klayfish · #9 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 05:33 AM

Rob,
Why would you consider that? By time you sell your car as is then pay for a completed SPF, you'll take a HUGE financial hit. Not to mention the car probably won't be done exactly the way you want it. So you'll spend even more $$$ changing it to be what you want. Trust me on that one, I've got experience.

Finish your car, then decide what to do with it.

If you must check out the SPF, they are beautiful cars. Jacks' car is really nice and is local. Also, Bob Marshall has an SPF. He lives in Newtown Square. His car was the silver and black one, and it has a 514 in it. I'm sure either one of them would be happy to show them to you.

Steve

BlueRooster · #10 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 05:50 AM

Just horsing around Rob. Actually, I consider myself very lucky to have my car, For years while saving and looking and saving, I talked to everyone from ERA to FFR to SPF to private sellers and one day (I think) FFRs website, it says "if you dont know whether you can finish your Cobra...ask your wife. I did, and her reply made me realize that buying a finished car was the way to go.(at least the 1st time) I have over 2000 miles on this car already, and its only been 6 months. Whenever I am 2 or 3 hours from home and I flying up a twisty country road I know that the car-engine-drivetrain was built by professionals, and its going to get me back home. I have no complaints, and am very happy with the choice I made.

jhein · #11 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 08:01 AM

Rob,

Handling: The car handles great. I have the heavier rear anti-sway bar (now standard) and urethane bushings. The car sticks when cornering and goes very straight under hard acceleration.

Ride: Very nice. In spite of how stiff the car is it is very comfortable.

Paint: Beautiful. My "mechanic" who is actually a restorer of vintage Ferrari's and has built a few 100 point Pebble Beach cars comments all the time on how nice it is. And not just the paint, the whole car.

Rattles: Once I accidently snagged the latch on my fire extinguisher and drove off with it loose. I secured it and haven't heard a rattle since.

Cowl shake: Not sure what you mean so I guess I don't have it.

Fit and finish: Same answer as for paint. I haven't seen every car out there for sure but it's as nice as any I have seen (better then most).

I agree with the others, go look at them and drive one.

John
spf1421

Carroll DeWeese · #12 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 08:05 AM

My wife and I love our SPF. We get complements on it all the time. It handles great. I have had it on open track and in daily driving. It is smooth and predictable. Of course, you have to respect its power.

Unless you add some lumbar support, your back is uncomfortable after a several hour drive. THis is a problem with any of the cars with the period correct seating. I just add some towels behind my back and I have been comfortable on five hour drives without stopping.

Paint quality is first rate. The olny paint problem on the car are self created. I have some stone chips, etc. from driving and I have done touch up on them. The SPF job is so good that my touch up jobs show how good their paint job is.

Every rattle except one has been related to me. The first principle is to keep loose items out of the car. I did have one problem however. I had a bad wheel bearing in my left rear wheel. SPF covered all expenses related to fixing it without hassle.

Does a cowl shake? Not in my SPF.

The only fit and finish problem on my car is due to abuse. When my rolling body was being shown at the Detroit AutoRama, someone tried to force the trunk lid down and it shifted the trunk lid closing about a 1/16 inch (just enough on latching occasionally). The product as delivered, however, had no fit and finish problems.

I and others have has a problem with the side windows. They are easy to crack or scratch. SPF has replaced them when a problem manifests itself.

Note a theme. SPF delievered me a great product that met or exceeded all my expectations for the product and its dealer and support organization; however, virtaully all the "problems" with the car are due to the actions of others, myself included, after the fact.

I do not regard the car as a finished product. I am continuing to make enhancements on it. I have more planned for this winter. If something ever happened to it causing its complete loss, I would replace it with another SPF.

As others have said, talk to SPF owners. Just like other Cobra owners, they will love to have an excuse to take someone for a ride.

Nantucket427 · #13 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 12:54 PM

I have been looking at Cobras (all of them real and unreal) since 1984. Every manufactor has his own strong points and you must consider what you will do with it after you get one. The Superformance was not even around in 1984 and I had not considered it until I stood under one at Carlise this past May. All new parts, "wow" it looked great. I did not have the mechanical ablity to "put one together". I get my enjoyment from driving it and fixing it is secondary. To me superformance was the right choice. You have to make up your own mine.
Oh, Oh, you asked about the car, it is what you would expect from a premium roller ride, paint, fit & finish, etc. The car is great. Mine was used and I have put more miles on the car than both of the previous owners combined.

BlueRooster · #14 (**permalink**) 10-08-2003, 01:14 PM

Man, that thing must rock that little island of Nantucket! The wife and I made our way there this summer and that is one tiny island. Beautiful...but tiny. Tell me you put most of the miles on- on the main land??

Eddy K · #15 (**permalink**) 10-09-2003, 06:11 PM

My car has no rattles, it handles great and I have no idea what cowl shake is.
The paint is outstanding to say the least although by now it has a few road chips in it.
It has over 12.000 reliable miles on the odometer.
I rode to Dynamic Motorsports to look at the Cobras with a friend in his 99 C-5 Corvette. My Cobra, as the suspension is set up now, rides better than that C-5. Much better in fact.
When you close the doors on my SPF they sound solid like a Lincoln or Cadillac. That was one of the things that really impressed me with the car and the rest of it is just as solid.
Do I like my Superformance? Absolutely. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Durt · #16 (**permalink**) 10-09-2003, 06:48 PM

Handling? Solid, predictable - some effort required, just like the original.

Ride? Much more compliant since I upgraded to Koni's, but it's still stiff & bangs the crap out of you on rough surfaces. I don't consider this a flaw, merely the price of admission.

Paint quality? I've heard that the paint job would be illegal in the states because the type used has been banned for some years by the EPA for toxicity and pollution concerns. The resultant product is a truly magnificent paint job. I, too, have had professional painters give me high marks at car shows.

rattles? Nope. Pretty impressive when you consider the stiff suspension over 5 years and 18K miles of street and track time.

cowl shake? My old Mazda RX-7 convertible had more, and it was way more sophisticated a vehicle.

fit and finish? Once again, my car has seen a lot of use and abuse and everthing is still totally buttoned down. Doors, hood, trunk all have the same tolerances (great) as new.
I have a bit of a crack forming on the trunk lid where the hinge attaches underneath, but other than that absolutely no 'print through' in the glass at stress points.

I have nothing to compare it to, but I think it's a fantastic product, and when I bought mine, they listed for $29,500 - an incredible value.

Durt

Hal Copple · #17 (**permalink**) 10-09-2003, 07:47 PM

admittedly, there are many more replicas out on the road than i have on my now 3.5 year old SPF, but mine, with about 65K miles or so, has been reliable as taxes. Nothing ever goes wrong, i do replace parts that wear out, three shifter boots, one set of new rear axle boots, three sets of seatbelts, and put on the full race Bilsteins from Dennis Olthoff. Mine is my daily driver here in SC, no leaks, no squeaks, the interior looks great, despite sitting in sun for thousands of hours. The seats are full broken in, and very comfortable. It is a very loud car. I get as much as 22-23 mpg on the highway, if i am careful. Running a 460 hp stroked windsor.

My car has over 70 trips down the quarter mile, and at least 800+ road course laps on it. I am still on the original brake rotors.

At a recent big car show, i waxed it up well, mine is red/white stripe, and drove up. As i pulled into the Olthoff display area, in a few minutes Bob mentioned to me that when i had pulled up, all gleaming under the sun, he had asked a chap standing next to him, "how old do you think that car is?" To which the reply was "pretty new, i'd say"

Anyway, SPF's are fine cars, well built, beautifully finished, and built to be rugged.

I have hopped in mine, and driven over a thousand miles away, and drove straight thru back, with nary a worrry about any sort of problem.

There are many fine replicas, with subtle differences. SPF's are built to take it.

Bob In Ct · #18 (**permalink**) 10-09-2003, 09:19 PM

From 60 to 80 or so I sometimes get a steering wheel shake. Other than that it's a great car! Very solid, very well made.

Bob

Alex Donghi · #19 (**permalink**) 10-10-2003, 09:12 AM

Well....what more can be said then the above. Mines a great car. Bill Parham took me for a drive in it (which I then bought it off the showroom floor) on a back country road, he then killed the engine at 80 MPH. Not a rattle. Only some wind noise. Then it took me two months to fortify the stones to tell my wife. You see I've already given two houses away and didn't want to repeat that nonsense... heck that's another story never mind.
Anyway the only problems have been self induced as Carroll indicated. Like I scratched the paint trying to get a recalcitrant dip stick reinserted. At least the scratch is under the hood.
Anyway the only problems have been self induced as Carroll indicated. Scratced the paint trying to get a recalcitrant dip stick reincerted

sambrozy · #20 (**permalink**) 10-10-2003, 09:59 AM

With 30,000 miles on my car it seems to be holding up very well. No rattles or squeeks and since I changed my shocks no more hopping. I really only noticed cowl shack over rough RR tracks or very, very rough roads. Otherwise I am very pleased with the fit and finish on my car. One thing I have experienced problems with are the gauges.