Cobras, not so rare anymore

[SPEEDEAMON]

Cranky, if you are tired of people yawning at your Cobra why don't you get rid of it and get something really rare like a Mustang II Cobra or better yet a '78 King Cobra t-top with the big snake decal on the hood. When was the last time you saw one of those. Guaranteed to get first place in its category each time you enter it in a show, because you won't have any competition. Remember Cheryl Ladd driving one in the original Charlie's Angels? Sure to be the hit at any car show. The price is right and you will have change left over even if you restored the car to the hilt.

Shin

[RACER X #99]

SD,
Gladly swap it for a Boss 302 racecar.

Sure is easy to yank a chain or two.


Don't you think after 17 years I am entitled to get tired of a car?
A lot of guys around here don't even keep em a year.

[HIQ]

Cranky, get yourself a used Z06 Vette, turn on the AC, and let the computers help you around the track. Your times will be faster, but will you have more fun?

[bmalone]

Well Cranky, glad to see you intend to stay within the Ford ranks. I would have thought this would be your chance to get into a Penske Camaro Trans-Am car.

My two cents: being a Ford guy, it is the perfect platform to showcase vintage Ford iron or not so vintage aluminum. The body shape is classic and provokes a vague longing to get in and drive. I like the simplicity--no frills; just car. I like the sound--pretty hard to duplicate the rumble through sidepipes--pretty darn hard to have a street-legal car with sidepipes in the first place.

But, 17 years is a long time.

[RACER X #99]

Bill.
I'm not trying to talk anybody out of having a Cobra and having lots of fun with it. It's just that racing has always been my prime interest and I am just tired of trying to keep up $$$ with the new tecno cars.
I certainly am not sorry I have a Cobra replica, just getting a little tired of It. Of course I have been cooped up for the past four months and as soon as our season starts in May I'll be back out there beating the crap out of the Track turd.

Cranky

[bmalone]

No, I didn't take it that way, I just got to thinking; wow, 17 years having a Cobra is a long time.

You should start a poll to see who has had a replica the longest time.

Warmer days are coming, wahoo.

[RACERAL]

We were talking about this the other day... although we see and talk about them here.. You rarely see them on the road.. In the last 5 years, other then a event or something... I have only seen no more then 5 cobra siteings.......

[RACERAL]

OH.. and by the way Cranky.. go on and get you a used cup car... you won't be satisified until you do...

[decooney]

IMO: Someone that builds or buys a common replica Cobra to impress others is probably missing the point. And there are definitely other cars that are much safer and better suited for the track.

Yep, they are getting to be about as common as a Harley Davidson in my area, and still lots of fun. Just wait and see how you feel about a week after you sell your custom taylored replica Cobra and its not in the garage any longer! Like a pit in your gut almost immediately. My friend just sold his completely original 69' BOSS 302 to get a Cobra back in his garage. In his words "The BOSS was cool, but No Comparison to my Cobra when it comes to fun".

The grass is always greener and sometimes browner.

Good Luck.

[btsai]

I echo what Maricopa said. I believe it is to experience the car and it's unique set of characteristics. Think about it - they're loud, uncomfortable, impractical. I can't think of another car that has so much going "against" it, but still leaves you wanting more every time you step out of one. We (us regular forum readers) are ALL obsessed with this car.

As far as individuality -- there is plenty if you look for it. I think that's why street rods have continued with such popularity. Those people live to make their car unique, show off their craftsmanship and have fun with their hobby. I often find things in street rod magazines where I think -- "that's really cool -- you could apply that idea to any car...".

Individuality for Cobras? If you know the cars, there is a lot of individuality. Aluminum vs. fiberglass. Donor vs. non-donor. Suspension types. Wheels. Perky vs. non-perky. Street car vs. racer vs. waxer. Original wheelbase vs. extended. Brake systems. Transmissions. And how about engines -- tons of options there -- even all within just the Ford family. Intake systems. Computer systems. Natuarally asiprated vs. supercharged. Stack systems. Webers. Shall I continue?

As mentioned above, there are probably 40-50 Cobras in the Phoenix area. I can't think of any that are exactly alike (-- short of a couple of SPFs that are pretty close other than color. No Bob B, not yours -- you're is one-of-a-kind in my book...). Part of the fun is finding the differences in the details and how those details manifest themselves in performance advantages, drivability, comfort, etc.

Did I mention that I too am obsessed with these darn machines?

My final thought: be safe and have fun.

Ben

_______________

My new favorite quote: "It's as real as an original."

[MysteryTrain]

I still see Cobras as pretty rare. Living in car crazy LA, with beautiful, Cobra friendly weather all year round (not today, we have some drizzle, or as channel 4 says: STORM WATCH '04!!!!), I still only have maybe one sighting a month. Usually its just Edley giving the Crescenta valley a Saturday morning side-pipe wake-up call.

Whenever I'm out, I car watch obsessively. Ferrari's and Lamborghinis are the only significant sports car makes in LA that are any rarer. I'd say that until recently, the Cobras were even rarer than the Ferrari's. As much as I love Cobras, and spend the majority of my spare time plotting my first purchase of one, I have to admit that the uniqueness of owning it is one of the allures. I'm not saying that Maricopa isn't right (the hat crack was pretty hilarious), but call me an egotist, I like the idea of having something rare and unique. A couple of years ago there were two Porsche Carreras, and two Boxter S's within TWO HUNDRED FEET either direction of my house. Plus, my boss had a Boxter S. I drove it and had the greatest driving experience of my life, but I couldn't help but be left a little blah about the fact that they were everywhere I turned. When it came down to deciding on what toy I wanted to reward myself with, the uniqueness of the Cobra was a significant factor. Like it or not, cars are part utility, part fashion statement. As fashion goes, scarcity is THE thing. Remember how tripped out people got over the new Bug? Now do you even turn your head to see it drive by? So yes, the increasing number of Cobras threatens to cut down on the number of thumbs ups at stoplights, wide-eyed kids in buses, and "is it original?" questions. But in the end, I don't care. As someone said earlier, I've always lusted after these cars, and at least the numbers are making prices more affordable!

MT

P.S. Cranky, sounds like that Cobra is really bringing you down. Tell you what, I'll take it off your hands so you're not so bummed out. You'll feel so much better. And just because I'm such a prince, I'll even pay for the flatbed to come get it. No charge. No, really, I care about you that much. It's the least I can do.

[Hal Copple]

Well, i for one, here in Upstate SC, near Charlotte, don't see another replica, or even a Real Shelby CSX, more than once or twice a year, and i am out and about a lot. Excepting the Snake events, i think you see more Vipers out than Replica's. I see a Lotus about as often.

I belive there are only 4 SPF's registered in SC, and we have an SPF dealer only an hour away up in NC, so that is some perspective on how uncommon these sorts of cars are.

My son Chris and I just signed up for a Porsche Driving event this May, him in his Boxster, which we have track modified. I don' t see other Corbra Replicas listed amoung the 50 or so other cars signed up for the Kershaw event.

Cranky, i won't be the fastest, but i am sure to be the loudest!!

[maxrpm]

When I started building my car in 1997 I almost never saw a Cobra, when I finished in 2000 they had became a fairly typical sight on weekends and now, on any given day of the week I will see at least one. Just yesterday morning I saw a cool bronze 289 with spokes cruising in heavy Monday morning traffic. Almost every day some one comes up to me to tell me they saw me out in my car when it wasn't me. And thats just the blue cars. Maybe there's a higher concentration here on Long Island with HRE and the Snakepit both being located here.

[RACER X #99]

I think I have figured out the problem with so many Cobras in my area. Way too many people. In NJ we have 1,100 people per sq. mile. That accounts for a lot of potential Cobra owners coupled with the fact that the average income in NJ is one of the highest (not mine) in the nation.
The solution for me is to move to a less populated state like AZ which has 45 people per sq. mile.(also no snow)

It's no wonder you guys from other states rarely see other Cobras on the roads.

Cranky

[John McMahon]

Originally posted by Hal Copple
Cranky, i won't be the fastest, but i am sure to be the loudest!!

Hal,

Sorry old chap, but there is no way on God's Green Earth your car is louder than Cranky's. He has shorty, open pipes with over 600HP, that thing makes my ears bleed.

It'll knock you over from the blast out of the pipes too.

[MAXVELO]

I live in New Mexico and see more Vipers than Cobra's. And I probably see a Viper once a year so that gives you an idea of how ofter I see a Cobra. I only know if about 3 others (but have only seen 1) Im sure theres more. I know of one FFR that went into the wall last year at our track and was totaled. Shame too, It was a nice looking car. British green wth white PC pipes and white rollbar with VERY WWIIDDEE tires. Dont know the guy just heard the story several times. When I drive mine you would think they spotted Elvis!

[Lowell W]

There'll have to be a LOT more Cobras around here before I start seeing them with any frequency. There's one guy about 12 miles east of here and I've seen him in town once (Gary Eckart?...I think...we met at SF and I can't find your phone #; email me if you see this!). Another guy maybe 10 miles south has one but it's not finished. There are a couple of guys in the Quad Cities, an hour west and a few between here and Chicago but I never see any on the road. Truth be told, I'd kinda like to see a few more; I like seeing 'em almost as much as driving 'em!

[Fake Snake]

Love is never saying "you're too common place" to your Cobra. Well, if it's true love, common place or 17 years won't make any difference. But you never said till death do you part to that Cobra! Nice thing about cars is there is nothing immoral about fantasizing over another car or getting rid of the one you got to get another one! Since I'm a newly wed as far as my relationship with my Cobra is concerned, time will only tell if it is true love.

Part of the popularity is timing. I'm 45 years old and have wanted a Cobra for at least 30 of those years. It's taken me this long to get here. I imagine there are others who have reached financial stability in their lives and are finally fullfilling their dreams. And the beauty of the car continues to attract youngsters. Timeless beauty.

[Kputz]

It's not often I agree much with Cranko, but I'll side with him on this one. When I started in this game, if you wanted one you built one, and the fraternity gathered around the build, more so than the "drive". We reveled in the fact they weren't "real" which is why that mind numbing silly debate puzzles me so. Today, I'd venture a guess that far more are bought than built, attracting an entirely different crowd. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a different thing.
Having been there when they were introduced, I've never bought into the hysteria about CS or his car, and it was never the "end all and be all" of cars for me. It was rather an extension of the old hot rod ethic, something you could build yourself.
It was always more about track performance with me, and Cranky has hit the nail on the head. Anyone that doesn't think we are living in "the good old days" of cars isn't paying attention. There are so many cars out there that will put the Cobra to shame on the street or (especially) the track that it has long ceased to be funny, and that's a good thing.
Mine has been for sale over a year and the only reason it isn't gone is because I refuse to give it away. I drove it less than 100 miles last summer and it's doubtful I'll find the time to go that far this summer.
There are far too many SCCA classes that a guy can get into anymore to waste garage space on a car like the Cobra for me. I've been bit hard by the Spec Miata bug and the class is attracting old wrench turners on a budget hand over fist. If only Crank would see the light and realize he can race for real and spend about a third what he does playing with the Cobra, he'd become a much safer if not a happier guy. A better driver too, I'd wager.
Having said all this I'll now have to admit to an outstanding order for a new GT40. When it comes I'll have another decision to make. Maybe I'll just build another garage.

[RACER X #99]

KPUTZ,

No reason why you can't bring the Cobra out of semi retirement for a few hot laps at Elkart Lake this August. Lots of the Crankoids have real racecars but every once and a while they like to hop in the Cobra just for old times.
Quite a few of Club Cobra guys make the trip every year and this year the Club Cranky gang is gonna join in.
I wouldn't mind meeting a few of the guys I have not agreed with over the years. When were at the track wer'e all Cobra guys.

Cranky