Why do you own a Cobra?

[FST FOX]

Thought this would be an interesting topic. I came under fire with close friends because I don't want to do the Tx mile, an airfeild event or go to the drag strip all the time. So if I leave out your reason just add it to the post or tell your story.

[Jamo]

...my ass won't fit in an MG.

[FST FOX]

In 2004 I was hired at Victory Motors (Tx's Backdraft dealer at the time) by Boudy, I fell in love with these cars even more so, John R got my blood pumping 1st. yes my car is quick maybe even fast in some standards but alot of my friends are on this TT Viper kick and all about how fast they can go or how much they Dyno. I am focused on my career 1st and sometimes can't make track days and honestly am scared of the possibilties with these cars especially when pushing it to the extreme, but I guess it's good having some fear in an all fiberglass car with almost no safty equipment. I started wondering why i bought it, it's simple I love the heritage and wow factor and yes it's quick and could be faster but I am not out to prove any point just out to have fun.

[Jamo]

OK...semi-seriously. I always thought they were cool while watching them race in the 60s, but never thought about actually owning one. I liked Chevys. Much later (late 70s), I started being flown around in a client's plane by his pilot...a guy named Dick Smith. Most of the time just the two of us for 2-3 hours each way, so I'd sit in the co-pilot's seat and have to listen to him talking about freeking Cobra this and freeking Cobra that. Sucker never repeated a story.

Later, I moved up to Vettes for autocrossing and some open track, and he'd keep giving me crap about that. We had a class called Open Street Prepared in the San Francisco Region, so for my next car, I figured I'd try a Cobra. This was in the 90s. Dick couldn't be happier...guess he figured I finally got religion, and he was my exorcist. I didn't mind...I started winning events, so I became a believer and I appreciated how durable and easy they were to work on for the minor suspension tuning and stuff I did.

Then I found this place, met a displaced Mongolian, an albino Afrikan and a spooky glider pilot, and we all went and visited some strange folks in Provo. Saw a stack of bare arruminum bodies, and that sorta did it.

I appreciate the swiss army knife character of it. Unlike hot roads, you can drive these basturds around corners, and yet they still turn heads. Unlike a vintage Ferraghini, they're easy to fix and yet they're still exotic. Unlike Hogs, my wifey can sit next to me and yet they make as much noise.

I'll keep it now just to piss Evan off when he sees my name in the Doomsday Book along with his.

[LoBelly]

its the vibe

LoBelly

[eschaider]

It's a 40 year old love affair with a car I could have bought new and didn't. In retrospect the decision to buy the Street Hemi was probably a better move from a daily driver point of view. The Cobra would have been far less suitable as a daily driver but far more satisfying as a mental adjustment machine each time you did drive it.

Ed

<edited for bad english>

[Silverback51]

In 1967 (I was 16 at the time) I got to drive an original Cobra and I was in love, or maybe lust since that time. Needless to say I could not afford one at that time and as I grew older they eventually got out of the price range I could afford.

Then about 8 years ago I started doing my research for a kit car Cobra. That is when I found out about the Superformance Cobra and decided that was what I wanted. Well with work, home and family issues it took me 8 years to finally get around to buying one, and I love it.

So, for me it's the heritage and what the car represents that I love.

[Naumoff]

The rawl power of a big block wrapped in the sexy body of a little roadster.
It is a driver's car. Built to drive not to sit in a parking lot.
Definately an emotional experience.

[Joe Wicked]

Well, I don't have one, yet. I have made the commitment to myself that I will get one, and I am working towards it now. I would say the reason, I want one is more related to my love of the car. When I was 10, there was a Cobra in a local parade where I grew up. At the car show after the parade, I got a close up of the car. Just the sound of raw power was enough for me to love it, but when the guy let me sit in the car and then later took me for a ride, I can't really describe how I felt. I said that 1 day I will have one of these. I gave up on that dream 10 years later because of the price. I never considered "Kit Cars" as they were "rattle traps" and all the other BS. Now that I have matured a bit, and have seen the kits/rollers up close, I realized that was not the truth and now here I am, with my dream back alive and desperately trying to get mine.

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Joe Wicked

Well, I don't have one, yet. I have made the commitment to myself that I will get one, and I am working towards it now. I would say the reason, I want one is more related to my love of the car. When I was 10, there was a Cobra in a local parade where I grew up. At the car show after the parade, I got a close up of the car. Just the sound of raw power was enough for me to love it, but when the guy let me sit in the car and then later took me for a ride, I can't really describe how I felt. I said that 1 day I will have one of these. I gave up on that dream 10 years later because of the price. I never considered "Kit Cars" as they were "rattle traps" and all the other BS. Now that I have matured a bit, and have seen the kits/rollers up close, I realized that was not the truth and now here I am, with my dream back alive and desperately trying to get mine.

Don't give up your dream. I damn near did. It's one of those things I believe would have haunted me to my grave everytime I would have seen one of these cars.

[fsstnotch]

Much like Joe, I've wanted one my whole life! I've always wanted a cobra and a Grabber blue Boss 429. #1 Cobra, close #2 Boss 429! Fulfilling #1 now will maybe allow me to work up and save for #2 later in life! But I need "to be able to hang up the keys that last time and say, I DID IT!"

The Grabber blue Boss 429 is the insiration behind the paint scheme I'd like to use on my cobra, Grabber blue with all black accents.

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

Don't give up your dream. I damn near did. It's one of those things I believe would have haunted me to my grave everytime I would have seen one of these cars.

I gave it up at one time resigning myself to never having one because i could never afford one. If I had not done that, and had worked at getting one, I would have one now, but since I am back on track, I will have one, one day.

[JBCOBRA]

These cars are just soooooo much fun to drive!!! THAT is what does it for me.
They are the best Bang for the Buck in the automotive world, me thinks.
JB

[sideoiler10]

The first Cobra I saw was back in 1963 (a lifetime ago). My buddies and I were driving north on Lindberg Blvd in St. Louis on our way to the old Alton Dragway in Alton, IL. At a stop light, up pulled a blue Ford pickup towing a blue open trailer hauling a blue 289 Cobra. It was a dealership owned race car from Yates-Stevens Ford in St. Louis. I had never seen a Cobra up until that time but I knew what it was from a few magazines I had read.

From that point on, I was hooked on the looks and the concept. But being a newly married guy trying to start a family, I could only dream about maybe someday. After all the kids were on their own and after retirement, I was able to again focus on a Cobra.:

For me, I guess it is several reasons. First, the lines on a 427 SC are unlike the lines on any other car, ever. Smooth and flowing, yet muscular almost to the point of being obnoxious. You can tell by looking that the car was built for one thing, to go fast and handle like a skateboard. The idea that the Cobra 427 SC was the first car to be branded as "the fastest production car ever produced" is a grabber also. But mostly, when you shoe horn yourself behind the wheel and fire up that 600 HP 427 sideoiler; the car starts shaking from side to side while idling, and the roar from the almost open exhaust ticks off each cylinder as it fires...that says it all. That is one of the sweetest sounds a car guy will ever hear. I have never heard another car like that. Drag cars are great, but they only go straight (if you are lucky).

[Yetiman]

A friend of mine built a Cobra a number of years ago and I was always hanging around helping if I could or just taking it all in.

I had some pretty fun cars over the years and had rides in some pretty fast stuff, but I enjoyed the blasts in his Cobra better than most any of them.
So when it went up for sale I bought it.

I am more of a sports car guy than a muscle car guy and the high point of my summers is going to vintage races at Road America. The Cobra gives me a decent taste of that on a regular basis and it fits in at just about any gathering, be it street rods, muscle cars, sports cars or autocrossing.

And I kind of like the attention too. I wasn't used to that being something of an abominable snowman myself.

[speed220mph]

Cutting through all the haze, because it was there - - -

[Michael P. Wole]

Why does a dog lick himself....because he can.. I have a Cobra for the same reason...BECAUSE I CAN.... NOW...couldn't afford one while raising a family and getting offspring through the education process what with morgage and all.

[Don]

First live exposure to the Cobra was at Bridgehampton ( Long Island NY ) Road course, nothing more than got to have one, took longer than anticipated.

I also wanted a Chaparral , not particular, either the 65 or 66 would have been fine, but Hap Sharp and Jim Hall needed both.

[trularin]

Love for the car.

[CBattaglia]

Simple. Its the baddest car on the road under 100k. Period.