Best Oz Kit Poll

[Merv and Sharon]

Tone the guy who removed the body sill moulding was Rob New Cobra is coming along....One year later!

[boxhead]

Merv, I am pretty sure that Rob has a RMC?

The bonded body ultimatly should be a stiffer car, I wanted unbonded for easier access while building.

Tone, I think the cheapest to build would probably be the DRB with Torana base. It has the Cobraish shape and should be fine as a cruiser, they should be able to be made to handle well, after all the LH torana used to race and win at Bathurst.
But maybe finding a Torana donor might be getting harder?
(as you may have guessed I am not a big fan of the DRB shape) The small differences make a big difference imho

[OZCOBRA]

Originally Posted by boxhead

Tone, I think the cheapest to build would probably be the DRB with Torana base. It has the Cobraish shape and should be fine as a cruiser, they should be able to be made to handle well, after all the LH torana used to race and win at Bathurst.
But maybe finding a Torana donor might be getting harder?
(as you may have guessed I am not a big fan of the DRB shape) The small differences make a big difference imho

Totally agree with you on the Torana Based kit..Still plenty of bogon driven Torana donors down here in Mexico...

DRB...COBRAISH looks ..

Tone..... if your not aware of this in the DRB it's very easy to see in a side on profile and rear view if you haven't seen as yet.

[Merv and Sharon]

Yes I think you're right Dave about Rob's being an RMC, however the process that he used could be used perhaps on other bodies, altho' it would have to be at construction stage, I guess. It would be nice if the body mould was designed to curve down and go under the chassis rail rather than be bonded to the outside of it. That would of course, make it very difficult to remove during construction.

[boxhead]

Originally Posted by OZCOBRA

Totally agree with you on the Torana Based kit..Still plenty of bogon driven Torana donors down here in Mexico...

DRB...COBRAISH looks ..

Tone..... if your not aware of this in the DRB it's very easy to see in a side on profile and rear view if you haven't seen as yet.

Sorry Oz, I could not help myself, and the reality is that 99% of the population would not see it and if there are 2 cars side by side most would not know which one is correct.

[spookypt]

P......lenty of DRB's with Torana suspension regulary at the Cobra Nats kicking most other makes bums from memory.... I'm not on their payroll and I'm not a fan in general but if I could make my car go as quick as Towmaster or Tuf427 I'd be pretty happy.
I believe fastest Cobra around wakefield was a DRB in 2008 at a 1.02?? I think... Pythons are a few seconds off that..
There's a certain Harrison up here driven by the Proctologist that is very quick indeed and very well sorted too.
Not sure what QLD Club Pres will be running this year (Street or Race) but if he can get the race car to get through 1 weekend without breaking anything I reckon it'll be pretty quick too!
Spookpt

[victor]

Originally Posted by OZCOBRA

Totally agree with you on the Torana Based kit..Still plenty of bogon driven Torana donors down here in Mexico...

DRB...COBRAISH looks ..

Tone..... if your not aware of this in the DRB it's very easy to see in a side on profile and rear view if you haven't seen as yet.

My DRB has won many trophys against other brand cobras at shows including, Best paint,Best coupe,Top Classic and Peoples choice and Judges choice . Looks like the public have votedAs for handling ,It goes around corners ,Doesn't rattle and Stops and pulls hard enough for me. I have no problem recommending them.

[boxhead]

Spook, the DRB's you have mentioned, are these Torana based or Jag based?

Also I think alot of people forget just how quick Ian Pretty got his CR to go around a race track.

[Merv and Sharon]

That is stunning paint too Victor!

[boxhead]

Originally Posted by victor

My DRB has won many trophys against other brand cobras at shows including, Best paint,Best coupe,Top Classic and Peoples choice and Judges choice . Looks like the public have votedAs for handling ,It goes around corners ,Doesn't rattle and Stops and pulls hard enough for me. I have no problem recommending them.

Victor, Sorry I am not trying to offend any DRB owners, and that is why I said that most of the general public would have no idea what is the "right shape", Before I really started researching I only wanted a car that looked like a Cobra (I was almost ready to buy a Toyota crown based G-Force I had a crown at home)
It is only the nutters (like me) who have a more defind image in there head of what a Cobra shape should look like.
Any car can ultimatly win top paint (body shape does not matter in this category) Anyone with 2 door car can win best coupe (although unless yours has a permenant roof I guess it is more a roadster than a coupe - as far as my understanding goes) Top classic (nneds to be or resemble an older vehicle) and Peopples choice can be won by having more shiney bits than the next guy.
It is great that you have won so many awards (I have none - but I can go and buy them for $35 at the local trophy shop if I felt my life was less because of that fact).
The DRB car has a place in the market (I think it is Australia's biggest selling kit) and as I have said most of teh public look at it and would say "That is a Cobra" (or some say it is a MG), I would not have suggested to Tone to look at the DRB if I thought it was bad, but at the same time also wanted to let him know to look at things like shape.

The CR has a lip on the rear guard, this lip is not on most kits, and was not on all Cobra's, but it is something I personally like, the CR also has a small dish on the wheels, every kit has its plusses and minuses so all you can do is look at them all and decide what suits you best.

Please all DRB owners take this purely as tongue in cheek when I say.
The old saying is you can polish a turd, but at the end of the day it is still a turd.
Only a nutter like me who is enthusiastic about the shape would say that

[Philm]

Boxhead are you Tenrocca's aprentice

[boxhead]

I may have been brainwashed by him.

It is just the shape, I have not looked under one but dont know why they made it so different to the "proper" shape?

As I said it is "biggest seller in Australia", so it cant be a bad thing.

[OZCOBRA]

Originally Posted by victor

My DRB has won many trophys against other brand cobras at shows including, Best paint,Best coupe,Top Classic and Peoples choice and Judges choice . Looks like the public have votedAs for handling ,It goes around corners ,Doesn't rattle and Stops and pulls hard enough for me. I have no problem recommending them.

Sorry Victor..the broken back look of the DRB must be a result of carrying all those trophies they win

...as for it's handling you can make any Cobra handle if you R&D it,and put in a little time!!

...as for the general public voting See Boxheads response!!!!!!

[victor]

Originally Posted by OZCOBRA

Sorry Victor..the broken back look of the DRB must be a result of carrying all those trophies they win

...as for it's handling you can make any Cobra handle if you R&D it,and put in a little time!!

...as for the general public voting See Boxheads response!!!!!!

my new plate

[OZCOBRA]

Originally Posted by victor

my new plate

PERFECT Colour match!!!...you'll get the extra public vote for the colour match!!

[Merv and Sharon]

As Trevor Legate says in his excellent book, they all are "non-Cobra Cobras", many and varied and to suit the eye of the beholder. Perhaps the Kirkhams are the 'truest' shapes around still?

[OZCOBRA]

Originally Posted by Merv and Sharon

As Trevor Legate says in his excellent book, they all are "non-Cobra Cobras", many and varied and to suit the eye of the beholder. Perhaps the Kirkhams are the 'truest' shapes around still?

This is such an regular topic with the same views every time a NEWBIE asks the question!!
The problem is that some owners are just so bloody precious about their cars and won't or can't admit the faults ...in this case "shape"of the DRB which is quite a significant "FLAW" in the Body Shape ...Personally if I were the manufacturer I would have made the effort to correct it over the years but they have not chosen to do so!!Still this has not been detrimental to the overall car(Except when it rains and the water flows downhill onto the Occupants backs ).....it is proven buy the volume of DRB's on the road...and their collective success at National and local events
Beauty is in the eye of the OWNER!!!...and the potential new builder or buyer is entitled to hear all of the Pro's and Con's with EVERY suppliers product!!

[Tonus72]

Hi all

Thanks again to everyone for their input.

Even as a newbie, I can appreciate the passion that you guys have for the Cobra - sills, broken backs, Torana parts - and all.

Beauty is truly in the eye of the be(er)holder - but in Tas we do not have many to see in the flesh - a lot of my research must be done on the net. So it is very hard to get an appreciation for the real thing - let alone the subtle differences amongst the replicas.

I do appreciate all the comments.

And I promise not to buy one of the Ebay ones !

Tone

[Merv and Sharon]

Tone,

Tasmania has to be one of the best states for driving a Cobra!

Do chat with the guys that provide the kits as they are a vital link in the process. Also get on the 'phone and talk with folk who have just finished cars and ask how they went, how long it took and what hassles there were. I can't over stress how valuable that is.

Last this Forum is a great support as you go along the way.

Enjoy the ride!

[STEPHEN BROHOLM]

G'day Tone.

As a Cobra nut myself, my dream is to someday own a replica which aesthetically authentic as possible.

Not that I'm in any position to begin a build, my thoughts for a locally supplied kit would go a little something like this.

As far as I can tell, the current G-Force body with the s/c rear lip is probably one of the most accurate bodies on the Australian market.

For something a bit different, I would investigate engineering the chassis (by an expert of course) to mount reproduction front/rear suspension arms and wheel hubs to accept pin drive wheels with the correct offsets. Cobra Restorers or Kirkham I'm sure would oblige with these parts and design details.

Perhaps even modifying the bulkhead behind the seats to expose the roll bar would be on the list of things to do.

I'm sure it would be a somewhat expensive to pull off, however if I was in the enviable financial position to build my dream car, then these changes would go some way to adding an air of authenticity, that I believe would be worth the effort.

With a black rollbar of the correct diameter and design, black quickjacks, black sidepipes, riveted bonnet/scoop and simple interior you'd give Andrew and Stef a serious run for their money!

Cheers.

Steve.