Hello from Switzerland

[fonti]

Hi guys and gals,
I'm Peter aka fonti from Switzerland. American cars and specially hot rods are my passion for years - but it's a very hard piece of bread here in Europe, specially Switzerland...our DMV is killing us and we're always with one foot in prison!
I drive a 69 Camaro convertible, a 32 Ford roadster and a 29 model A sedan.
To have a cobra was always a dream of mine, but I'm kind of an "original" guy. And an original Shelby cobra is way out of reach for me!! Since about 6 months my wife Karin keep telling me, that a cobra would be something special to cruise around. (she does understand and support me with the crazy v8-virus!! I am fortunate, could go on a 3 week vacation to the US and had the opportunity to go to Bonneville this August and even drove a 32 roadster on the salt.)
So now I am really thinking about buing a cobra...I always wanted to build the hot rods (not from scratch, but I bought them as a project and finished them).
There are so many different replicas around...well, I will go through this forum and thank you in advance for helping me finding the right one!
Peter

[lovehamr]

Welcome to the madness Peter! I'm sure you'll find plenty of info here. Lots of Cobras are sold through here as well:
http://www.cobracountry.com/home2.html

Steve

[JBCOBRA]

Hi Fonti!
Go for it and get a Cobra! Any idea what the rules in Switzerland are for Cobra replicas?
That may be a helpful place to start?

[fonti]

Originally Posted by JBCOBRA

Hi Fonti!
Go for it and get a Cobra! Any idea what the rules in Switzerland are for Cobra replicas?
That may be a helpful place to start?

Well - there are replicas legally on the street. We have one big (for Switzerland...) company who sells and builds cobras:
http://www.cobra-cars.ch/
I will contact them and check the possibilities - they sure could help me with all the paperwork and so on.
It's vital to have a title who is "older" than 30 years from now. Otherwise no chance. BUT, even with a title this old they don't accept new parts on the car.
Man, I already saw some nice ones in the "for sale" section here... a silver and a green one - both Superformance...

[*13*]

Give ERA Replicas a look. They make a very high end replica 427, 289 FIA & now a 289 Slabside. Very quality company. There is an owner in Switzerland. See the map below. Maybe you can contact the gentleman & see his car first hand.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...c6b022679c&z=2

[fonti]

Originally Posted by *13*

Give ERA Replicas a look. They make a very high end replica 427, 289 FIA & now a 289 Slabside. Very quality company. There is an owner in Switzerland. See the map below. Maybe you can contact the gentleman & see his car first hand.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...c6b022679c&z=2

Thank you very much! I will contact him, for sure...let you know

[mrmustang]

Have I got a cobra for you


Click the link in my signature for the details.


Bill S.

[Ozgur_Tan]

hi
registration is always a problem on this side of the pond
well, excluding UK with their great SVA
regards from istanbul
ozgur

[Rickd]

Peter - be sure to check out & evaluate the Kirkham aluminum bodied cobras. They don't get any closer to the original than Kirkham. Kirkham's shop is unsurpassed. There are also several very high quality fibreglass bodied cars being built - ERA and Superformance being two of the very best (as they say - in my opinion), and many with very positive attributes. I beleive that if you were to make another trip and visit Kirkham's shop and ERA's shop - you would definitely leave a deposit check with one or the other. Their shops define - QUALITY and - CUSTOM BUILT. Enjoy the research.

[Tony Ripepi]

Hello Peter,

I recently sold CSX4264 to a gentleman in Switzerland, he had done the research to Homologate it and legally drive it there. PM me for his contact info, address etc.

He may be able to give you the inside line to licensing and driving a Cobra there.

Tony R.

[fonti]

Thank you very much for your help till now! I already made contact with a Swiss cobra owner - nice guy! Have some adress who might help me even more...
I think I "gotta" buy one. Was checking out the Kirkham, man that's great stuff!! But it is a step beyond ERA and Superformance - I am a steel guy, but money talks, off course!

[Ibr8k4vetts]

Kirkham,Kirkham,Kirkham,Kirkham,

[*13*]

Sounds like you got it in the blood good! There are a lot of good knowledgeable people here. If you have any specific questions about certain cars you will likely be able to find the answers here.

[furvedere]

Hi Peter, Welcome! I'm a new member here myself. I think we've come to the right place. I've got to get used to this rather large forum...but so far so good. Have fun!

Bob

[tkb289]

Peter,

Welcome to the Club ... you came to the right place, a lot of great advice given above. Sounds like you already have a lot of experience with American Iron, which will serve you well.

As mentioned above, one way to do research for a Cobra is to look at the ones for sale. There are a number posted here on CC, another great place to look is Cobra Country.

It's a good way to look at the different manufacturers & combinations of motors, colors and options. You might even find a car that is close to what you are looking for, and maybe even save some money.

In my case, I never quite found a car that close enough to what I was looking for, so I am having one built. The only down side is the wait and it's more money than buying one already built ... but there is the fun of going though a build and seeking the wise council of fellow members


- Tim

[fonti]

@Tim: thank you for the advise...I'm in the forum for 2 days now and already have 4 names in Switzerland who might be helpful!

You're right about building one yourself - it's a great adventure, did it with the 29 Sedan nearly from scratch and with the Camaro (just a complete restoration). But I'm not experienced with Cobras, yet. And so I think it's probably a more painless way to go if I buy something that already works. And my cars are for driving around, not for the showroom. So some "imperfections" does not bother me. The cars have to be technically very good!

I'm not sure about the engine. Being a fan of "hot" and beefy small blocks I'm thinking about a nice 351, but also a Side-oiler would be a good thing. (if it's not an original Cobra, then the engine is...) But again...I don't know the engine, the durability, the maintenance and so on. Just think the agility might be better with a small block and I won't race it often anyways. And - all the girls will please excuse me - my wife wants the Cobra more than I do and she will drive it, too. (Hope I did not wrote something wrong here!)

@all: that's a great place, wow! I am looking to get all the informations I need to have my own Cobra sooner or later.

[tkb289]

Peter,

There are a lot of great cars out there with big blocks, small blocks and small blocks stroked to big block capacities ... each type with their ardent supporters

Sounds like you are already thinking in terms of how you intend to use the car, which will help to guide you in your selection.

Part of the fun is the thrill of the hunt ... as above, take a close look at the for sale cars here on CC as well as Cobra County. That will give you a good sense of the options.

Happy Hunting!

- Tim

p.s. Sent you a PM

[Tony Ripepi]

Hello Fonti,

I hope you have managed to hook up with Hanspeter and Pascal.

If "American Iron" is what you want make dure to take a look at CSX4264......427 SO etc. etc. They can help you with the Swiss process to drive a Cobra.

Tony R.

[86Sebring]

[quote=fonti;1005299]Well - there are replicas legally on the street. We have one big (for Switzerland...) company who sells and builds cobras:
http://www.cobra-cars.ch/
QUOTE]
wow , 145000 stutz fuer e Rplica mit emene Chevy, ha das isch ja gstoehrt, da ene ruerets dir die autos nah...
Sorry for the swiss-german, but it seems the prices are quite high in Switzerland.
Wenn du irgendwelchi Frage hesch, schicksch es email
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