Hello

[Storman Norman]

Yes, I am a newbie to both the club and my new Cobra AKA Superformance MKIII. Looking forward to getting some good advice and making a few new friends.

[Alfa02]

Congrat's & Welcome, to the madness we call 'Cobra ownership' There is no cure . What part of the country are you in? We here in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) are always looking for new members. Be safe & have fun. Cheers Tom.

[snapier]

Welcome to the forum. You also might also want to check out the Superformance owners forum (SCOS). Has a ton of info just for Superformace owners.

[xb-60]

Welcome from me as well. Any information you want about Cobra replicas - you will always get advice here!

Some good advice to start with if you haven't owned a Cobra previously is to take it easy and get to know the car really well and how it might behave when it's being 'pushed' a little. Short wheelbase combined with high power to weight means that they can be a handful sometimes.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Glen

[novasscnc]

Welcome have had a lot of cars Novas, Camaros, Mustangs nothing like a Cobra if you do not like attention wrong car

[Seagull81]

Welcome and tell us a little about where you are and what you will be using your Cobra for. How about some pictures?

[olddog]

check out this Thread

LCS Cobra Crash

First post has a link of a youtube video. You will see how little sideways it takes for these short wheel based cars to go out of control, and how quickly it happens.

Do not think any experience you have, in the past, in other cars, qualify you to master handling one of these. They handle better than anything you ever drove in the past, giving you a false sense of confidence. When you loose traction, things happen in milliseconds. Faster than a mind can think. If you do not posses the correctly tuned auto-reflex response, you will not recover. If you do this in a bad place or at too high a speed, you will die. Take it slow. Pick very open places to learn how to handle this car. I suggest Auto cross in a parking lot. It is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. It will help you learn.

Be safe and have fun. Wishing you well.

Welcome to the madness.

[Sawdust]

Originally Posted by Storman Norman

Yes, I am a newbie to both the club and my new Cobra AKA Superformance MKIII. Looking forward to getting some good advice and making a few new friends.

Storman
Tell us about your SPF, motor, trans, chassis #

[David Fuchs]

Originally Posted by Storman Norman

Yes, I am a newbie to both the club and my new Cobra AKA Superformance MKIII. Looking forward to getting some good real money no deposit slots advice and making a few new friends.

Hi and welcome I've just joined this forum, too. Nice place to discuss

[t walgamuth]

Welcome. Don't worry if you get a intimidating or discouraging comment. Hang around and someone else will chime in and you can have your choice of how to feel! The well wishers well out number the negativers.

[Lou1119]

Originally Posted by Storman Norman

Yes, I am a newbie to both the club and my new Cobra AKA Superformance MKIII. Looking forward to getting some good advice and making a few new friends.

Welcome and enjoy your experience. I have read the other posts here and generally agree with what has been said. I would like to repeat the advice given. Learn all that you can about how the car behaves before getting the urge to smash the go fast pedal to the floor. I have owned many fast cars and the Cobra still scares the frap out of me. Respect it and it will treat you well.

[cycleguy55]

Some memorable quotes I've captured over the years:

“There's nothing nice about a Cobra, it's stripped down to the essentials – a big engine, a small car, and four wide tires trying to keep the whole business on the pavement. It's loud, smells like gasoline, and shakes, shudders, and bucks. It makes your arms tired and your feet hot. You nearly crash about once every ten minutes. It's so damn wonderful you can’t believe it.” – Automobile Magazine, October 2004

"When you put that tiny silver key into the ignition, and begin your start countdown, your car will whisper "take me for granted, and I will kill you."

[cycleguy55]

Cobra Driving Safety Tips (shamelessly stolen from others, with minor tweaks)

1. The two most dangerous words in aviation are, “Watch this.” The same goes for driving a Cobra. Humility is a wonderful personal trait to have for driving a Cobra safely. If you’re not humble now try thinking you’re a hotshot driver in a Cobra for awhile – you will get humbled, as they say down south, “…right quick.”
   
2. “You don’t even know what you don’t know”. Huh? Well think about it – if you’re not a professional race car driver, you’re kind of out of your element in a Cobra. I saw a video of a Cobra going out of control and rolling because the driver missed a downshift at speed in a sweeping turn. This caused the rear wheels to momentarily lock up and the rear end to slide out and thus the rollover. I didn’t even consider that as a possibility when I’ve been downshifting all this time, did you? That’s my point; I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. That short wheel base Cobra you’re driving can introduce you to all kinds of nasty things you never thought possible. Be careful out there and learn from others. The problem with learning from the school of hard knocks is that the tuition is too high.
   
3. “Know Thyself”, was said by the Greek philosopher Socrates. How true it is when it comes to driving a Cobra safely. I know that for myself I’m unqualified to be driving my Cobra anywhere near its performance limits. I have little racing experience, very little training and I’m in my 60’s so my reactions are not what they used to be. Instead I have the advantage (I hope) of wisdom. It is said, “The superior driver uses his superior judgment so as to not have to use his superior skill.” The most important thing here is recognizing limitations, do you?
   
4. I saw a video of a Cobra going out of control when the passenger door was not closed properly and the driver tried to close it while underway. The lean of the body when reaching for the door caused the throttle foot to press on the pedal. Probably not a problem in a regular car but in a Cobra that does 0 to 60 in less than four seconds it’s a recipe for disaster – especially when you only have one hand on the steering wheel! What’s the lesson here? If something falls on the floor or to the side of the passenger seat from g-forces or whatever, wait until you’re stopped (in neutral) before reaching to pick it up.
   
5. Beware of the club ride. It could be that you will be surrounded by some guys driving bullets (it’s been said you don’t shift a Cobra – you just chamber another round) who are in denial or unaware of their limitations and driving experience. These guys and I’m including myself, have good intentions but are young at heart so the “two teenagers in a car” phenomena is in effect. You know how it goes; they say “This is so cool, let’s do something crazy!” Two teenagers in a car will do things one teenager in a car would never do. This effect can take hold in a club ride. Use caution and don’t get caught up in it. Be a defensive driver knowing someone, because of the above, may do something totally unexpected right in front of you.
   
6. Street racing kills. It’s stupid and only the completely self-centered do it. It can kill you, or worse yet it can kill innocent bystanders. So just say “no” and go to a track. When that Viper pulls up next to you at the stoplight and revs his engine, then if you must, yell “Ace Raceway [or whatever your local track is called], this Friday, 6 PM.” You’ve just saved face and saved lives -- and I bet he never shows.
   
7. Take command of your Cobra. You can’t be afraid of it or else timidity will prevent you from taking the decisive action necessary to stay out of trouble. Now you must respect your Cobra, but not be afraid of it. Analyze yourself privately deep down and determine if you’re kind of afraid of the car. If you are, then it’s time for some professional training or time to sell the car. This is supposed to be fun and if you’re afraid of the car why deal with it, it will only cause trouble. A Cobra isn’t for everyone and there’s no shame in that.
   
8. Don’t let anyone tailgate you – ever. Folks behind you might want to get an “up close and personal” look at a Cobra and end up tailgating you. If you have to brake hard for some reason your car will stop much faster than theirs. You have no head restraints, virtually no crush zone and you’re basically sitting on top of a gas tank. Get the picture? Pull over to the slow lane and slow down if you have to in order to get them off your tail. Attention comes with the territory when driving a Cobra and the distractions can be dangerous.
   
9. Do “what if” scenarios in your head. Quickly now, what would you do if you were going down the freeway and your throttle return spring bracket let loose and you went to full throttle with no throttle control. Too late, you’ve already crashed. My answer is instantaneous and simultaneous controlled braking, clutch in, neutral gear then ignition off and coast to side of the road watching out for traffic and then and only then think about what happened. The key word here is “instantaneous”. You can’t do this quickly if you haven’t considered it beforehand. Be graphic and realistic in your scenarios. What would it sound like and feel like if you went to full throttle unexpectedly going down the freeway? How much time would you have? My engine has an electronic RPM limiter so I’m not going to worry about blowing my engine by depressing the clutch at full throttle. And so what if I did blow my engine – my life is at stake here. “What if” scenarios are wonderful because they’re free, they can save your life, and as my dad used to say, they “tickle your brain.”
   
10. Don’t go for a drive in your Cobra to clear your head. Clear your head then drive your Cobra. This ain’t the car to be driving when you’re distracted.
    
11. A bonus tip: Have fun – safely.
    
12. Leave the alcohol for the end of the day (maybe, a single beer with a meal, but no more.) These cars can go from fun to "OH ****!!" faster than anything else I've driven.

[1795]

Brian,

Well said, maybe slightly plagiarized . Welcome aboard, have fun and the only stupid question is the one not asked.

Jim

[RB60]

Welcome abroad!!
Driving one of these cars is like nothing you've ever driven before (speaking for myself here). Be careful, especially before you get used to it because it's kinda like riding a pissed off dragon, do something stupid and you'll get burnt. You'll attract tons of attention, smiles and thumbs up every time you take it out. Driving one of these cars is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on (IMHO). Respect it and it will give you years of enjoyment.

[olddog]

Welcome to the madness. It is intoxicating. Enjoy responsibly.

I do not think warning someone of the dangers is a negative thing. Saving a life is always a good thing. If feelings get hurt that easy, just imagine how hurt they would be if they killed a loved one. I would gladly be the bad guy that hurt their feelings, if I could save them that pain.