ERA vs. Unique

[sssnot]

From what I read here, the common opinion is that ERA is a better quality car than Unique. Without having two right here in front of me to examine, can anyone tell me any non-opinionated, factual reasons why ERA is a better quality car than Unique--or vice versa.

*I did say FACTUAL reasons, didn't I? **Please, please, no wise acres--I've asked a pretty darn straight forward question here. If you don't intend to answer it, please just move on to another thread! ***BTW, this is the CONSUMER WATCH category, so this question sure ought to be legal.

Sheesh--can anyone tell I've been beaten upside the head too much around here lately?!

Thanks much for your FACTUAL information!

[Dangerous Doug]

Non-opinionated? Yeah, good luck with THAT.

In my decision process, I went to a local Cobra club gathering. I emailed ahead, and said I wanted to see a Unique 289 FIA and an ERA 289 FIA so I could compare them. When I arrived, they were sitting side by side. I took LOTS of pictures, and ended up completely taken by the lines on the ERA car.

Secondarily, and probably more importantly, ERA's manual is outstanding. The manual I received from Unique (at the time) wasn't that detailed. If you're a first time builder, the ERA manual is what you'll need to get your car together.

Get both manuals and decide for yourself.

Go look at both, take pictures, and again, decide for yourself.

Now, the opinion: the ERA basic kit with the powder coated frame and mounted body options is the best deal in the country, hands down. Including FFR.

DD

[luke-44]

Use the search function (very top right hand corner of the home page) on this site for opinions....ERA vs. Unique will get you different results than ERA vs Unique - try a bunch of options. After you read, oh say 50000 postings or so, you'll have a good handle on it.

Try starting with these:

289's - ERA vs Unique

SPF or Unique or ERA - are these the choices?

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/show...ght=era+unique

Also, visit the respective websites - there are hundreds of pages there - and you'll definitely get a sense for the difference in the flavors of the 2 companies, and when you really get down to brass tacks, visit the factory. All in all, you can't make a bad choice with these 2 - it gets down to a few more $$ for the ERA, for which you get more originality (in the area of what you can see, not underneath - where arguably they are both better than original)


Good luck.

[COBRAGAR]

as for the assembly manual from unique. i built my car using it . with no problem was so ever.i ordered the duluxe pallet kit and it was very straight forward and if you had any question you can always call unique and yes they do anwser the phone. excellent people to do business with.

[tmareina]

Mine is a Unique built in 1993. It has original paint and the body has no stress cracks or other signs of substandard quality. The car looks new but driven and I get praise for the appearance from everyone who sees it.

Plus...it handles great with a 428 CJ with about 470-500HP. Check my pictures for a look.

Tom

[Chaplin]

ERA and Unique are very different cars, but I don't know that one is better quality than the other. Every Unique I have seen appears to be a high quality well built car. However, IMO nothing looks as good as an ERA- ERA just got the body right.

[sllib]

If you look at my join date, that's when I started shopping for a Cobra. I went to a FFR build school, Carlisle about five times, Reptile Roundup and shows all over the country. Did I mention I travel for a living? I've even been to Shelby in Las Vegas. I've either called or visited most of the major builders in the US and, in the end, it came down to Unique and ERA. I loved both cars and the people at both places are the salt of the earth, but I bought a Unique and I'm happy with it. Why? Something about the Unique stirred me a little more. Do your homework and follow your heart.
Bill Stradtner

[Snakebit]

I looked at both. The ERA FIA body is a more accurate reproduction of the original. The Unique seemed to be a modified 427 body to make it look like an FIA. Both companies have great customer service and loyal followings. I saw both at Carlisle and went with ERA. Peter and his staff have been great to deal with.

[turnpike boy]

Flip a coin. You will win no matter which one comes up.

ERA was my first choice; but I wasn't looking for an FIA car. Dollars ultimately made the decision - the ERA would have been about 40% more in the end.

The Unique is considerably smaller inside (cockpit) than the ERA, and there are differences with regard to which one is "more accurate" (ERA is), if that's important. The testimonies regarding ERA's management help are strong and consistent - always a good sign.

The ERA is fundamentally biased to a big-block engine; there is no question they are considerably more expensive than the Unique; testimonies, including mine, about Unique's management are equally strong and consistent.

As an aside - I built my Unique is 6 weeks, working about 2 hours a night and 6 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

Mr. Portante (ERA) has an unimpeachable reputation and a beautiful product. The Weaver family (Unique) are utterly first class, with a product second to no one.

[TampaFla]

At the time, ERA & Unique were the only ones I knew of who were making the "original" body style (289) and that's what I prefered. There are visible differences between the two. ERA was more expensive and a (much) longer wait but that's what I chose. While I don't plan to ever sell the car now that I have it, I'd guess the resale on the ERA is better (again supply & demand) -at least from what I've noticed on the For Sale lists).

[Tony Ripepi]

Good Question...

First Facts...I have owned, built and sold a Unique, been very close to several ERA's and bought parts from them, I own a Shelby CSX 4264 and have been close to Cobra replica's since the early 90's, owned four roadsters and one Daytona Coupe, currently have the Shelby and the Coupe in the garage.

ERA and Unique have very different frames
- ERA original style round tube, done with heavier material than original
- Unique custom designed square tube

Front Suspensions
- ERA coil over with adjustable A-arms
- Unique Coil over with spacer adjustments
I modified mine to NASCAR style adjustable upper arm and it made a huge difference in the handling, another local Unique owner did the same.

Rear Ends
- ERA Jag rear or they have a custom built piece that looks great and I have driven one of their cars with that rear end and it is great.
- Unique Jag rear with four coil overs.

Body
- ERA Very original looking
- Unique 427 has a a little bit of a droopy butt FIA car has the same look.

Company
They are both long term successful Cobra Replica vendors and I have had great experience with them both, ethical buisness people. The ERA cars are more expensive In my opinion the Unique custom pallet is the best bargain in the industry.

A friend of mine has driven an ERA and an Unique FIA back to back, both small block cars, both with 4- speed top loaders his opinion was that it was the difference between driving a Chevy and Mercedes, advantage ERA.

I have driven both and the ERA has a larger cockpit and more of a solid feel similar to my Shelby. You should get close to each of them try to get a ride/drive. You will not go wrong with either choice these two companies are the top of the Cobra replicar business.

Hope that helps....a mix of fact and opinion and with these cars it is an emotional decision ---- Hard to separate fact and opinion when you have emotions mixed in.

Good Luck with your decision.

Tony R.

[Russ Dickey]

I assume that by the term quality, you mean overall workmanship, fit, finish, and reliability?

If that's the case, then in terms of quality, I'm not sure you are going to find factual reasons as to why one is better than the other. If you research these threads, you'll see owners of both who have had various bugs to work out from time to time. But I think the overall quality of the two are pretty equal (and very good).

If your definition of quality includes the aspect of accuracy, then there are some factual reasons as to why one is closer to an original than the other. The ERA 427's are technically more accurate than Unique's (but only slightly, and in a few small details). I personally feel that the bodies of both are damn close. The FIA is a bit different story, as the ERA is technically quite a bit more accurate in appearance. Although you've got to be a real purist to see know what these details are.

I will also say that I have 3 different copies of the Unique build manual, and all of them leave a bit to be desired, (although they will work for anyone who is slightly mechanically inclined). I have never seen an ERA manual, so I can't compare.

Now for my (biased) opinion: Unique's Deluxe Pallet kit is the best buy in the market. High quality, very complete, and more aesthetically accurate (from a body/interior/stance standpoint) than the majority of cars in the marketplace - all for a very reasonable price and a much shorter wait. Plus, extremely fast and friendly customer service from the Weavers, and a great support network of fellow Unique owners (which ERA is also known for).

If you ask Unique owners what brand of Cobra replica they would own if they couldn't own a Unique (and for around the same price), I bet most would say ERA. I think the opposite would be true as well.

[Russ Dickey]

Originally Posted by Tony Ripepi

ERA and Unique have very different frames
- ERA original style round tube, done with heavier material than original
- Unique custom designed square tube

ERA has round tube??

[strictlypersonl]

Unfortunately, some of Mr Ripepi's observations are not quite accurate...

"ERA and Unique have very different frames
- ERA original style round tube, done with heavier material than original
- Unique custom designed square tube"

Incorrect. The ERA's chassis is from rectangular tubing.

"Front Suspensions
- ERA coil over with adjustable A-arms
- Unique Coil over with spacer adjustments"

Incorrect. ERA also uses shims to adjust the front alignment.

[sssnot]

Originally Posted by Tony Ripepi

Front Suspensions
- ERA coil over with adjustable A-arms
- Unique Coil over with spacer adjustments
I modified mine to NASCAR style adjustable upper arm and it made a huge difference in the handling, another local Unique owner did the same.

Was this an off-the-rack parts purchase or did it require some engineering?

[Tony Ripepi]

Hi guys,

I stand corrected...

The adjustable heim joint for the front end modification on the Unique used off the shelf parts and required some cutting and a block to be welded onto the chassis. Then the block was drilled and tapped to bolt down the new "A" arm.

The actual work was done by Bill Emerson at his shop in Redding, CA. Bill did the mods on my car and Gary Centers FIA. We talked to the Weavers about making this a standard change in their rollers but, they felt that their design was more than sufficient as it is.

I always thought that the ERA frame was original style Round tube. I have driven two of their cars, one with a Shelby aluminum Big block with a Richmond 5 speed and the other an 289 pwered FIA car with 4-speed top loader. They are both terrific cars.

Sorry for the misinformation,

Tony R.

[NKOTB]

It may help to know that the Unique 427 was splashed of of a street style 427 and it's shape has been tweeked a bit for the S/C look. There were slight dimensional differences between S/C and Street style bodies.

Other differences: upright vs. slanted radiator, some framestructural design differences that may not equate to functional differences, bonded vs bolted frame/body attachment (maybe for the "settled solid feeling comments), slighly differing cockpit and trunk dimensions - but they both seem to work for all sizes, & differing roll-bar support placements... those are the only other things I can remember....

Warning: Subjective personal opinion from here forward...

That being said, I went through the whole 9 yards of comparing the two companies cars and I think it comes down to this: More ERA's than Uniques are built with the full tilt BB, toploader, right gauges, carpet, etc... Not to say that there are not full tilt Uniques, there surely are, but I believe that Uniques have more personal preferences in their customer's builds - So if you put a new equally equiped ERA and Unique build against each other, you will likely see the ERA gather maybe a 5% premium over the Unique... I liken this to a Land's End dress shirt vs Polo dress shirt purchase... not so much a qualitative difference, but more of a halo effect. I think if I found a low miles ERA just the way I wanted it, versus building a Unique just the way I wanted it, i would buy an ERA... If new build vs. new build, then I'd spend my money on the Unique. If used versus used, and they were comparable builds, it would depend on service geography, and regional cobra support & activities.

Dude u can't go too wrong with either one. Hope this helps. Please don't flame.

[sssnot]

I'm going to check out the Unique factory later next month. It does help to know that what I've been seeing in teh Unique body in photographs probably really does exist if in fact their SC body was taken from a street version and tweeked. The droopy rear really does seem to be more than just a suspension adjustment issue--at least in photos. I'm not liking the solid feel comments (bonded vs. non-bonded body) or the handling comments either.

Has anyone else noticed that the more they research the more they keep moving up in kit prices--it's like the mind keeps trying to tell me to stop reaearching because it knows that I won't be able to live with a certain car if I find out any more good info about it! I'm working against myself and my pocketbook, even in my own interest! I think that the real fear here is that I'll wind up arriving at a Shelby Inc. copy of the 60's Cobra--and that just really irritates me to no end!

Where the hell is New Britain CT, anyway?! Mayquest here I come!

[Chaplin]

Originally Posted by sssnot

Has anyone else noticed that the more they research the more they keep moving up in kit prices--it's like the mind keeps trying to tell me to stop reaearching because it knows that I won't be able to live with a certain car if I find out any more good info about it! I'm working against myself and my pocketbook, even in my own interest! I think that the real fear here is that I'll wind up arriving at a Shelby Inc. copy of the 60's Cobra--and that just really irritates me to no end!

Where the hell is New Britain CT, anyway?! Mayquest here I come!

When I first started looking, I was going to get a Factory 5. I ended up with an ERA

[kris-kincaid]

Really? I always thought the Unique body initially was splashed from an Arntz, then reworked through the years to be more correct. The Uniques seem to have unique front flares.

Originally Posted by NKOTB

It may help to know that the Unique 427 was splashed of of a street style 427 and it's shape has been tweeked a bit for the S/C look.