No Response To My "Street-rod" Personalization

[M. B. Robinson]

I mailed ERA about 10 pages of my fantasy wish-list several weeks ago and have heard nothing. Duane Cooney at WSCB recommended that I attenion my questions to "Portante". I'd understand if my desecration might offend "purists". But, no response whatsoever....! Mainly, the subjects were lowering the driver seat to enable me to chop the windshield 3 inches, and shaving the "bumps" off the body at the trunk license tag, gas filler, and tail lights....ALL of which I can do myself,.... but since I want NO 'standard-package' hardware, my fantasy was that you would consider some credit exchange factor of the labor involved &/or the IRS.

Why shouldn't a Chevy drivetrain get the same respect? Shelby is a legend/Saint O-N-L-Y because HE was independent-thinking/inventive enough to have the foresight to install Ford 289/427 engines in an AC Bristol from Surrey, England, which initially had a 90-HP, 4-cylinder engine. To me, the Cobra is a beautiful piece of sculpture for me to enhance and personalize to my own priorities.

And, I figure in another couple of years your customer base will A-L-L be spoiled-rotten, yuppie-boomers. They are used to automatic transmissions, electric side windows, air conditioning, etc. Surely, there are some industrious, mechanically-inclined, retired &/or vo-tech students, with enough tenacity, creativity and engineering skills to custom-fabricate mechanical side windows for a hard top. With all the creative, performance upgrades over the past 44 years to chassis, suspension, brakes, etc, why couldn't basic creature comforts also be up-graded into the 21st Century ?

[strictlypersonl]

Sorry, but I never received the message. I get several hundred spams each day and I've given up looking through the stuff that yahoo mail filters out. Send it to this one: erahelpman <at> sbcglobal.net. It's the only one that isn't really messed up.

Soon, we're going to do a late-model Corvette-powered one for an Aussie. They must comply with strict emission laws so an FE is not practical.

[Godfather]

M.B. Why would you want to start out with a company known for their Authentic replications of an original only to finish with a custom version?
Maybe I am too much of a "purist" as you say to understand.

[Chaplin]

I agree with Godfather. ERA has built its reputation by building cars that are faithful to the original in appearance, which is one of the reasons many people to choose to buy ERAs. You can buy an ERA and customize it however you want and that is your prerogative, but I seriously doubt they sell you a modified "custom street rod" version of their car. Also, if you are going to make all sorts of body mods to it so that it no longer looks like an ERA, I think you will be throwing your $$ away. People who want ERAs are willing to pay for them because, among other reasons, they look like originals. Unless you find someone else who loves every mod you did to it, you will kill your resale value and will never get out of it what you put into it. IMO you would be better off buying a less expensive kit and modifying that. But it's your money and your fantasy car, so have at it

[flwolfman]

M.B. need to go buy a corvette.

[RedCSX1]

Are start with a Factory Five kit. Of couse Chevy is a bad word. They go together with Cobra like oil and water.

[M. B. Robinson]

This car is a #@$^& imitation, kit-car-replica !!!; it is no more than just subject matter for an independent, free-thinking artist to personalize. Unless YOU own a $1-million ORIGINAL, your vote/critique counts little with me. Even then, it wouldn't count much, as you mindlessly follow the be-****ted asses of all the OTHER cattle in front of you. What I'm interested in is quality (ie/eg upgrades in technology), and value, not authenticity. ...if ERA is embarassed by it, I'll bet that I can find someone else to sell me theirs. My strongest motivation is for some moron(s) to tell me that I can't do something. If I own it 20 years from now, when they haul me off....and, I am happy with it,... who cares what the resale is, or what you think? Flush you, sooooo much. I don't expect "them" to DO anything, except give me credit for all the 'authentic'/cheesey hardware that I have no use for. I don't even want it to state "Cobra " anywhere.....similar to a (chopped, channeled, sectioned, stretched, pinched, narrowed, lowered, etc, etc, etc) '33 Ford 3-window coupe that requires no stinking, clone advertising for me to be "validated" by others. It seemed reasonable to request the exterior trunk skin be smoothed and blended before it is sandwiched to the interior skin. I can't even begin to tell you how much I HATE the ("look-at-me, look-at-me!!!!" , butt-ugly, side pipes, exposed/exaggerated gas-filler cap, ANY STINKING, tasteless, "original" RIVETS, and Civil-War-designed front fender side vents.......ETC). And, yes, if I can find a way to lower the seat down into the frame (to sit IN the car, rather than ON it...my quote long before it appeared in some replica's literature), I intend to chop the homely, billboard windshield no less than 3 inches. I promise to keep the hood closed at all times to avoid any fist fights in the parking lot from insulted 'purists'....as if I'd choose to socialize with the closed-minded /intellectually-impaired at (any) public showings. I have absolutely no wish for anyone else to have anything even remotely resembling my kit car, please.....like Grandpa' used to say, "If we all liked the same things, then everyone would want to be married to Grandma' ".

[Chaplin]

People are just trying to give you some advice. You can take it or leave it. It appears you've chosen to leave it. That's fine. Again, your money, your car, have at it. Good luck with your build and please post pics when it's done.

[M. B. Robinson]

I already own a Corvette...personalized IT beyond recognition also . Those "purists" are alot more original at beating me up than Cobra-clone owners....and yet, I never had an intelligent conversation with either (cookie-cutter-school-of-thought...."my Dad can beat up your Dad", "I was here first"-mentality).

[Chaplin]

Either way, I want to see pics when it's done. And while we're at it, I wouldn't mind seeing some pics of the Corvette either. M.B., Please post some pics of the vehicle formerly known as a Corvette.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by Chaplin

People are just trying to give you some advice. You can take it or leave it. It appears you've chosen to leave it. That's fine. Again, your money, your car, have at it. Good luck with your build and please post pics when it's done.

I always say, to each his own and agreed it's his money and it's his potential car, he can do whatever he likes with it. Of course, I guess the real question is is he a current qualified buyer (ready to buy within the next 1-3 months), or just another Mohave Community College student dreaming of what he might build years down the road? From the tone and writing style of his responses so far it may be that he has yet to experience what others have.

Enough said.


Bill S.

[M. B. Robinson]

By the way, I forgot to mention that my Dad sold Fords for over 30 years. Embarassed for him, I never owned one because I know what an unequivocal pile of garbage they are. The AC Bristol was never a Ford. Thank God!!! The only Ford I ever wanted was a '33, 3-window coupe. I still do: a fiberglass clone. I presently own 7 vehicles. The very best one is a Toyota soccer-mom van (never a wrench in 7 years).

[Jamo]

M.B. Robinson

Looks like there might be some understanding amongst both the Cobra world and the Vette world if you communicate with them as you do here.

Lose the attitude. Now.

[Dangerous Doug]

M. B. The chip appears to be on your shoulder, not the "purists" from either the Corvette or the Cobra camps.

[mr0077]

Bitter little fella, isn't he?

[Dangerous Doug]

Profile is AZ, USA.

By they way, I just noticed a Club Cobra feature I wasn't aware of. If you click on M. B.'s profile, you can click on a feature that allows you to put him on your "ignore" list.

Cool.

DD

[M. B. Robinson]

Although it did require 10 years of college ( 3 degrees), I am a little too old, at 63, to still be attending school. Yes, admittedly a sheltered life/"experience" : Army Captain in Viet Nam (can YOU say Viet Nam?), traveled through 26 countries, all 50 states (even hitch-hiking over 10,000 miles), and 261 Nat'l Parks,
"retired" at 40....still drag-racing at the All-Harley eighth-miles....even personalized my buck-nekid 'girls' beyond recognition ('Juicey Lucy' & 'Wild Wanda', built from scratch off a full-sized cardboard mock-up, to PVC frame, to steel tubing, ....over 30, all home-made fiberglass fenders, personalized gas tanks with scoops, etc);....and yet , no biker crowd ever criticized my personalized "sculptures". Isn't that curious, probably just more worldly, and savy (&/or, sensitive/polite) than car people. I even sculpt nudes that no one has ever criticized...except me. And, once I get all my ducks in a row I WILL do this Cobra. Yet, it would be nice to actually hear from ERA before I eliminate them from the competetion (of over 20 Cora replica mfgrs that I've considered, I was down to 3 potential kits). Also, looking for a house with a bigger garage in warm climate, even though I have space for about 10 cars in colder climate property.
Now, you.

[Jamo]

...this is a forum for folks to discuss ERAs.

If you would like to start a personal blog, there are many sites on the internet. Might I suggest MySpace?

Get with the program...I've already lost my patience.

Thank you for your expected cooperation.

Jamo-Moderator

[RedCSX1]

So anybody ever drop a HEMI in a Cobra? Been thinking about it. Oh never mind.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Sounds like pure anger...for what reason I'll not try to guess. We all have respect for whatever each of us wants in his car. If this guy is so gifted, he might as well start with a clean sheet of paper and not bother with a kit.