Million Dollar Skunksworks Kirkham

[Maricopa]

Hope he can still afford it after the big crash!

[David Kirkham]

The crash affects some people more than others. He is not in the financial industry so it is not as brutal as it could have been.

David

[Maricopa]

Yeah I figured he could still scrape a mil together.

[Tony Ripepi]

Hello David,

Talked to Thomas today and he said you guys would get my parts to me after you are done with the Billet Skunk Works Mega Buck Cobra.

Amazing work....starting to plan for my next project for an Aluminum Kirkham in my garage.

Tony R.

[Hollywood]

Glad to hear some continuation finally. I was worried that this story just died without an ending.
I can't wait to see the final pics of this bad boy!!

I feel like I am at the final episode (cliffhanger) of the season and I am waiting until next season to see what happened!

Looking for the Finale!!!

Jim

[Rick162]

To all

While dropping off my new Formula Reynard Race car to the Kirkhams shop this evening I was in a unique position to photograph with my Iphone what I could only describe as breathtaking. The completed Car.... ready to ship to its new owner.

It is truly spectacular on so many levels. I have sat at the feet of David in Florence amazed at the detail of the viens in his feet, and I have stood under the Sistine Chappel in Rome and I have to tell you... I am no less in awe and amazement of what I've seen.

As I explored every polished detail, I think I blurted out loud "Holly Sh#T he wins." As I explored every inch of the car, I kept finding not just new, but to the Nth degree perfection within each area of the car.

I have driven and known original cars, owned a Kirkham from the early days and have spent money on almost every single upgrade ever available, new suspension Penskes etc. I have become a student, once again, in the truly sublime. I doubt this time any Cobra will ever be its match.

I do have an out right confession....I have Test Driven the Kirkham Billet Chassis Cobra prototype at speed on the Track. Purposely with no preconceived bias I have stayed away from the project (mainly because I'm jellous) focusing on our gauge business and my driving Career.

I have been Racing Touring Sedan and I was handed the new Cobra at Miller Motorsport Park where I worked and currently race. I was told to put it though the paces and let them know what I honestly thought.

Well here is my Review

This car is so well balanced and stiff you point it where you want it and it goes there, stays there with the absolute absence of terminal oversteer of the cars of the past. I knew the Car was different at Turn one, inspiring confidence at each new turn to push it harder. All on street tires. I tried to get the rear to step out but it wouldn't. Instead I was able to get it to drift ever so slightly and with little input get it back under full power for turn exit speeds that I have never been able to get a Cobra to do.

To say that this car is different is a gross understatement. It plants, feels so tight and is very predictable. No surprises,

I am going to post a bunch of pictures within an hour or so. Keep checking this thread

[Rick162]

[Rick162]

My photos do not do this car justice

[Rick162]

[Rick162]

[Rick162]

[Rick162]

[Rick162]

Exquisite Door hinges

[Rick162]

Structural footboxes

[Rick162]

[Rick162]

We all know the Beauty of the Kirkham bodies but this car is truly as pretty from the underneath. The whole car is sealed up from underneath....

[Rick162]

Yeah that's me taking a picture Mirror finish underneath in really bad lighting

[Rick162]

How to put the power to the ground

[David Kirkham]

I can see Rick was in here sneaking photos with his phone. I'll have to frisk him next time. Really, thanks for the kind words.

What may not have come across, and I haven't said as of yet...

There are actually 2 cars. Yes, two cars. We built the first car as a prototype to work all the bugs out. That is the car that I have posted all the pictures of up to this point.

We wanted the car to be really nice for delivery so we decided to make another car. Rick was one of the test drivers for the first car and we used his input, along with the other drivers' to refine the car. Frankly, we were extremely pleased. We didn't adjust anything except the shocks during our track testing. We drove the car as hard as we possibly could and kept pushing the drivers. One of the track instructors commented, "In an original Cobra you run out of chassis long before you run out of engine. In this car, never ran out of engine before I ran out of chassis."

One thing I have been most impressed with in this whole creation is how powerful the new CAD systems are. When we bolted the suspension on, the caster and camber were exactly where we designed them to be. The only thing we had to adjust was the toe and some really fine bump steer tweaks on the steering tie rods. When we tested the car on the track the tire wear was perfect. Even with all the different drivers we had drive the car, they all settled down to arguing over 3 clicks of the shocks, or 1.5 clicks either direction. In an original Cobra, you can't discern 5 clicks either direction as the chassis is so flimsy.

All in all I am very happy with how it turned out. It is the nicest custom car I have ever seen.

I will post more pics as soon as I can.

David

[Hank F]

Well done David,that car is pure art that works! What`s next?
Hank