Kirkham values.............

[1ntCobra]

Did you see the video of the twin paxton car? You would think the guy would have gotten someone else to hold the camera when he was driving.

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

How can you spend all the big bucks on a dream car like this and then only drive it a few hundred miles before selling it?

The answer probably lies somewhere in this prose from Sergio's website

click here for original version => http://www.cobra4me.com


Driving a Cobra Replica

"If you want to just gas and go, and never have to worry about replacing an alternator, or snuggling down the header bolts, or getting a wet leg driving in a rainstorm, or learning how to set your carb float level, or driving in traffic on a warm winter day with "winter gas" in the tank, get a Corvette. "

With a Cobra Replica you have to remind yourself that you are driving a hand made race car on the street. There is no compromise for anything other than pure speed. These cars are brutal and unforgiving, with all the refinement of a medieval battle ax. Like being in a relationship with an exotic dancer, you can never take anything for granted. These cars don't have millions of miles of testing refinement before you get yours. For any trip longer than an hour, you need earplugs, and goggles, and carry Advil and eye drops. You will need to learn to "read" the clouds for rain in your path, and have experience in unwrapping your frozen fingers from the MotoLita. You will experience lady passengers "wetting" the passenger seat when you merge into traffic from an on ramp, and then nearly burn their calf getting out of the car.


You will have all the invisibility of a burning Hindenburg, and flee from underground parking lots when uncountable car alarms are screaming your departure. When you shop, you will remind yourself that these cars get more attention than a dead body in a parking lot.


With a power to weight ratio better than almost every supercar, you will find your 1/4 mile times traction rather than power limited. On the other hand, when you stage, out of the corner of your helmet's visor you will see almost the entire audience lining up at the fence, most with cameras up. If you track on a road course with a Porsche club, owners of expensive German machines will come to the fence to watch you power out in smoking oversteer. You won't even try to start your engine in the garage, but push it out onto the driveway, else your loyal watch dog will croak from the exhaust fumes. If you idle next to other "sports" cars at a traffic light, by the green, their girlfriend will be coughing green phlegm into her hanky, yelling at her date to just go! When you refuel, you might as well prop the "bonnet" open, because you are going to have to show your motor to just about every other guy there. When you order your wings at Hooters, your waitress will whisper in your ear "take me for a ride." When you stop at the red light, the girl in the convertible next to you will invite you to "take my top off too."


When you slowly pass a troop of Harley riders, they will look over and give you thumbs up. When you want to ease out into traffic, other cars will immediately pause to let you go ahead of them. When your engine has its hot, crackling, intimidating exhaust sidepipe aimed right at the flank of the GTO, or the Z28, your exhaust pulsation's slowly unscrewing his lug nuts, the other car will remain motionless, as if the slightest quiver of his car will cause your car to stomp it dead. When you leave it open in a parking lot, and come back to find your sunglasses and cell phone still sitting on the tunnel, it is because your car has sullenly warned those who came over to admire it "touch me and I will rise up here and kill you dead."


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."


When other drivers just hop in and snap up their belts while backing out of their parking space, you will still have two more minutes before you even get all the Simpson's properly on and snugged down. Pulling up in a Cobra Replica is like landing an F4U at an ultralite convention.


In summary, very, very few drivers want this kind of attention, or can tolerate all that a formidable Cobra Replica demands. These cars are intolerant mistresses.


But remember, there will come a day when you have to hang up your car keys for the last time. And perhaps you want to say then "I did it."


-- thought provoking ...


Ed

[ng8264723]

I agree!!!!!!!!! I plan to drive mine
chris

[RodKnock]

Last time I talked with Joe at Kirkham, they seem to have virtually every new Kirkham Cobra coming off the container ship(s) sold. Over the course of the several months, the Kirkhams have been kept very busy as I understand it. Maybe people just prefer to have it their way and brand new over used.

At any rate discussing values of these cars is akin to to discussing how much your house is worth at a cocktail party. Drive it and/or live in it.

Personally, I like enjoy just looking at mine, especially since it has no engine tranny iinstalled yet.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

The thing that I have the most trouble understanding is this: How can you spend all the big bucks on a dream car like this and then only drive it a few hundred miles before selling it?

For years I've watched this happen. I believe it is because they did not build it "right" the first time. When I say "right," I mean "right for them." For instance, if I built my car to run like Morris built his beautiful car I would not be happy and I would sell it after a few hundred miles with the "well it just wasn't right for me" attitude. If I had told my engine builder to build a 600HP FE, he certainly would have -- it's not that hard to do. But I knew exactly what I wanted, and it turned out that I really did want exactly what I thought I wanted. High-end Cobras that get put up for sale after a few hundred miles are because the owners thought they knew what they wanted, and really they didn't.

[RodKnock]

Well, I'm building mine and, if I ever do sell it, then I already know that I'll take huge financial loss, just like all the cars that I've sold. I don't want to break a long-standing tradition

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Well, I'm building mine and, if I ever do sell it, then I already know that I'll take huge financial loss, just like all the cars that I've sold. I don't want to break a long-standing tradition

I like that. The way I look it is that I'm not even spending my own money; I'm spending my heirs' money.

[RodKnock]

Hey, I like that. I've never thought about that way.

I had a budget once, but an aluminum engine and a TKO600 later, and Voila! I'm the Federal government.

[Jamo]

Ahem...... thorconstr just sold his at $109.5k

[jwd]

Originally Posted by patrickt

For years I've watched this happen. I believe it is because they did not build it "right" the first time. When I say "right," I mean "right for them." For instance, if I built my car to run like Morris built his beautiful car I would not be happy and I would sell it after a few hundred miles with the "well it just wasn't right for me" attitude. If I had told my engine builder to build a 600HP FE, he certainly would have -- it's not that hard to do. But I knew exactly what I wanted, and it turned out that I really did want exactly what I thought I wanted. High-end Cobras that get put up for sale after a few hundred miles are because the owners thought they knew what they wanted, and really they didn't.

I built mine exactly how I wanted and love the way it came out. That being said, I had less than 200 miles on it when I started thinking about what my next project will be. For alot of us, building it is the best part.

Jim

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by jwd

I built mine exactly how I wanted and love the way it came out. That being said, I had less than 200 miles on it when I started thinking about what my next project will be. For alot of us, building it is the best part.

Jim

Amen. I'm already eyeing a SPF GT40 in Gulf colors like Tony's. I might actually get rid of my Vette for that one.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by jwd

I built mine exactly how I wanted and love the way it came out. That being said, I had less than 200 miles on it when I started thinking about what my next project will be. For alot of us, building it is the best part.

True. But the vast majority of "500+HP, less than 500 miles" Cobras are sold by owners who will never own another Cobra. Nor will they continue to grace us with their presence on this forum....

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

True. But the vast majority of "500+HP, less than 500 miles" Cobras are sold by owners who will never own another Cobra. Nor will they continue to grace us with their presence on this forum....

Rob anybody?

[bnewell]

"Rob anybody?"

????????????????????

[RodKnock]

Rob Simones was a member of this Forum, if I remember the name correctly. He's the fella who spent $125,000 +/- having his Cobra built with a 527ci engine, then figured out he didn't like Cobras after yearning for them all his life, and after comparing them to modern (C5 and/or C6) Z06 Corvettes. He asked dozens of questions before, during and after his build. He sold his car on eBay for about $88,000 after lowering the price many, many times. He claimed he was going back to a Z06.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Rob Simones was a member of this Forum...

We're not to speak of it....

[bnewell]

Thats who I thought you meant and please don't take this the wrong way.................and I will keep it short as I hate to type

Rob and I spoke throughout his entire Superformace and then Kirkham experience. Rob probably did rub and or piss off some people on this forum during "all" of his cobra builds. Sh!t........I've done that myself

One of Rob's last posts was "HIS" experience with a cobra and the road that "HE" traveled. Although I have not read it recently (sorry), I do not think he lied about anything.

Sure he may have been very anal during all of this.....so what?? Anyone else on this site anal about their cars??)

He had no cobra experience, again.....so what?? He thought he wanted one and expressed his opinions here and from what I remember reading most were valid thoughts and again "HIS" opinions.

Is he a car guy......yea.....but maybe just not a cobra car guy. Sh!t, I've been in his shoes many times......I don't drive my car much, so why keep it. I keep it because it gives me a woody everytime I look at it plus I have other things to drive if I want to.

Bottom line.......I truly believe he got beat up here for expressing "HIS" opinions and asking tooooo many questions toooo many times. Rob is a car guy and a great husband and father.

Okay, start slinging the sh!t @ me........I just happened to have the opportunity to meet and talk to the guy..........

[Jamo]

I exchanged a great deal of e-mails and tried to help him many times. As he himself noted, I was the one early on who told him a Cobra might not be the best fit for him.

He was frustrated, and he tended to lay those frustrations on others at times when they tried to help.

He sounded like a good family man and a good guy in general. Let's just leave it at that.

[fsstnotch]

Rob's situation was building from the look and not the want. After the fact, he realized that maybe a 527ci engine was a little unrealistic for a car to cruise around in. I've chatted with him thorugh PM's and all is well. He enjoys his vette and learned a lesson from his cobra build. No hard feelings. Cobras are not for everyone.

[RodKnock]

Rob seemed like a nice guy with a nice family. I thought he built a wonderful car and even tried to buy it after one of his eBay experiences. He certainly didn't upset me. His experience is his experience. I can't remember for sure, or without looking it up, but I don't think I commented on his experience at the time. He seemed to make a mistake. No problem there, we all do. I don't know him personally, but I used his name here only to illustrate what Patrick mentioned above about some Cobra owners becoming former Cobra owners and then leaving the Forum for good.