Superformance vs Kirkham

[Bill Wells]

how many did you buy ? LOL. Bill

[Stentor]

Originally Posted by henryr

well (due to this thread) i received about 20 inquiries on SPF's for sale and about 5 kirkhams. i guess that tells you something.

Well, there are substantially more SPFs on the road than Kirkhams (ratio of roughly about 5 to 1, as I recall). Thus, I am not sure that you can draw any conclusions from your statement.

That said, if you've got the money, Kirkhams are great cars.

[brobehr]

henryr

I am in a similar decisional paralysis...buy within current means( non kirkham, I think)
or convince wife she needs a second fulltime job...( I really love the kirkhams-darn you david and thomas...

convinced either way will be worth it.

brobehr

[RodKnock]

The question is budget. They're both outstanding cars for their respective price ranges. Neither is perfect, but I opted to splurge and get a Kirkham.

Now I'm curious about the five (5) Kirkhams that are available for sale. Is it a secret or can you or someone elaborate?

[Got the Bug]

One of the big challenges when you're looking, is finding a few cars to test drive and compare. I only drove two cars when I was in the market...and the Kirkham wasn't in the cards at the time.

I know that some of the SPF dealers have demo cars on hand for test drives. Guessing that Kirkham does as well?

[bnewell]

Just curious as to what 5 cars are for sale??

Brian

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by bnewell

Just curious as to what 5 cars are for sale??

Brian

OK, We've identified one. How about the other four? Any 289's or street 427's?

[henryr]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

The question is budget. They're both outstanding cars for their respective price ranges. Neither is perfect, but I opted to splurge and get a Kirkham.

Now I'm curious about the five (5) Kirkhams that are available for sale. Is it a secret or can you or someone elaborate?

actually a couple more popped up. for example, dave wagner has two ( a 289 and a street 427). there one in LA (i think) that looks like it's out on cobracountry.

[RodKnock]

David Wagner's street 427 car was listed earlier this year on eBay for $125,000. While his builds are top-of-the-line, not many people at the moment can pop for one of those right now. A couple years ago, I talked to him about it, not knowing the price before hand. His price at that time was $130,000.

[Rickd]

An acquantaince has a Kirkham 289 FIA leaf spring cobra. He also had an original cobra and raced it back in the 60's. His opinion of the Kirkham is that "it is a clone" not a replica in any fashion. Loves the car. For the price of a used SPF you might be able to get a Kirkham roller, sans engine and trans, and finish it over time. They are definitely in a different league. I couldn't believe that one that went on ebay. You can't plan for those, you have to have the $$ and wait it out. The SPF is a heck of a good car and there are a lot of deals in the $40's, for cars that have hardly ever been driven. They offer a very reliable build quality and reliability. You should definitely use some frequent flier miles and visit the Kirkham shop. You will probably leave with a signed contract for a build. Enjoy. Rick

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Rickd

I couldn't believe that one that went on ebay. You can't plan for those, you have to have the $$ and wait it out. Rick

Flip (HI Cobra) got himself the deal of the century on that car. You just can't expect deals like that to pop everyday.

You may also want to consider the white CSX that Sal is helping a friend sell. Here's the thread:

CSX4754 For Sale - CHEAP

$70K is a very good deal for basically a brand new fiberglass CSX. That's about the price of a complete and loaded new SPF.

[boblyon1]

Henry - You certainly have generated a lot of responses to your question. Before I bought my Cobra I traveled extensively and test drove more than 10. If you get the chance, I suggest you get behind the wheel of as many as possible.

One concern that should be discussed but has NOT surfaced so far: Aluminum tends to dent fairly easy and most Kirkham owners are pretty paranoid regarding where they park or who leans against them. I don't think I would be able to handle the "stress" or worrying about my aluminum body. Glass is pretty durable, especially the seven layers or so that SPF uses. You can even stand on them without a problem.

[Igofastr]

Originally Posted by boblyon1

One concern that should be discussed but has NOT surfaced so far: Aluminum tends to dent fairly easy and most Kirkham owners are pretty paranoid regarding where they park or who leans against them.

Oh really? Says who? Quite frankly, I worrly a lot LESS about my Kirkham than I do about any of my 6 other cars. I'm not particularly worried about denting the aluminum, though it could happen with a misplaced elbow. Simply leaning against the car?...No, it will only dent if you really push on it. Will it dent easier than a steel car? Yes. Is it easier to fix? He!! yes, especially if you don't paint it. And remember, the aluminum a Kirkham is made of is thicker, and composed of a much stronger alloy than the soda cans AC used in the 60s.

Check out my gallery photos for the big dent in the rear quarter panel from rolling it into the side of the garrage. The Kirkham boys hammered that out in about an hour at BASH 2007. You couldn't tell that it was ever even there today. Just try that with fiberglass.

Quite frankly, I drive my car almost every day...to work, to the grocery store, to get a burger. Do I worry about door dings, sure, but I know that they can be taken out with a little work. The lack of paint means absolutely no concern for rock chips...not even on the track. Try that with a SPF (not a knock against SPF, it just goes with being a painted car, including every other car I own).

Would I like a SPF? You bet, I'll take a GT40 mark 1, wide hips, right-hand drive, full cage, and fuel cells.

[Rickd]

Talk to the Kirkham's about dents - and you will see it's pretty much a non issue. The aluminum is much thicker than the original cobras, and the Kirkham cars are amazingly cool. As RHM said "a clone" not a replica.

[RedBarchetta]

This has been an interesting thread (and one of the more civil comparisons that I can recall, too). Other factors and personal tastes aside, I believe that one should buy as much Cobra as they can afford. The old adage "You get what you pay for" certainly holds true in the replica world. While I certainly have enjoyed my SPF for almost the five years I've had it, I would certainly consider a Kirkham if I ever chose to move up the food chain. For a 'glass car, either the ERA or a Shelby-spec'd SPF (which is different than the base SPF) are the best options. For aluminum, Kirkham gets my vote.

-Dean #747

[Archrms]

In fairness to any of the manufacturers, you can not judge a car's quality by the number that are for sale. A more accurate method would take into account the total number of cars they have built vs. the number for sale to give you a more accurate picture of what percentage of their cars are for sale (still has nothing to do with quality though).

[FatBoy]

Originally Posted by boblyon1

One concern that should be discussed but has NOT surfaced so far: Aluminum tends to dent fairly easy and most Kirkham owners are pretty paranoid regarding where they park or who leans against them. I don't think I would be able to handle the "stress" or worrying about my aluminum body. Glass is pretty durable, especially the seven layers or so that SPF uses. You can even stand on them without a problem.

Who said they dent easily?



This is my daughter sitting on my Kirkham without any problems at all. Don't believe all you hear about ali denting easily.

Paul

[RodKnock]

OMG Paul!

You're a very trusting and a "roll the dice" kinda guy.

[FUNFER2]

Ron- what a absolute,........dream car ! (actually, what Kirkham isn't)

Is there a post here on whether to paint or not, a Kirkham ?

I'm a auto body painter and love to paint but, I don't know if I could cover up a aluminum bodied Cobra. Unless you walk up to the car, and see that it is alum., it may be hard to tell. (except for the flat perfect body edges, unlike a glass car of course)

I agree, the Kirkham aluminum body is much thicker than the original, and it is not really difficult to hammer out dents, as long as you don't stretch it too far. As my dream car, I would have a 427 brushed body and polish the stripes.

If any of you feels sorry for me, and would give me a "deal of the century",
........please call.

Thanks guys, since I can't afford one, I'm again,..............crying.

[FatBoy]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

OMG Paul!

You're a very trusting and a "roll the dice" kinda guy.