A guide to building your own Cobra replica
.JPG)
Sure, AC may be bringing a pre-built Cobra to the US, but say the $94K price tag is just too high... or, perhaps you want the full DIY experience. Hot Rod Magazine evidently felt the same way, so it obtained a Factory Five Racing Roadster kit and attacked its 256-page instruction manual, snapping plenty of pictures along the way so that its readers know what's involved in the build.
Being that this is Hot Rod, a stock 5.0L engine and T5 transmission weren't going to cut it. In went a 427-cube small-block Ford from Coast High Performance, and it's backed by a Tremec TKO trans. With 440 horseower at the rear wheels and only 2,200 lbs. of vehicle to motivate, acceleration is downright brisk, with the quarter-mile dispensed with in right around twelve seconds at a trap speed of 123 MPH.
We'd be lying if we said we didn't want one of our own, but we also know that a driver's license stands virtually no chance of surviving more than, oh, 30 seconds in something like this.
[Source: Hot Rod Magazine]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gbh 10:57AM (6/06/2006)
Is there anybody who lives in a metropolitan area and doesn't see 20 Cobra Replicas every weekend?
Fun to drive for an hour or two, horrible to live with. Worse than that, relatively speaking, dime-a-dozen.
Reply
kballs 11:21AM (6/06/2006)
All that power to the rear wheels, very light weight, no electronic nannies? Most people would put it in the ditch before the 30 seconds was up. :)
Reply
Eddiecoaster 11:25AM (6/06/2006)
Agreed. I see atleast 2-3 at every local car show. And several on the streets per week. Sure its cool... Sure its fun... Sure its powerful. But there's just too many around, kind of like the corvette.
Reply
Dorkus Malorkus 11:30AM (6/06/2006)
It would be nice to see more of the 289 Cobra kits. Nobody seems to go for them, but they don't have all those signature "427 Cobra kit car" fender flares. Probably just as fun to drive.
Reply
GhostDoggy 11:53AM (6/06/2006)
gbh, I've seen one Cobra, or Cobra replica, in the ten years I've lived in Atlanta. BTW, what does a Cobra kit car normally cost?
Reply
Jim 12:56PM (6/06/2006)
I dont know where you guys live but I see virtually none and Im in chicago, thats a pretty large audience right? Long live the Cobra
http://www.sbftech.com
Reply
Alps 12:58PM (6/06/2006)
GhostDoggy: a factory 5 kit is 12500 I think.
As for everyone else: Do you really see that many kit cars every week? I've seen maybe 5 in my life and I live in a metro detroit suburb. I still think they are HOTT (note the all caps and two t's) especially the coupe!
Reply
bob h. 1:02PM (6/06/2006)
The reason you guys dont see many is because they are not a rainy weather friendly. They are all over sunny Calif. and probably other warm weather areas.
Reply
denigod 1:24PM (6/06/2006)
kirkham motorsports are the replicas to have http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/m/ , with the shelby aluminum 427FE. God, if only I didn't have a mortgage.
Reply
gbh 1:30PM (6/06/2006)
I'm in mid-sized (smaller than Chicagoland) city in the Midwest. Honest, if I'm out and about on a semi-sunny weekend, I'll see 10 or more a day. Obviously not during the winter.
You can put a very decent Cobra replica together for 30-35K, if you have some idea what you're doing. You can easily put 500+HP to the rear wheels with a properly done 4.7. I have no idea why you would want to lug around a 427 if you don't have to, but hey, it's your money. True enough, the 427 body style is pretty much the default.
I do spend a fair amount of time in middle-upper-middle neighborhoods, so C6 'Vettes are daily drivers for lots of folks. In other cities, more of these would be BMW/MBs.
People are a bit more sophisticated in ATL and Chicago. If they get some cash, they will go buy something a bit different. Here? The same 5-6 cars for the average dude with a little extra cash. Hell, GM managed to sell a boatload of new GTOs here, so you figure out where the general populace taste-o-meter runs...
Reply
felonious monk 3:03PM (6/06/2006)
"God, if only I didn't have a mortgage."
Having a mortgage is way better than having a car loan or any other kind of debt... unless you live in hurricane alley or the flood plains.
The Cobra is not everyone's cup of tea. It is a motorsport purist vehicle. If that doesn't describe you, then fine, stop whining and don't ever buy one. Simple enough.
Reply
Sean 7:57PM (6/06/2006)
As someone who recently acquired a Cobra replica, I will tell you all this.
It is the most overpowered, brutal, unrefined, and absolutely mad vehicle imaginable. It's loud, fast, and scary as hell. I love it.
Reply
That One Person 10:31PM (6/06/2006)
True car enthusiasts should enjoy these no matter how brutal they are. Thats the point of a real car. None of this quiet, wrapped in leather, Navi system BS.
Alps, I probably live somewhere near you. I havent seen many lately. But I think in the coming weeks I will see them up and down Hines Drive (if you know where it is, its a great spot to watch old cars). Plus, they will be all over the Woodward Dream Cruise.
Either way, these replicas are just as cool as the originals. Same with those Cobra Daytona replicas.
Reply
Jason F. 9:02PM (6/13/2006)
Well, in my lifetime I've probably seen about a total 5 of these replicas, mind you, I can tell you one thing: They are the coolest roadsters I have ever seen. I've seen ads in magazines for the kits (about 12,500, if I remember), and I've seen a television special on them. You can order the replicas in different stages of completion, from just the basic parts to ready to drive as soon as it arrives.
Personally, I would upgrade from the 427 Cobra Jet engine to a 460 Super Cobra Jet engine from Ford Racing, which makes about 610HP out of the crate (and it only costs slightly less than 6k from a Jegs catalogue). That, and an upgraded tranny with a short-throw shifter combined with a very heavy duty Ford 9" rear end, and a custom paint job to top it off. This would probably come to a total of $25,000, if I had to guestimate.
Reply
Jason F. 9:18PM (6/13/2006)
Correction, I just rechecked the Jegs catalogue and the actual numbers of a 460 SCJ is the following:
550HP @ 6250 rpm
545ft./lbs. @ 4800 rpm
costs:
$5,491.99 + tax + S&H
The point is, it's more powerful than a 427, but not as monsterous as the 625HP 514 c.u. Ford Racing crate engine.
Reply
HL Woods 2:09PM (6/20/2006)
at a weekly street meet in Houston TX 2 weeks ago, saw 8 or 10 Cobra Replicas. I love the Cobras, but that is too many. The price some guys are paying for these things is right up there with the new Z06 Vettes that you can drive in any weather if you choose to, and drive every day. The Cobra is an awesome car, I looked at a kit in 1986 and had to choose between a Cobra kit car or a Vette, I picked the Vette for the reasons noted above, an all weather car (except snow) great handling, powerful, I still want a Cobra, just don't want to spend what these guys want for one. They are great toys, just not worth the cost
Reply
HL Woods 2:36PM (6/20/2006)
Someone mentioned the Kirkham motorsports kits, they are $40K UNASSEMBLED, less engine and transmission and built in Poland,(yes, I know in a former Mig factory) These guys must be really cleaning up on these cars
Reply
John 7:37AM (6/25/2006)
All I can say is I have a real one and a Kirkham I bought to drive instead. The Kirkham is made to the way I want It, Thats the beauty of it,I got to make it to my taste, not much choice in the originals.(Mines black,I know you want to know.)I got mine brushed with polished stripes, 720hp, and a 5 speed. I feel attached to it. I picked it out.Yeah, I might see others, but they are built their way. It is like a Harley, no two are quite alike. And it is more fun and put together with modern equipmient (a F.A.S.T. fuel injection system) 5 speed, adjustable coil overs, so, on , and, so on. And built in a MIG factory, that's a kin to putting a car together at Boeing. Having both cars, there is a place for each. They both need to be looked at for what they are. We all look when one goes by, at a show the old Rap on the hood(oh, it's fiberglass),the peek inside even though you know its not real you still want to drive it, I mean DRIVE IT, it's simple, powerful, and strikes a primal chord in everyone, positive or negitive, it is the Zen of Muscle, lest we not forget where Carrol got the original design from A.C. He did a P. Ditty he took a classic and re-mixed it. And that's why it is the most coppied car out there. Because from the Cheapest replica to the Real Deal, everyone has a chance to enjoy a timeless classic. JCH
Reply
MOMOSLXSTANG@YAHOO.COM 11:28PM (8/03/2006)
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN BUY JUST THE BODY SO I CAN START MY OWN PROJECT? YES IT SEEMS LIKE THESE ARE DIME A DOZEN BUT FINDING JUST A BODY IS VIRTUALLY IMPOOSIBLE FOR ME, THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME..
Reply
Dale Cress 11:22AM (8/07/2006)
I am searching for an instruction manual for a Cobra kit. It is an Evart Morris (Morrison?)and is somewhere between 1964-68. Can anyone direct me to a site where I could find this? Thank You!
Reply