Most kit cars we come across are near faithful representations of their muse. Unfortunately, there's always something a little off about the design that doesn't quite match up with the way we remember the original, and nearly always they're only skin deep, offering up merely the appearance of authenticity with the substance of something much lesser. Superformance, the producers of the best Cobra and Cobra Daytona Coupes replicas in the business, builds something a little more than a "kit car". All of its products are complete factory manufactured rollers minus an engine and transmission. This allows the company to bust a fat right around complex emissions and safety regulations by classifying their products as kit cars, though obviously they're so much more.
One of Superformance's current products is its most ambitious ever: a GT40 so realistic and faithful to the original that it's currently being evaluated for historic racing eligibility. What you're looking at is not a modern tube-frame chassis shrink wrapped in a fiberglass body; the Superformance GT40 MkII has a super rigid steel monocoque chassis that's covered in an all-steel body, just like the original MKIIs that made Enzo weep. Nearly everything is just like the original, right down to the "Gurney bump" in the roof. Of course, concessions were made in some areas in the interests of durability, weight savings and safety, but 90% of the parts are interchangeable with the original GT40 MkII, which is amazing. Most notable differences from the source car include the addition of air conditioning and more modern brakes, along with the fact it comes from the factory as LHD instead of RHD. Since it comes without an engine and transmission, you can drop in any engine that fits, but Superformance recommends a ROUSH 427 motor producing 530 horsepower.
The Superformance GT40 MkII looks as good today as it did back then, although it doesn't hurt being photographed by the excellent snapper, Drew Philips, of Fast-Autos.net. Check out the read link to see a full gallery of shots and read Drew's writeup after driving the GT40 MkII on the street.
[Source: Fast-Autos.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Corey W. @ Oct 16th 2006 8:30PM
Nice... Not sure about the price though. But I guess if your goal is limited production, it doesn't matter what production competition is out there.
MikeW @ Oct 16th 2006 10:22PM
I hope it sounds like a big inch Ferrari. The exhaust manifolds sent exhaust gases from two cylinders per bank to the otherside so the exhaust firing is even in the manifold.
Mike @ Oct 16th 2006 10:37PM
It's an awesome car. I just wish they could have kept the costs somewhat reasonable for a kit car. $65K without a motor/trans is no joke.
Rene Curry @ Oct 16th 2006 11:02PM
I heard when Ford remade the Ford GT that it discovered the original GT40 had a lot of front end lift at speed. They corrected this for the recent Ford Gt street version. I wonder how the front end lift of the kit version is at speed?
Andrew K @ Oct 17th 2006 1:27AM
"Superformance, the producers of the best Cobra and Cobra Daytona Coupes replicas in the business,"... I'd point out what Gary did and give props the boys at Factory Five Racing. My bud and I are building one of their great creations, and trust me, we did our research befor going FFR over Superformance. In real-life comparison, I've found FFR built Cobra's to be superior to Superformances because the FFR builders add their only little touch themselves, while Superformance's rarely range past differences in engines.
That said, that GT40 is gorgeous!
Eminem Sux @ Oct 17th 2006 1:42AM
A kit car is a kit car...
Cars @ Oct 17th 2006 3:34AM
GT40 is evergreen vehicle. I love it.
DPC car videos @ Oct 17th 2006 6:03AM
Saw this car in person and is much smaller then the new modern ford GT.
Tino @ Oct 18th 2006 2:13PM
i like your site very nice
FIAT 500 @ Oct 19th 2006 3:48PM
I have a FIAT 500 fan club in new york if anyone have a fiat can join the club or wish to sell or buy one please contact me, thank you
gary @ Oct 29th 2006 10:53PM
ROUSH 427...
http://parts.factoryfive.com/Roush/427.htm
590 ftlb 427 Ford engine build...
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/ford/smallblock/0305em_sideoiler/
427 Cobra was quicker...
The 427 Cobra was and remains the “world’s quickest production car”. That was proven with 0 – 60 mph times of 3.8 seconds, 0 – 100 mph in 10.6 seconds, and 0 – 100 and back to a dead stop in less than 14 seconds.
TRP @ Nov 1st 2006 3:52PM
Ahem. The new Ford GT was tested by Car & Driver in Jan 2004 in its early test model configuration with only 500 rated HP (as compared to the 550 now claimed). C&D clocked the new GT at 0-60 in 3.3 secs and 0-100 in 7.6 secs. The braking is much better than in 1965 also, so the 100- 0 times are faster. So it beats these posted 427 cobra numbers handily.
Michael Kilgore @ Nov 19th 2006 1:34PM
I am at somewhat of a loss to understand some of the previous posts. Yes, the Superformance products give you the opportunity to customize your individual purchases with the engine and transmission of your choice, but are so far removed from the "kit car" group of manufacturers that the terminology no longer has validity. Our litigious society has made offering a completed repli-vehicle unadvisable. For those with the interest as well as the financial capability to obtain one of these finely crafted mechanical devices, good for you. To demean one manufactureres very well recieved and successful efforts smacks of sophomoric eletism. Every successful manufacturer hopes to address the needs of a certain part of the consuming public and Superformance seems to have done their homework and exicution very very well.
Richard Huber @ Dec 2nd 2006 11:15PM
The "front end lift" described in a previous post as problematically in the original Ford GT is true but only to the VERY first of these prototypes - when the cars were brought to the US in late 1964 the Shelby/Holman-Moody-Stroppe groups quickly rectified this - primarily through the work of Phil Remington at Shelby, Ford Aeroneutronics (Aerospace Division) and to some extent Ken Miles, Richie Ginther and Ralph Moody who took Broadley's original body work and through much trial and error found the right mold to make it work. Anyway, the GT -40, Mark II A and B and later the FIA types of John Wyer were all areodynamically sound with no tendency to lift. The redesigned nose on the Mark II was enough to ensure 225 mph speeds without spoilers or undercarriage modifications. The design remains a classic and marked a revolution in speed and endurance that if faithfully replicated should pose no aerodynamic difficulties in excess of 300 feet per second and with only some modifications could be competitive again at LeMans, rules permitting.
gmoore @ Feb 11th 2007 3:54PM
I have a Superfromance Daytona Coupe and have a superformance GT40 MK1 on order. I get a great deal of humor out of these people who say a kit car is a kit car and so on. Most of you people with your negative comments have never even seen a real GT40, Daytona Coupe or Cobra let alone touched one or drove one let me tell you the facts, those original cars were pure race cars and awful to drive. Superformance is providing a "relatively" inexpensive way for the masses to experience real 60's GT car performance with aa uncomprimised product and if you have ever looked at one it is not a kit car. I have $92k in my daytona coupe it is the best thing i have bought in my life and I eat "hitlers little porsche 911 revenges" for lunch and embarass their blue blood boys owners in front of their chardonnay girlfriends on EVERY ocassion.
I have an original set of Gurney Westlake heads with 4-48ida webers and a ZF 5 speed that i will build into my Gt40 mark 1 with a right hand drive right hand shift chassis that will be FIA legal, does that sound like a kit car. At Barret jackson last month a superformance GT40 MarkII sold for $165,000 does that sound like a kit car? last year at Barrett Jackson a Superformance Daytona Coupe sold for $270,000 does that sould like a kit car? the year before a superformance Cobra sold for $70,000 at Barret jackson all of them for more money than a guy could buy one for does that sound like a kit car. Road and Track tested Peter Brock's Superformance Daytona Coupe and it had better skid pad performance than any new supercars at 1.12g. does that sound like a kit car. If todays automakers were not run by lawyers and beancounters they would have the balls to build uncomprimised GT cars for us but they dont they want to compromise for the heated seat coffee cup crowd. So GROW up and listen to the new order of automobiles, Kit cars come in a box and need a clapped out donar car (sorry FF). true GT cars come from a factory
See ya out there
gary