Anyone here own a 427 or 289 Cobra?

pavulon · 07-08-2009, 09:13 PM

Past or present acceptable. I've been having impure thoughts of leaving the P-car fold for a nice (ERA) "replica".

Joeaksa · 07-09-2009, 03:32 AM

Friend of mine had one for a while. Hot, noisy and does not handle anywhere near as well as a 911.

Nice for picking up chicks and goes fast in a straight line.

Rich76_911s · Rich76_911s's Garage

I have a friend who is thinking about selling his aluminum bodied Kirkham replica. I've riden in it, and it is wickedly fast. I can't remember all the specs on the engine and all that, but it is a top of the line quality build.

He finished it in polished with brushed finish stripes down the middle. Similar to this one:

t6dpilot · t6dpilot's Garage

Father has a 289 semi-comp setup. Used to vintage race it back in the late 80's early 90's. Since been retired and returned to street duty, but will all the race prep (period correct) in place. It's for sale...

Blindingly fast and handles like it is on rails.

IMO, stay away from ERA. If you want a Cobra replica, Superformance is a top choice. Yes they are fiberglass, but very well done and very accurate. Can choose from any number of high performance tune engines. Had a Superformance Coupe for a while, so can personally speak for its build quality.

rammstein · 07-09-2009, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich76_911s

That finish is awesome!!! Could I do that to any car?

MMARSH · MMARSH's Garage

Well this will get it started again.

I have a Factory Five Spec Racer. I've tracked the car and it handles surprisingly every bit as well as my track prepped early 911. My car was built for a Spec Race series, so it has a bone stock 5.0 motor in it so power/weight is actually very similiar to my 3.2 liter powerd 911.

Superformance are very good cars. They are very well built because you can only buy them complete (technically, without motor, which is installed and billed seperatly) They are probably the most authentic to a real Cobra in terms of chassis and quite frankly that is why they don't handle as well as Factory Five does.

There are alot of cobra replicas out there, I suggest you do some serious research, You are gonna here a lot of incorrect or outdated information from people who knew someone who had this one or that one. All cobra kits are not created equal, but poor build quality by a owner can make an otherwise good kit appear to be not very good.

tcar · 07-09-2009, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rammstein

That finish is awesome!!! Could I do that to any car?

Re-read: it's an aluminum body.

Dottore · 07-09-2009, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rammstein

That finish is awesome!!! Could I do that to any car?

Aircraft aluminum.

These things are handmade (as I recall) in an old MIG fighter factory in Poland. Unbelievably high quality workmanship.

Absolutely the finest Cobra replicas around IMO.

peppy · 07-09-2009, 07:31 AM

I don't know anything about them, but I saw one at VIR on the track. That car was being pounded lap after lap and the sounds it made going down the pit straight.

I was a bit shocked when the car parked under the shaded grid and a lady got out. I don't know who she was, but she looked like Denise Mccluggage from a distance.

DARISC · 08:25 AM

Last weekend, I came VERY close to buying this 2007, 12K miles, locally built Factory Five, built for the owner by his mechanic bro-in-law (the second one he'd built). All parts were new (no donor car involved) and the craftsmanship looked impeccable (it took 1st place twice at some car show at Knott's Berry Farm).

I would've given him his 32.9K asking price if it came down to it...but, the footwell was so tight and the pedals so tightly spaced that I'd have to wear driving shoes or drive barefoot (which the owner most often does

). I'd planned to take it to my mech. on Tues. for a PPI, but opted out, thinking about it over the weekend.

"2007 MKIII FFR Cobra replica. All new parts. Cost over $50k to build. Koni adjustable shocks, Engine Factory 302/400HP Ford crate V-8 engine. Tremec World Class 5 speed trans. 3.73 rear end. 17" Bullitt wheels with BFG KDW tires. Car weighs 2100 pounds and does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and sticks to the road like glue without breaking a sweat. Completely sorted out to be a street driver. Very docile and tame until you put your foot in it. And of course it has a lifetime California exemption from smog regulations because it is SB100 registered."

Asked why he was selling it, he said he's got another on order, wants a 427 (200 lbs heavier motor!

). He's a "King of the Hill, point 'n shoot kinda guy and doesn't care that the 427 plows through corners.

He wouldn't let me drive it until after the PPI and I said "Sold!" but took me for a spin. It rode well with the Konis set to next to softest setting and it was crazy quick. Oh, and ear plugs would be necessary before every throttle tip-in if you value your hearing.

I called him Tues. to tell him I was passing on buying and he said his brother, who'd been on the fence, freaked out (he didn't know the car had been put on Craig's list) and bought it from him that day.

FF has a good rep but the guy said their fiberglas bodies, while accurate, were crappy in terms of the hours needed to fill, sand, fit and prep for paint.

Good luck finding a good one!

Jim Bremner · 07-09-2009, 08:35 AM

There's an original owner FIA 289 car with race history about 10 miles from my house.

It's got this wierd blue/silver paint that the factory just poured in what they had left over from two cars.

I was at a car show that it had showed up at. It was sitting next to a GAWDY bright yellow kit cobra with BIG ass chrome pipes, wheels, remove before flight banners and fricken dice hanging off of the rearview mirror.

Here's this REAL race spec, race history & street legal piece of history and everyone was gawking at the car that looked like it came out of pep-boys

DARISC · 07-09-2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

There's an original owner FIA 289...

The 289s are my cup of tea; more svelte than the muy macho, body on steroids (though I love the look

) 427s. Not as quick, but much better handlers.

The car you describe must be worth a fortune.

tabs · 07-09-2009, 09:17 AM

I have the Ford 427 Motor to go in that car...1963 1/2 Ford 427 Center Oiler...STANDARD BORE>>never cut. Complete

Block, Heads, Dual quad Manifold, Pistons are all the same as the day they left the factory in a 63 Galaxy in 1963. It has a 67 crank in it...

The motor has been on an engine stand since 1985.

$20,000.00

t6dpilot · t6dpilot's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by DARISC

The 289s are my cup of tea; more svelte than the muy macho, body on steroids 427s.

Me too.

Pic for fun.

Jim Bremner · 07-09-2009, 09:39 AM

Chuck's car is pretty nice.

He lives in a middle class part of town. The car's worth a bit more than the house!

If anyone needs a 427 engine rebuilt, my DAD has built several that where raced on Riverside, Ontario and other tracks here in SoCal.

He built the 302/331 stroker motor that was in my '67 fastback. After I sold the car the new owner took it to a shop for dyno tunning. The shop owner said that it was the highest hp street smallblock ford that he worked on!

Back in the early 70's they where running them on short tracks. the team that he built motors for was in the hunt for the local championship. So they decided to let a MAJOR named guy rebuild the engine. All year long zero engine problems on my dad's builds.

250 lap race with the "PRO built motor" at the near-end of the race the oil pan blew off! seems the rings had been installed wrong and enough blow-by filled the oil pan and some how ignited

Right now he's dropping in a "mild" 428 CJ in his '57 ford. My younger brother John used to drag race this engine...

It was in my dad's '68 ford f250 camper hauler!! it ran 11.50 at the brotherhood strip in Long Beach. My brother got kicked out for no saftey gear and blowing up the tranny at the line.

John was a young punk when this happened at didn't tell my dad about the drag runs or how he blew up the trans. doing nuetral tranny drops.

Jim Bremner · 07-09-2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabs

I have the Ford 427 Motor to go in that car...1963 1/2 Ford 427 Center Oiler...STANDARD BORE>>never cut. Complete

Block, Heads, Dual quad Manifold, Pistons are all the same as the day they left the factory in a 63 Galaxy in 1963. It has a 67 crank in it...

The motor has been on an engine stand since 1985.

$20,000.00

That's a VERY giood price for a stock bore '27!

DARISC · 07-09-2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabs

I have the Ford 427 Motor to go in that car...

Sweet, but the guy already has a 427 crate motor on order from Engine Factory.

Jim Bremner · 07-09-2009, 09:47 AM

I bet tab's motor is by far better. NOT many unsleeved 427's around.

When the block came out as a 352 motor the bore was 101.7 mm and the 427 bore was over 107! I metric-sized it for the inch challenged