Which Cobra to buy?.

[williamsdad]

Hi, I dont want to make a mistake in purchasing a used cobra, I have seen some for sale on E bay. even had a look at a old libra king cobra with a 3ltr engine. & have called to look at Gardner Douglas cars. Which I like verry much.
I want to use the vehicle for pleasure & occasional track days.
Any one got any thoughts which minght assist in my dessission.
Thanks

[Stan]

Hi I am a knew boy also.You will find everyone on this site realy helpful and forgiving of all your questions-I bet you get some replies but the answer always seems to come down to how much you have to spend and if you want to build or buy a V8 US or Rover followed by the other engines.The kits are all different prices also.There seems to be DAX plus AK plusGD at the most expensive end and then the others have advantages and disadvantages.The other big decision seems tro be Jag or other running gear.In the end its all about what you want and how much you want to spend.Resale will be better for the bigger names and V* and Jag running geart but the others are cheaper to buy built anyway so you seem to loose not a lot.

[Stan]

Sorry not used to return being send.Also wanted to say search the threads and read everything.There is help in most and after a few weeks you build up a picture in your mind.I think there is a kit car book on them though.Keep reading all the threads and the fog will clear-well thin a bit anyway.Good luck and I bet not one person here will make a negative comment cos in the end they just love cars and the freedom to build run and love what you can afford/want to own.

[LRdriver]

Yep, its a biiiig minefield buying a secondhand cobra. Do ALOT of research especially if you intend to buy off Ebay. there are alot of cars out there, and alot of really BAD ones too.

Engine spec, build quality, gearbox choice, build history etc..etc..

Oh yea.. V8 ford only !! (ahem..)

[craigh]

stick with the well known brands and you wont go far wrong,there are plenty for sale at places such as hallmark cars,and some good ones in the kit car mag and this clubs classifieds

[williamsdad]

Originally Posted by Stan

Hi I am a knew boy also.You will find everyone on this site realy helpful and forgiving of all your questions-I bet you get some replies but the answer always seems to come down to how much you have to spend and if you want to build or buy a V8 US or Rover followed by the other engines.The kits are all different prices also.There seems to be DAX plus AK plusGD at the most expensive end and then the others have advantages and disadvantages.The other big decision seems tro be Jag or other running gear.In the end its all about what you want and how much you want to spend.Resale will be better for the bigger names and V* and Jag running geart but the others are cheaper to buy built anyway so you seem to loose not a lot.

Stan Thanks for the advice, begining to understand more, I have a realy nice group 1 3ltr essex race engine that hasonly covered about 1k miles & fancied putting that in a cobra with a v6 engine in. it does give a good 240hp at the wheels on a rolling road so should be fun in a cobra. Steve.

[mylesdw]

I'm not sure if resale is an issue, but for my part, I would much sooner buy a Cobra with a bog standard Rover V8 than any tuned up V6. It may be a really nice engine, but in a Cobra it would be a big minus point for me.

[williamsdad]

Originally Posted by mylesdw

I'm not sure if resale is an issue, but for my part, I would much sooner buy a Cobra with a bog standard Rover V8 than any tuned up V6. It may be a really nice engine, but in a Cobra it would be a big minus point for me.

I know what you are saying & I agree. so I have made this desission to buy a Gd 427 havin a look at one down in Maidenhead. but my real preference is to go & have one built using the Euro chasis, a new tuned ls6 corvette engine & havi it just the way I want. so if any one can advise otherwise please feel free. :-}

[mylesdw]

If you are looking for something with a rigid chassis the GD and the RAM are pretty much the only choices AFAIK. That Euro chassis looks very nice with its double wishbone IRS, a little crude to look at being all in square tube but certainly strong. You may find that either type of backbone chassis limits engine choice slightly (LS6) because of width issues.

[robert]

Originally Posted by mylesdw

If you are looking for something with a rigid chassis the GD and the RAM are pretty much the only choices AFAIK. That Euro chassis looks very nice with its double wishbone IRS, a little crude to look at being all in square tube but certainly strong. You may find that either type of backbone chassis limits engine choice slightly (LS6) because of width issues.

The engine options in the GD and RAM are wide and varied. Neither is crude as they both use triangulated round and square tube. as can be seen from the 2 pictures below.