Autocross Champ: Factory Five Cobra Replica
This Cobra was picked up at a kit builder workshop and was turned into an autocross champ. It has the running gear from a ’93 Mustang and was agile enough to win the owner’s regional autocross championships for three years in a row! A Corvette replaced it for autocross duties though so it hasn’t been driven much since. That’s a shame though because I think this could make an excellent daily driver. Crazy, I know, but with modern reliability and classic good looks, how could you go wrong? We have become soft in our climate controlled cocoons of cars so this could be the perfect way to relearn how to be a man. The car is located in Oregon City, Oregon and is listed here on eBay with a $18k starting bid. Is there anyone brave enough here to use this as daily transport?
The cockpit is simple, clean, and functional. The angle of that shifter is a little weird, but it must work alright if the owner was able to autocross the car. The speedometer, oil temp gauge, and ignition will need hooked up for road use and I would probably throw some rubber mats down for some sound dampening and comfort. A break away headrest might also be a good idea too if you are going to drive around without a helmet. This thing could probably withstand an impact, but you wouldn’t want to smack your head against that roll bar!
There’s the Mustang sourced V8. The car that donated all the parts to build these car is claimed to have only had 8k on it, so there should be a lot of life left in the drivetrain. The seller hasn’t put many miles on the car lately and the starter seems slow, so it might need some refreshing under here. Still, this route should be a lot cheaper and easier than if you attempted to build one of these cars yourself.
Call me crazy, but the prospect of using this Cobra for the daily commute is tempting. In fact, if the cash were available, I’d get a heavy coat and give it a try! While we were at Monterey auto week a few years back we saw a Cobra on the street that looked like it was used as a daily driver. It was a real deal Shelby built Cobra though! So, if that guy can do it with an old one, you can most definitely do it with this modern interpretation. Anyone up for the challenge?
Comments
Beautiful replica! Looks like a classic Cobra with the mechanical parts of a late model car.
I would not want it as a DD, but would love to have it as a weekend cruiser to tackle the winding roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Hellbender, (US 28) and the Tail of the Dragon, US 129.
http://tailofthedragon.com/
I’m man enough.
Hell Yes and with no reserve it would be nice to get it for 18K if you are the only bidder.
I have never driven a repop or kit Cobra, but I imagine that some can be good and some maybe less good.
I remember reading about some of the first races that Shelby Cobras ran in back when they were new. One accomplished driver whose name I don’t recall was assigned to one of those first cars, and he did not have good things to say about the handling on the track. But he was likely comparing an undeveloped early Cobra, which still had the AC’s transverse leaf spring suspension, to real race cars.
This car is a bit difficult to evaluate. The seller says it has “1993 Mustang running gear. All of it is designed to work together.”
But he also says it has “Adjustable height coil-over suspension at all 4 corners”, which is not ’93 Mustang. When I test drove a new ’93 Mustang V8 the handling was pretty underwhelming, so maybe the coilovers will make it work better. Has anyone driven this version replica Cobra? Are there better ones?
Factory five is one of the better quality Cobra replicas, but the end result is always up to the builder’s attention to detail and depth of pocket..
Would be hard to use as a daily driver here in Florida. Yes it is warm here, but driving in a tropical storm with no top is the problem. Bad enough riding my motorcycle in them with helmet and rain suit.
I have driven F5, hawk superperformance, dax , kirkham and a couple of originals. I hate to offend the purist but all these kits were better than the originals that I have driven. Superperformance and kirkham build some of the best kits, but the F5’s aren’t bad. The individual does more of the build with the F5 and Hawk and this can be good or bad.
Drive it everyday, I don’t know, I could see doing it in one of the Cobra coupes though.
Kevin
I have long said that if something unfortunate happens to my current daily driver (an ’03 Cobra Convertible) I’m going to replace it with a Cobra kit car and drive that sumbitch every day!
Around here (Portland, OR) that is a pretty bold statement, given our frequent “less-than-sunny” weather. But hey, I’m up for strapping on a leather bomber helmet and goggles, and hitting the road. Heater? oh, you mean “header”! A big block should keep me plenty warm :-)
Now, depending on the kit, there is the possibility of getting a soft top to install during the wet months. Which would probably be the smart way to go. But around here you never know when the sky will decide to mess with your top-down time. So maybe I’d need to drill some holes in the floor pans for proper drainage, and waterproof the guages. Would probably opt for non-cusioned plastic seats of some sort so they don’t become a squishy mess as well.
Can you tell I’ve put some thought into this? Well, luckily my commute is pretty short ~ only about a 15 minute drive each way, which is a shame because I love to drive. If I had a Cobra (kit) commuter, I think I would have to find a longer route to and from work ;-)
As an Oregonian we get our share of liquid sunshine. But what i have never understood is why no one offers a kit for these for a on-off hardtop similar to what is availible for the Triumphs. done right they look good easy to install and remove and the remaining hardware doesnt look out of place.
In my experience with race cars and some customs years back those sheetmetal and alloy interiors look super cool but not that fun to live with no matter how much silicone sealer you use. The pop, rattle, and echo and amplify all the noise. Can get old after a while.
On my upcoming rat rod projects I am borrowing an idea the extreme 4×4 guys use. Plastic bed liner. Open the doors and crank up the hose, wash it out. Drains and clean out panels. For a rusty old prewar rat rod its the perfect solution. Adds a few pounds but who cares. Also insulates from the heat of the engine and exhaust.
Im on the outskirts of Oregon City, Need someone to test drive it for you Im your guy. In one of the pix the serpintine belt was off so im guessing they actually fiddled with it to get ready to sell so often thats normal but more going on here.
I knew some guys who bought up one of the kit car companies and moved it here to Oregon (Troutdale) mid 90s. I visited with them often and learned a lot about the ups and down of bespoke custom car building and manuf. Companies come and go, this car has some quality bits on it. Should be fine. Prices are ALL over the map. My neighbor up the road has an extensive car collection. Used to own a real Cobra, Shot his mouth off on values at a car show and monday there was a cashiers check waiting for him. He said investment wise it would have been better to keep it as values climbed dramatically since then. But he took the cash, and went and bought a similar turn key kit car like this. Had money left over cheaper to insure and not afraid to drive it like he stole it. He even let my wife take it for a few hours. Took weeks for the smile to wear off. smiles per mile is excellent with these.
The belt isn’t off in that pic – I thought the same thing at first. If you zoom in, what looks like empty pulley’s is just the bare side that the serpentine belt does not wrap around on the idler and water pump pulleys.
Nice replica. Better looking than most I’ve seen advertised if it is as represented. Problem is, like all things Cobra/Shelby related, the selling price is bound to escalate beyond what you can find here in Socal. The latest sale here that I witnessed went for $50k but it was a Carrol Shelby autographed 427 kit. Looked almost real.
In the 10 years I’ve had my fake Cobra I’ve driven it over 65,000 miles, it would have been more but most of those years I lived in Oregon where we’re lucky to have a six month sports car / motorcycle driving season per year. I’ve driven my Cobra from Portland to L.A. in a single day many times, have raced down Hwy 1, toured 395 through the Sierras and endured the ennui of I-5 many times. Just use plenty of sunscreen – I’ve had my bouts of skin cancer – the car is miserable with the top up and terribly noisy. I’ve also driven several original 427 cars – and frankly have said that apart from the difference in horsepower, my car feels and drives the same – very rough, primitive, noisy, lots of squeaks and rattles and frankly, the handling is the same or better. Getting in and out isn’t super easy now that I’m in my 60’s after accumulating a lifetime of orthopedic injuries (but as I say – scars on a man are evidence of a life well-lived) but I don’t think I’ll ever sell my little fake Cobra. The reality is it has been a far better sports car than any Alfa, Aston-Martin, Austin-Healey, MG, Jaguar, Porsche, or Triumph that I’ve ever owned when you consider the pleasure it brings, the reliability and the ease and low cost of repair. It just isn’t worth anything, nor will any fake ever be worth more than it takes to snap another together!
i am not sure i would want to have this as my only vehicle but i would love to put miles on it. autocrossing would be fun. as noted it does need some sorting and upgrades. great find
I’d drive it to work in the summer but I’m afraid it would be stolen