ps374

I would think that there is far more Cobras ( Kit Cars) on the road than C2s. Usally at most car shows I have been to to see half a dozen or more Cobra kit cars is not unusual. To see a few C2s is rare. On the highway I see about 10 Cobra kit cars to every C2. All this makes me wonder. Does the enthuiset really like the Cobra better because of its speed and looks. If Shelby was able to price the orginal Cobras equal with a early Fuelie C2 would the Corvette C2 sales history have been disappoinating?

Kerrmudgeon

Performance slight edge perhaps, but the 'living with' factor is monumental. I doubt anybody in their right mind would take a cross country road run in a Cobra. Especially men size men.
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Easy Rider 1

You see more of them because they still make them and they are much cheaper than an original C2. As for whether they would have been be more popular, who knows, its a matter of taste. I much prefer the styling of a C2. My friend just completed a Factory Five Cobra and it is one sweet machine though. I doubt any C2 bb could catch it. It just screams.
Mike

1snake

Slight edge? Be serious. How about MAJOR edge.

There were tons more C2's built than all the Cobras, real & kit, put together. You very rarely see real ones on the street since they start at $500K and go up from there. As far as the kits being cheaper than a C2, with the exception of those that build "donor" Factory Five cars, everyone I know with one has anywhere between $50K and $100+K invested in the build. I have 2 friends with Kirkham Cobras (aluminum body). They sell for $80K -100K WITHOUT any running gear. 90% of the Cobras out there are definitely not cheaper than a C2. Fortunately, I have both.

Jim

Dan Hampton

Weight is the critical variable and that trumps, in most cases, the ability of a C2 to out perform a Cobra. Many of the Cobra kits lack the proper look of the 60s Shelby and some of them are just a caricature of the original.

The Shelby Cobra was a not a popular car in its day. Of the 289 cars which served to create the legend (contrary to popular belief that it was the 427) only 600+ units were built between '62 & '65. The 427 had even weaker numbers at around 300+ units being built between '65-'67.

If you do the math, Chevrolet, during the same time period, was producing around 400 units a week to give you some idea of the difference in scale between the two. There is just no comparison. The competition Cobra was unbeatable but there numbers are even rarer. The Cobra was predominately a West Coast phenomenon, with the bulk of distribution beginning and ending there. There were some East Coast interest with Ed Hugus and Harr Ford of Providence, RI who campaigned some neat machinery not the least of which was the famous drag car, The Harr Ford DragonSnake. It held both ends of the NHRA National Record in AA/SP.

The success of the Competition Cobras, interestingly, was due to the driving skills of former Corvette "hotshoes". Bob Bondurant, Dave MacDonald and Bob Johnson were former C1/C2 competitiors. All them drove for the Cobra Factory team and contributed greatly to their success and the legend. In a sense, there is some Corvette "blood" in the Shelby Cobra.

XP-720

If I remember correctly, from an old magazine article, a fully loaded '64 Fuelie with the heavy duty drum brakes was about the same price as a 289 Cobra and had similar performance, it even had better braking than the Cobra with discs. The author said the main thing the Fuelie needed was better tires to match the handling and acceleration. I think the Corvettes sold well because there were plenty to choose from and more practical than the Cobra for everyday use. A modern example would be the Viper and the Z06. Priced pretty close, but the Vette is much more refined for daily use.

I do see a lot more replica Cobras than C2s also. I think one of the main reasons is that it's a $30,000 car that can look similar to a $1,000,000 car. So it's mostly for the show-off factor. And 90% of the kits I've seen on road are junk and very unconvincing. But Kirkham, Superformace and ERA cars look very good when done right.

DansYellow66

It must be this area but I seldom see Cobra replicas around here. I see more C2s by far and possibly even C1s. I'm building a ERA Street Cobra Replica now just because it's always been a car I loved since the 60s and I'm not getting any younger. Although it's far from a budget build it will definately be a little more primative than the 66 Coupe. But yes, there is considerable performance potential. An all aluminum Kirkham with a 482 CI all aluminum FE motor will only weight about 2150 lbs dry, have 625 hp and idle at 600 rpm. I trying to be a little more sane with a 460 stroked FE motor and about 470 hp and a dry weight around 2600 lbs.

1snake

There would have been more if Chevrolet would have partnered with Shelby. Many don't know that he first approached Chev. with his idea. Only after being turned down did he approach Ford.

Jim

1snake

If you are looking at $30K cars, yes they can be "of poor quality". I would say that 90% of the Cobra builds I've inspected are of very high quality. Regarding the "mostly show-off factor", you obviously have never driven one. A 2500 lb. car with 500+ RWHP is one he11 of a ride.

Jim

sub006

Any car that weighs only 2/3 of its competitor, with about the same horsepower, is going to have a big potential performance advantage. The well-engineered and constructed kit cars should run rings around comfy C2 'Vettes with all their bells, whistles and refinement.

Do you want a track car or a street car, or both in one vehicle?

If your choice is both, it's probably more feasible to upgrade a Corvette's track performance than to attempt to civilize a Cobra. Has anyone really waterproofed a Cobra cockpit for heavy rain driving? You'd have a better chance of success starting with a Meyers Manx hardtop!

1snake

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...-c1-or-c2.html

Jim

XP-720

True, the Kirkhams your friends have are very nice and very authentic, but the dozen or so that I've seen driving around were pretty sloppy with Lambo orange paint and 17" chrome wheels and believe me the owners thought they were hot sh&%. I did have the chance to drive an original 1964 CSX 2000 series 289 Cobra, not exactly 500 RWHP but still a lot of fun.

RatDog

That's true. If I remember correctly Chevrolet gave Shelby 2 engines to work with. Then the whole thing fell apart. Can't remember why but I'm going to look through my library here to see if I can refresh my aged brain.

-- Steve

Steeler

I have both, the Midyear is a cruiser, but the Cobra is a screamer. (And I get wet in both if I get caught in the rain).

wmf62

i'm sorry, i can't help but laugh; waterproofing a C2 can be a challenge too...

Bill

sub006

For 300,000 miles, my C2 with hardtop has always been as weather-tight as a corresponding-year Impala coupe. Back in the day, the problem with rain was the skinny bias-plies, water-absorbent drum brakes and too much power for wet pavement!

1snake

Just changed my avatar. My body is a splash of an original 427 Cobra. It is as close to an original body you can get, including ERA's. I agree with you, lambo orange and 17's would be UGLY. Fortunately, nobody I know, or have seen locally, has anything close to that. As far as 17's go, they look like **** on a C2 as well.
There is a guy not far from my house that is the original owner of a 289 car. There are only 2 original owners that still have their cars, him and jazz musician Herby Hancock. At least, that is what I've been told. He brings it out now and then but is sooooo paranoid, he doesn't have any fun.

Jim

Dan Hampton

There was no way Ed Cole, was going to sanction the use of the Chev SB for the Cobra. His response to Shelby when asked to partner up was: "Chevrolet already has a sports car".

Don't sell the Ford SB short, though. That was very good engine and was the mainstay for Shelby during his domestic and international campaign against Ferrari. The SB Chev would have been quite the force shoehorned into a Cobra.

kellsdad

1snake

Bill, it's easy. Do what I do. Only take them out on sunny days. Unfortunately, in the Pacific Northwest, that means I get 4 days a year to drive 3 cars.

Jim