I currently have a C6 corvette and was seriously considering adding a Shell Valley Cobra kit car fully complete to my collection. The price is $32k and it only has 234 miles. Does anyone have experience with a Cobra and can give me some advice?

 

Nope.

 

Find a convertible top for your cobra. You will thank me a thousand
times when it is pouring rain and you are sort of dry.

 

The one I'm looking at has a top. How are they to drive?

 

I came from a Superformance Cobra, Roush 427r and a TKO-600 five spd. Car was a blast for the short distance rides and you will never be ignored by anyone or anything when your driving. So that is the pros, here comes the negatives:
1. Depending on engine/pipes, your ears will bleed...I never minded on rides under an hour but any longer and I wore plugs.
2. They tend to lack all comfort features you normally never think about, AC, power steering, ABS, a roof (hahaha, the soft top is a joke), no door locks, and you'll finish a ride smelling like unburnt fuel. They also tend to run warm in the cockpit so wives get irritated on long rides.
3. Short wheelbase, high horse power, light weight with no electronic nannies to save your bacon have caused many an owner to wreck, and they don't wreck pretty. Take driving lessons, period. Even if you think you know how to drive, take lessons!
4. Driving position, or should I say the worst driving position ever. You sit sideways in the seat due to the close proximity to the tranny tunnel so the peddles are offset. Many new owners will try a speed shift and end up nailing the brake instead of the clutch. With no ABS, ill let you guess what happens next, but I let you in on a secret...it's normally not cheap.

Everyone wants a cobra once in their their life, yet they are arguably the most frequently sold custom on the market for the above reasons. If you plan on driving it once a month and have other toys, get it. But do your homework, take a driving school thru racing adventures (google them), they offer factory five spec races which will introduce you the pros and cons of cobra ownership.

Having said all that, I owned mine for 5 years. I loved and hated it more then any other car I've ever owned but won't ever go back...maybe!?

 

Thanks that helped a lot. You hit on all my concerns. The one i'm looking at is automatic. I also read that you can but baffles in the exhaust headers to quite it down.

 

I built a Butler Cobra in the late 80s and loved driving it for 12 years. I sold it to a friend only because an injury prevented me from continuing to work on it. But I met many dozens of Cobra owners during that time,and almost all seldom used their cars. I would suggest an afternoon drive in it with the owner to see if you will really enjoy it. It is basically a motorcycle with four wheels.

 

I'm pretty sure that this this is .....Corvette Forum 101

 

Good luck, also check out the factory five, club cobra and other web forums. I spent a solid year looking at different manufactures, options, pros/cons and ended up buying a Superformance. I'd argue they were the best quality and easiest to find a dealer for parts. Also consider re-sale, I lost $4g after 5 years and 3k miles...not too bad for what was a new car. But that was because of the manufacture and the Roush power plant. I've seen cars sit on the market for a year plus because it was the wrong manufacture/color/engine option.

 

Excellent post. I think it's easy to forget how much effort GM has put into the Corvette making it a fast, but civil car. When I see a Cobra on the road I really want one, but from an investment standpoint, it's a little more than I'm willing to spend. But this post puts it all in perspective. Thanks.

 

Thanks that was a great post

 

Have no idea, sorry. Remember you rarely see the real ones on the road. So ur driving a KIT car. And before I dropped 32k disposeable income on one of those, I'd D$M sure want to know how it drove.
Best of luck
You only live once here.
Grab it????????????????????

 

Another thing to consider is that the build quality can vary depending on the skill of whoever bought the kit. It would be a good idea to check out the cobra forums to find out what to look for.

 

I have a Factory Five that I built back in 1998. I don't know the construction of the Shell Valley or how it handles though. The Factory Fives are built to race, so it's very tight. Very Light. And, not that comfortable for any rides over 30 minutes or so... but I do have a bad back. Mine is the 302 and has plenty of power to get in trouble with. I have a top for mine, but it never goes on. Flaps too much in the wind, and I never drive it in the rain, so no big deal.

$32 seems high though, unless it's a very high quality build. All new parts, etc.

 

I have done a fair amount of research on Cobra kits and I'd look for a Factory Five if I was buying one or building it myself. Their quality is considered the best in the kit car industry. I'm still thinking of building a kit but it will be their '33 roadster. It's probably a roomier and more comfortable driving car. You can also have a removable hardtop with roll up windows for inclement weather with A/C and heat if you want it. It also has a more sophisticated chassis and handles better.

 

I bought an original Ford 427 "side oiler" engine many years ago, thinking that someday I would purchase a Cobra. Hasn't happened yet. The 427 is still setting in the shop along with a 4 spd top loader trans.

 

I was going to build a Cobra Replica, but after researching it, I found out about all the problems and decided not to do it. Listen well to the above post.

Afterall, I use my Corvette as a daily driver and it has more performance and handling, is safer, has much more comfort (and A/C), and looks almost as good. Oh, and it gets GREAT gas mileage! Hard to beat!