NZ - AC Cobra Replicas... quality or...?
Discussion
Hi Guys,
has anyone seen one of Almac's/Graham Berry's AC-Cobra replicas under the hood ???
If so, how does the quality compare to other kit/replica cars etc?
As there's a few manufacturers over here in the UK, but they look a bit pants under the hood!
(Then again, most kits look pants compared to the Ult, but as I won't be bringing it back to NZ, sorry! I need a replacement.)
Cheers,
Pete
has anyone seen one of Almac's/Graham Berry's AC-Cobra replicas under the hood ???
If so, how does the quality compare to other kit/replica cars etc?
As there's a few manufacturers over here in the UK, but they look a bit pants under the hood!
(Then again, most kits look pants compared to the Ult, but as I won't be bringing it back to NZ, sorry! I need a replacement.)
Cheers,
Pete
<< This reply will be less than helpful >>
I saw a replica Cobra at 'Big Boys Toys' about 5-6 years ago. Can't remember whose it was
It looked brilliant - paintwork, upholstery, dash, detailing etc but it was a bit of a tractor under the bonnet. The TVR's a few bays over were much the same under the lid.
It looked like it could be made quite special relatively easily. Plenty to Chrome ! ! !
But no idea who's it was. Really helpful
I saw a replica Cobra at 'Big Boys Toys' about 5-6 years ago. Can't remember whose it was
It looked brilliant - paintwork, upholstery, dash, detailing etc but it was a bit of a tractor under the bonnet. The TVR's a few bays over were much the same under the lid.
It looked like it could be made quite special relatively easily. Plenty to Chrome ! ! !
But no idea who's it was. Really helpful
Well, considering they typically have 7+ litre v8's with monster torque, you'd expect the chassis to be a bit heavier than your westie's!!!
The NZ produced one's seem to have a fairly solid chassis, but they only weigh in at just over a ton.
I've emailed the guy asking for some more info, though I'll check out the local (UK) kits first before making up my mind.
The NZ produced one's seem to have a fairly solid chassis, but they only weigh in at just over a ton.
I've emailed the guy asking for some more info, though I'll check out the local (UK) kits first before making up my mind.
Most of the decent kits around the world are better than the real thing - that chassis is dreadful! They twist so much you think there's going to be one wheel off the ground when you've parked-up after a hard drive. I've never owned one but the drive I got shattered some dreams I can tell you!
I'll sell you a separate TVR body and chassis kit which can get cert'ed,why bother with something that can't go round corners.
Why arn't you bringing the Ultima home?
PS,Graham,did you take any photos of the tivs at BBtoys back then(99?),they were my baby's and have no pic's.
>> Edited by chevtrev on Wednesday 22 February 06:50
Why arn't you bringing the Ultima home?
PS,Graham,did you take any photos of the tivs at BBtoys back then(99?),they were my baby's and have no pic's.
>> Edited by chevtrev on Wednesday 22 February 06:50
chevtrev said:No but I'll check with Phil who worked at Fast Forward where most of the TVR's seemed to spend a fair bit of time.
Graham, did you take any photos of the tivs at BBtoys back then(99?), they were my baby's and have no pic's.
On reflection that particular show might have been '98 ?¿?
Kiwi XTR2 said:
Graham, did you take any photos of the tivs at BBtoys back then(99?), they were my baby's and have no pic's.
On reflection that particular show might have been '98 ?¿?
Ta,mine was the yellow griff,then bought the blue chim later, they didn't spend that much time in Fast fowarard,you must be talking about the duff ones.
Ok I'd better answer this before my thread gets hijacked...
Don't want a TVR... nothing really against them... but they just aint my cup of tea!
Is that an impression that's still hanging around from the days of the original or based on actually driving one?
I'm just looking to seperate fact from fiction(emotion) on this one... I will admit though, I do suspect that the ladder style frames produced by Dax & Almac won't have nearly the torsional rigidity that my Ult does, nor your TVR... and the Dax's? quoted .8 somthing lateral skidpan g's is well short of the Ults 1.0+
And of course, the NZ place, say's that there kits are generally regarded as better. The term 'better' to me is quite subjective and I prefer hard facts, or at least a valid testimony before I part with my money !!!
Having said that the Gardner Douglas Cobra seems to have a fairly well designed chassis, though it's not a snake unless the pipes stick out the side!!!
Promissed the wife when I bought it, I'd sell it before we moved back to recoup as much of the cost as possible (before getting another kit ;-)), so I think the resale is going to be of higher value here...
chevtrev said:
I'll sell you a separate TVR body and chassis kit which can get cert'ed
Don't want a TVR... nothing really against them... but they just aint my cup of tea!
chevtrev said:
why bother with something that can't go round corners.
Is that an impression that's still hanging around from the days of the original or based on actually driving one?
I'm just looking to seperate fact from fiction(emotion) on this one... I will admit though, I do suspect that the ladder style frames produced by Dax & Almac won't have nearly the torsional rigidity that my Ult does, nor your TVR... and the Dax's? quoted .8 somthing lateral skidpan g's is well short of the Ults 1.0+
And of course, the NZ place, say's that there kits are generally regarded as better. The term 'better' to me is quite subjective and I prefer hard facts, or at least a valid testimony before I part with my money !!!
Having said that the Gardner Douglas Cobra seems to have a fairly well designed chassis, though it's not a snake unless the pipes stick out the side!!!
chevtrev said:
Why arn't you bringing the Ultima home?
Promissed the wife when I bought it, I'd sell it before we moved back to recoup as much of the cost as possible (before getting another kit ;-)), so I think the resale is going to be of higher value here...
Years ago I helped a friend build a Dax Tajeiro (spelling?) Cobra which was a joy to behold. Aston Martin grey with a black leather and walnut interior, 4.0l V8 under the hood (re-bored 3.8l Buick) which gave out 381bhp when tuned. The engine was mounted far back in the bay giving pretty good balance. The whole car came in at just 800kg. Wheel spin in every gear ... if that's what floats your boat?
I get more than enough wheel spin in the Ult!!!
And it's a choice between a kit Cobra (wife's rules, coz the Cobra was the only other one she liked, other than the Ult of course!) or a classic 911 style Porsche, which I don't think anyone makes kits for !!!
Ideally it would have better handling than the average car, but obviously not to the level of the Ultima (though that would be nice!), but as long as it's fairly nimble, and burbles along quite nicely on the open road (only @ 100km/hr officer, honest!!!) then that's enough for me. (Maybe my appendages have shrunk with time - got that family man thing going on...)
With a heavy engine slung between the front, you can't expect it to handle quite the same as a mid engineed car, or even something like a 7 replica...
What I'd reaaaly like it to have, is a brushed all alloy body from Kirkham (www.kirkhammotorsports.com/m/) in the states...
I've almost done with the go-kart like speed & handling of the Ult, got a few track days lined up, now it's time for something a little more post-mid-(early)-life crisis!!!
And it's a choice between a kit Cobra (wife's rules, coz the Cobra was the only other one she liked, other than the Ult of course!) or a classic 911 style Porsche, which I don't think anyone makes kits for !!!
Ideally it would have better handling than the average car, but obviously not to the level of the Ultima (though that would be nice!), but as long as it's fairly nimble, and burbles along quite nicely on the open road (only @ 100km/hr officer, honest!!!) then that's enough for me. (Maybe my appendages have shrunk with time - got that family man thing going on...)
With a heavy engine slung between the front, you can't expect it to handle quite the same as a mid engineed car, or even something like a 7 replica...
What I'd reaaaly like it to have, is a brushed all alloy body from Kirkham (www.kirkhammotorsports.com/m/) in the states...
I've almost done with the go-kart like speed & handling of the Ult, got a few track days lined up, now it's time for something a little more post-mid-(early)-life crisis!!!
For the amount of money you'll get for the Ultima and the amount it'll cost you to build the Cobra (not to mention the amount you'll lose in it's finished value) you could probably hunt down an AC built example. They do come up below 40k GBP from time to time if you're not too fussy about spec', engine config' etc.
There's no doubting the Cobras effectiveness out on a smooth track, especially when fitted with a rollcage but I do remember a guy being interviewed in the states recently who had just won a race in a big-block (427) Cobra and he was describing how the front wheels were off the ground coming out of one of the corners. You could see it on screen that the whole chassis was bending and twisting!
I reckon a Cobra, whilst one of the most beautiful cars ever made (well actually, the Ace) would be a big disapointment dynamically after the Ultima. Why not consider building a Canam like Stig's? A 'civilised' Ultima.
See if you can get some test drives of Cobras before you leave the UK - there'll be more choice there.
There's no doubting the Cobras effectiveness out on a smooth track, especially when fitted with a rollcage but I do remember a guy being interviewed in the states recently who had just won a race in a big-block (427) Cobra and he was describing how the front wheels were off the ground coming out of one of the corners. You could see it on screen that the whole chassis was bending and twisting!
I reckon a Cobra, whilst one of the most beautiful cars ever made (well actually, the Ace) would be a big disapointment dynamically after the Ultima. Why not consider building a Canam like Stig's? A 'civilised' Ultima.
See if you can get some test drives of Cobras before you leave the UK - there'll be more choice there.
>Canam
I luv the GTR, I absolutly hate the CANAM...
After owning the Ult for comming up on a year, I've decided I'm more into the long cruise than the frantic track blast, people look at me funny when I give way to them on the motorway in it, as if to say, "Well, floor it FFS! Give us a show!" Besides, the novelty of crawling into one's car is getting decidly thin on the ground, as well as the pi$$ poor visibility in any direction other than where you're going!
>Body flex
Yeah, that's one thing that popped into my mind right away, especially if you consider all the efforts that are made to stiffen the car bodies these days. The ladder style chassis that the Kiwi out fit makes are ok, but when pushed, they'd flex. I like the idea of the Gardner Douglas ones, with their more substantial Euro chassis, though, as with any crop topper, there's a limit to what you can achieve without resorting to an ugly full rollcage...
>UK
Yeah, the Stoneleigh kit car show is comming up, so I'll visit all the Cobra makers and see who can fit me a Kirkham alluminum body on their chassis...
I luv the GTR, I absolutly hate the CANAM...
After owning the Ult for comming up on a year, I've decided I'm more into the long cruise than the frantic track blast, people look at me funny when I give way to them on the motorway in it, as if to say, "Well, floor it FFS! Give us a show!" Besides, the novelty of crawling into one's car is getting decidly thin on the ground, as well as the pi$$ poor visibility in any direction other than where you're going!
>Body flex
Yeah, that's one thing that popped into my mind right away, especially if you consider all the efforts that are made to stiffen the car bodies these days. The ladder style chassis that the Kiwi out fit makes are ok, but when pushed, they'd flex. I like the idea of the Gardner Douglas ones, with their more substantial Euro chassis, though, as with any crop topper, there's a limit to what you can achieve without resorting to an ugly full rollcage...
>UK
Yeah, the Stoneleigh kit car show is comming up, so I'll visit all the Cobra makers and see who can fit me a Kirkham alluminum body on their chassis...
Heres a small piccy I dug out from a track day a few yrs ago. This guy's Cobra had a polished steel body. Quite expensive I believe, sorry not sure where it was made. Perhaps Dean or someone can chim in on that? He tracks his car quite a bit. I know when he first took it out it did not have independent all four corner suspension, it was pretty old style underneath from what we gathered. But since his first few outings I think he may have tinkered with it, going by how many spins he had with very little effort
!Kylie, that's a replica FIA289, the body is all polished ALLOY Reasonably recently rebuilt doe to road-accident damage (not his fault) went to the shop where it was being rebuilt and DAMN, if you ever saw one of those things sans bodywork, you'd never sit in one again! Talk about flimsy looking! That one's a replica, but it's a very faithful facsimilie of the original FIA-spec 289s. The owner is called Rogan I think (first name), can't remember his last name. He's at most of the CLNZ sprint events.
Reasonably recently rebuilt doe to road-accident damage (not his fault) went to the shop where it was being rebuilt and DAMN, if you ever saw one of those things sans bodywork, you'd never sit in one again! Talk about flimsy looking! That one's a replica, but it's a very faithful facsimilie of the original FIA-spec 289s. The owner is called Rogan I think (first name), can't remember his last name. He's at most of the CLNZ sprint events.Gassing Station | New Zealand | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff