Best Cobra

[DAVIDOXE]

Hi All,
Have been fancying a Cobra build for a while now and as im semi retired ill have some time on my hands.
I built a Dutton 30 odd years ago and own a precision engineering business, so whilst im no mechanic im no stranger to tools etc.
I would appreciate recommendations and personal experiences if possible.
Cheers

[Happy Jim]

I’ll start the ball rolling...

Gardner Douglas, awesome quality, fabulous end result and a great company to do business with.

What would you like to know?

Regards

Jim

[Belle427]

Dax, Ak and GD are the 3 most popular in the uk for outright quality.
As an ex GD owner I can agree that the car is one of the best but either of the other 2 above will offer something similar.
The GD was known as having the best chassis and road holding back when I had one, and that’s why I chose it but maybe the others have caught up now.

[Thevet]

GD no qestion and the tech support for american LS HP engines brilliant. Think I might head back there for a more wife friendly car soon as the GTR isn't her scene and I'm an old fud.

[DAVIDOXE]

Thanks both i appreciate the response.
Cheers
Dave

[cjb44]

DAVIDOXE said:

Hi All,
Have been fancying a Cobra build for a while now and as im semi retired ill have some time on my hands.
I built a Dutton 30 odd years ago and own a precision engineering business, so whilst im no mechanic im no stranger to tools etc.
I would appreciate recommendations and personal experiences if possible.
Cheers

Let us be clear here, whatever you build it will not be a Cobra and should not carry AC badges of any description when finished.
Good luck with the build.

[DAVIDOXE]

cjb44 said:

DAVIDOXE said:

Hi All,
Have been fancying a Cobra build for a while now and as im semi retired ill have some time on my hands.
I built a Dutton 30 odd years ago and own a precision engineering business, so whilst im no mechanic im no stranger to tools etc.
I would appreciate recommendations and personal experiences if possible.
Cheers

Let us be clear here, whatever you build it will not be a Cobra and should not carry AC badges of any description when finished.
Good luck with the build.

My apologies but i thought that would be obvious as i was going to build it!
Should have said replica.

[Thevet]

cjb44 said:

Let us be clear here, whatever you build it will not be a Cobra and should not carry AC badges of any description when finished.
Good luck with the build.

hmm the site is kit cars.....not AC or Shelby.....so surely that is clear? And when i bought the first KIT car of my life, it was aimed at modern handling with the 60s look, still up to date today.
If you have an AC then please put some pics up

[happie33]

when you spend your own money, and either buy a cobra replica or build it yourself..... i think are entitled to put whatever badge you want on it.

my pre bought replica has AK on the bonnet and I wont be removing... i get more questions about the eurpoean road trips that my trusty cobra has completed, than the AK badge............


next up -- will we only be allowed to have blue ones with white stripes.....

[Narcisus]

cjb44 said:

DAVIDOXE said:

Hi All,
Have been fancying a Cobra build for a while now and as im semi retired ill have some time on my hands.
I built a Dutton 30 odd years ago and own a precision engineering business, so whilst im no mechanic im no stranger to tools etc.
I would appreciate recommendations and personal experiences if possible.
Cheers

Let us be clear here, whatever you build it will not be a Cobra and should not carry AC badges of any description when finished.
Good luck with the build.

Alternatively stick whatever badges you want on it when finished and if someone who has the authority takes Umbridge then take them off ....

[cjb44]

Thevet said:

hmm the site is kit cars.....not AC or Shelby.....so surely that is clear? And when i bought the first KIT car of my life, it was aimed at modern handling with the 60s look, still up to date today.
If you have an AC then please put some pics up

If you had read my post more carefully you would have seen that I was only passing comment on the badging of the finished article, there are too many people trying to pass replica cars off as the real thing. There is more than one Cobra in existence that has been built by shortening a 428 chassis and replacing the body etc. Fortunately, these are known to the club and despite whatever the chassis plate says a prospective new owner of a Cobra should check with the club to check authenticity.
Yes I have one or two around but pictures are a challenge as my IT skills are very limited and the only photo's I have are from an old camera, when people start talking about attachments, pdf files etc.my eyes start to glaze over!
To Narcisus, you are right but I can tell you that the current owner (Alan Lubinsky) of the rights to the name AC is very protective of his ownership. It got to the point a few years ago when he insisted that the AC Owners club could not use their original car club badge design (which had been in use since the inception of the club) for club usage, they had to quite drastically change it to satisfy him; the alternative was going to be an expensive court case which the club felt they could not afford to lose and so they had to capitulate. It may be only a matter of time before he turns his attention to the lower end of the market.

[smash]

Why would he badge it as an AC? The 427 of legend had Shelby Cobra badges...

[cjb44]

smash said:

Why would he badge it as an AC? The 427 of legend had Shelby Cobra badges...

Because the OP said he was building a Cobra no mention was made of 427.

[Thevet]

cjb44 said:

If you had read my post more carefully you would have seen that I was only passing comment on the badging of the finished article, there are too many people trying to pass replica cars off as the real thing. There is more than one Cobra in existence that has been built by shortening a 428 chassis and replacing the body etc. Fortunately, these are known to the club and despite whatever the chassis plate says a prospective new owner of a Cobra should check with the club to check authenticity.
Yes I have one or two around but pictures are a challenge as my IT skills are very limited and the only photo's I have are from an old camera, when people start talking about attachments, pdf files etc.my eyes start to glaze over!
To Narcisus, you are right but I can tell you that the current owner (Alan Lubinsky) of the rights to the name AC is very protective of his ownership. It got to the point a few years ago when he insisted that the AC Owners club could not use their original car club badge design (which had been in use since the inception of the club) for club usage, they had to quite drastically change it to satisfy him; the alternative was going to be an expensive court case which the club felt they could not afford to lose and so they had to capitulate. It may be only a matter of time before he turns his attention to the lower end of the market.

I read your post hence my reply, This was a post on a kit car forum, where people know that you're not building a real AC/Shelby cobra, for most they are way out of reach. If you offered me one, i would sell it immediately and put towards something that behaves better and looks as good. I'd happily put a GD badge on the front instead of AC/shelby as it tells a much more modern story. So, please take no ofence but I don't get why you feel such a need for your anti-dream post

[AdiT]

Reminds me of the Cobra I saw at Tatton park classics show a few years ago... Had a piece of cardboard on the screen with "This is not a fecking replica" on it.

[Bronco_jr]

here's my 2p

If the OP builds it, he can put whatever badges on he chooses, its his car. When you get a print of a painting, they don't tip-ex out the artists signature....

Edited by Bronco_jr on Wednesday 3rd February 09:18

[DAVIDOXE]

Didnt mean to cause any friction guys.
I was posting a question on a 'kit car' forum so thought that covered it.

Peace all, have a good weekend with the loved ones you can see in these difficult times.

[944 Man]

You didnt: just one wally.

According to CS none of his had cars had much in common with AC Aces, because everything was altered or rebuilt on all Cobras, due to the AC chassis not being up to the job.

[cjb44]

944 Man said:

You didnt: just one wally.

According to CS none of his had cars had much in common with AC Aces, because everything was altered or rebuilt on all Cobras, due to the AC chassis not being up to the job.

Maybe a wally in your eyes, but you should do some definitive reading on CS, whilst he might have been a good driver an engineer he was not. All the good work was done by others, and anyhow the Ace chassis was never used for a Cobra, whilst they were of a similar design they were considerably beefed up and altered from the very beginning with the exception of the first prototype.
I'm out can not waste any more time on uniformed people.
As I said before OP good luck with your build, and I am not upset, too thick skinned for that.

[Narcisus]

cjb44 said:

944 Man said:

You didnt: just one wally.

According to CS none of his had cars had much in common with AC Aces, because everything was altered or rebuilt on all Cobras, due to the AC chassis not being up to the job.

Maybe a wally in your eyes, but you should do some definitive reading on CS, whilst he might have been a good driver an engineer he was not. All the good work was done by others, and anyhow the Ace chassis was never used for a Cobra, whilst they were of a similar design they were considerably beefed up and altered from the very beginning with the exception of the first prototype.
I'm out can not waste any more time on uniformed people.
As I said before OP good luck with your build, and I am not upset, too thick skinned for that.

Bye