Cobra MkIV Prices

[Gus Meyjes]

quote:
   
   "A horse is worth as a much as a fool is willing to pay for it. And every day another fool is rising out of bed somewhere."
   However, there is no relationship between one and the other fool's choice :-(
   

   
   That is true for any car. Auction companies do well by trying to bring the fools together and have testosterone do it's job. And of course it goes without saying that price and taste do not pair up either...

[AK1131]

AK1066 was advertised on Hemmings for $79,995.00 and sold for $70,000.00

[Chafford]

quote:Originally posted by AK1131
   
AK1066 was advertised on Hemmings for $79,995.00 and sold for $70,000.00
   

   
   At current exchange rates ($1.62:£1) that's £43,200.  Very cheap for an aluminium bodied Cobra and suggests that even with taxes it would be cheaper to reimport from the US than buy from a UK dealer.

[AK1131]

The dealer told me he was told he sold the car too cheap but he was happy. Considering the poor engine bay and underside condition, he did pretty good. my MKIV is spotless in comparison with less that 3000 original miles. Still working on my Eight Stack injection installation. [8D]

[Gus Meyjes]

Eight Stack injection. Are you doing the Dynatec system? It looks very convincing.
   
   Gus

[marklotus]

AK1164 to be part of RM's "Dingman Auction" on June 9-10 in USA.
   There is no reserve so it will be interesting to see what it sells for.

[westcott]

I will try to explain something I (think) found out the last 20 years. Please see this as a example for the common understanding of real Cobras suspension and road holding performance
   The kitcar dealers and owners here in Germany explain the last 25 years that "real Cobras had such a horrible and bad roadholding and suspension, why should a kitcar handle better?"
   
   You can hear this statement from all the kitcar owners and dealers to explain and excuse their bad products. In the understanding of these owners it became "reality" that kitcars where developed in the last 25 years to a level much higher then every real thing ever was.
   
   So the crowd is willing to pay between 50.000 to 120.000 Euros for kitcars. They ignore and don't accept the quality of a MK IV. This is one reason they are willing to pay the same or more for a plastic instead of a MK IV.
   
   Everytime in the past I tried to explain the advanced suspension of a coilsprung Cobra with anti dive and anti squad features they don't know about these details and don't want to beleave in this.
   So add the Ford Small Block's bad reputation regarding horsepower here and You have one explanation why our MK IVs are completely underrated.
   
   During every cobra replica meeting here you can hear some owners telling the audience that the real cars where soo bad and the kits nowadays are at least equal or better.
   
   Fairy tales.....
   
   Uwe

[shep]

Hi Uwe, I have raced several 289 Mk2, Mk3 and MkIV Cobras over the last 30 years as well as many other marques. Take it from me, there is nothing wrong with any of them, providing they are well prepared. The Mk2 handles like a go-kart, and requires a different style of driving, but I used to race 911 turbos, Ferrari F40s, Aston DB7s and beat them! Not bad for a 50 year old chassis. The Mk3 coil sprung and later Mk IV cars are more forgiving but a little heavier, and can be equally fast. Looking at the kit car racers, they have much stiffer chassis designed by some talented race car designers. A few are quicker than my old car, but then they run much bigger engines, with light alloy blocks. They can develop more horsepower, for the same weight. No wonder they are quicker. Answering Chafford, as long as investors only receive 0.5% on their cash, the prices of hand made Classic Cars will romp away. How much pleasure do you get from sitting on a bank statement showing £100,000. Now sit in a Cobra of the same value. No contest!

[SB7019]

Uwe.
   
     Very interesting perspective on the German perceptions.
   
   I must confess to having owned Ram Cobra back in the last century.  The Ram chassis was designed by Adrian Newey and was renowned for being the best handling of all the replicas available.  Mine was a factory built one so should have been as good as they get.   I must admit that I expected my Superblower to have a less rigid structure and inferior handling when I took the plunge and had it built.   Was very pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case and that both cars had almost identical chassis characteristics.  While the chassis felt remarkably similar the AC body is much more ridged so the overall feel was far superior.   I am no engineer - but presume that a significant element of overall rigidity will be provided by the body and it's mounting and substructure.    One piece of evidence I have for this is the experience of having a door fly open on a  Superformance while being driven in one by Bob Bondurant who, at the time, was their US importer.  As this car has a similar chassis to a "real " Cobra then the flex that generated this presumably resulted from a more floppy body.

[SunDude]

According to their sales literature, the Superformance MkIII body is not a stressed component.
   
   

quote:Originally posted by SB7019
   ...One piece of evidence I have for this is the experience of having a door fly open on a  Superformance while being driven in one by Bob Bondurant who, at the time, was their US importer.  As this car has a similar chassis to a "real " Cobra then the flex that generated this presumably resulted from a more floppy body.

[Chafford]

quote:Originally posted by shep
   
Hi Uwe, I have raced several 289 Mk2, Mk3 and MkIV Cobras over the last 30 years as well as many other marques. Take it from me, there is nothing wrong with any of them, providing they are well prepared. The Mk2 handles like a go-kart, and requires a different style of driving, but I used to race 911 turbos, Ferrari F40s, Aston DB7s and beat them! Not bad for a 50 year old chassis. The Mk3 coil sprung and later Mk IV cars are more forgiving but a little heavier, and can be equally fast.

   
   Now wouldn't it be nice if someone raced one of those AC Mk111 Continuation cars with FIA papers [:)]
   
   

[TLegate]

The 427 would have to race against GT40s and Lola T70s etc. Not a level playing field.

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by SB7019: The Ram chassis was designed by Adrian Newey and was renowned for being the best handling of all the replicas available...

I believe you meant Adrian Reynard, but it was reputedly the best! That said, a Newey-designed Cobra replica would be quite something, I`m sure! [;)]

[westcott]

The majority of kitcars here are Dax sold as CN-Cobras, Sheldonhurst related cars and Pilgrims. Some GDs and Superformances and a view RAMs. My FE powered Crendon was one of 3 here.  I think we have not more then 20 very well prepared Cobra kitcars here on the Street (not racing).
   
   Andy, I allways explained the same to the guys here as You stated out in Your answer. They don't take it.
   
   I really tried to get someting real since 86. In this year there where three 289 for sale here in Germany all between 40.000 and 48.000 DM, a Street Car, one Race Car  and an other one  I can't remember. I don't had the money in these days and decided to build kits and drive them because I'm Cobra grazy since I was 8.
   
   I missed the last chance to get the real thing in 2001 to buy a black/black 289 for 190.000 DM or a red/black427 with rollhoop and side pipes for 220.000 DM, both from the same owner. I should have bought the 427 that year instead of the house.[;)]
   
   Last year I got hold of my MK IV for a price close to 50.000 € and I love it.
   
    O.K. I know it is not real in the opinion of some members here but again, I love it.
   
   I expect myself not to be rich enough in the near future to buy a 60s car so AK 1106  will stay until they cancel my driving licence in 20 Years.....
   
   Uwe

[shep]

Hi Trevor, Talking of GT 40s and a level playing field, when John Bendall and I raced his FIA 289 at the Le Mans Classic, we were beaten by only one GT 40, with 4 or 5 spitting out our dust, some way behind! Give me another 150 bhp with a 427 and you could sit back and watch the show. As I said before, people were amazed how the Orange Mk2 Cobra with its agricultural leaf springs, could beat a state of the art Ferrari F40 with all the bells and whistles. The Ace and Cobra chassis is quite special and for some reason it works very well. However like any magic, it doesn't bear analysis. If you jack up the front of an Ace, the front wheels assume ridiculous positive camber and toe in, but somehow on the road or track it works. We once tested the torsional rigidity of the Orange Cobra. We built a jig, and bolted the rear hubs to A frames and replaced the shocks with solid rods. We put a pivot under the front spring tower, and applied a twisting moment to the whole chassis via a 10 foot solid bar, bolted to the front of the chassis. We all fell about laughing, as it twisted like a toffee Curly Wurly! But again, don't knock it, because the flex in the chassis is part of the suspension, and somehow it works! There is another story about why we found 17 inch wheels with low profile tyres don't work on a Mk2 chassis, but I had better save it, and get on my weekend list of chores! Tomorrow (Sunday) I'm racing David Emmans' Ace Bristol at Brands, if anyone is about.