Thread: Kit car rant--Cobra vs. 'glas streetrod

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This subject is very familiar to me. The last 4 cars that I have built or owned have been powered by VW drive train but only 2 of them were a kit car. My last project was completely hand built right down to the mufflers and steering wheel but because it is powered by a mid-engine Porsche 914 motor and trans, people still ask "Is it a kit car". I just laugh and tell them yes. When they ask where they can buy one, I just tell them that I will sell them one. They ask what comes in the kit ,I just tell them How many sheets of aluminum and how many sticks of tubing comes in the kit. They usually just walk away looking confused.
Here's a picture of that project for those who are interested.

Well I have a neighbor four houses down the street who does fairly rapid restorations of fine quality and I envy his real steel cars, expecially the Model As, but they are of the 40 HP, mechanical brake original type. A little further away about a mile across I95 there is the Outlaw Shop building big block drag cars based on late model steel and right next to that shop is John York Sports Cars specializing in turnkey Cobras. John does nice work and has a near assembly line; he seems to turn out about five Cobras a year and the retail price is about three times what I have in my Bebops '29! Still for folks who have the money he will build a nice cobra with a 351. The thing about the Cobra kits for him is that there seems to be only a little variation and he has templates for the dash cutouts and knows every step of the build very well. I think the Cobra kits are fairly complete in the sense that the body is relatively simple and the engine bay is huge compared to my Model A replica so working on it may be easier. Actually what I see in John York's shop is the same sort of hard work on any car build but he makes it look easier because he has done it over and over while I have a steep learning curve every step of the way. I think I have learned from this thread that I don't want to join a car club since I am pretty much doing my build "my way" with the main goal of meeting State Inspection and driving the car. During the summer months there are several informal meeting places for folks to show their cars and go to runs and other than my own driving that is all I aspire to do. One original goal was a local parade on July 4th and at Thanksgiving but that is really a mixed bag of restored cars and street rods. Originally the main motivation/goal was to have a rumble seat for the grandkids in the July 4th parade but they have moved to another state so I am left just wanting to drive the car myself.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Not sure that I should post my opinions here but what the heck. I have owned two Cobras, neither of which came from a kit company. The first one that I set up and road raced a friend built the fiberglass body for me to my specs and then kept the mold and went into business. That was a stretched wheel based copy of the Shelby Cobra. I did a lot of work on the car, but am not a mechanic in the least way as my world was computers. I have an original 69 Ford Cobra that was built by Holman Moody for NASCAR based on the Torino GT Body style. It still has the original weld seems under the paint in back where they cut the hatch back off and added the sloped fast back and rounded top rear fenders. That car still has the original Poly glass Tires on it and the other day when I took it for a drive it had 41,991 miles on the speedo when I got home, most of which was put on the first two years taking it to Sacramento and San Francisco and letting car magazines do write ups about it. That car I did no work on and won't restore it at all as the paint is still very good, but it doesn't have all the smog crap on it and I did change out the intake and carb and have it bored and blue printed. Also sonic tested. Anyway I took it to a local car show a couple of years ago and had one of the dam Ford Dealers Salesmen come over and inform everyone within 100' that Ford never built a car like that. I have a copy of the registry and original bill of sale so I showed him that they built 5,000 to get them certified for racing. When you take the registry and break down the whole VIN, they only made 29 exactly like mine. He not only refused to believe me but stated I had probably made up that sheet even though it stated From Ford on it.

Sorry for the long rant. I never put down anyone's car, no matter what I may think as I figure if they like it then it is theirs and they never built it to please me.

Ron

Ultimately it is not nice to bash anyones hard work. If it is what they want we should respect it. Anyone putting someone elses project down, probably is envious or jealous in some way. It's just another form of human defect or Bullyism if you will. I believe in Kharma, these guys will get theirs! In the mean time, I will be the guy drooling over the Cobra(one of the best roadster body designs ever created) IMHO.

G.R., I agree with you and feel you did the right thing even though it possibly make you an outcast in your club. I get criticisim about my cars all the time, and they are both all original steel bodies. People don't like the paint colors or the wheels or the interiors or the chopped top. Always somethng. I just let them talk and show their ignorance. 99.9% of the Cobra's on the road are glass kit cars, whether they came in a home built kit or delivered from the factory already assembled. As far as I'm concern glass steetrods are no different than glass Cobra's as kit cars. But that doesn't mean I don't like them. I like them all. Some people whether they be streetrod owners, hotrod owners, or sports car owners, are just arrogant snobs and without much chance of ever having a clue.

A friend of mine has both an original 289 and 427. He rarely takes them to shows, but when he does people always assume that they are glass kit cars. Rather than be indignant, he just lets them rant and rave. I think he enjoys it.

Agree with the majority on this one.
I watched for years as my dad was questioned about his cars if they were a "kit" and he would always answer "no" as nothing on any of his cars have been put together out of a mail order "kit" Now that I have and have built my own cars I get the same "kit" comment and I proudly say "no its a 23 ford".

I have received mixed comments on my car (s) "Why didnt you put fat tires on the back?" "Why did you chose that color?" "why did you choose those those wheels" "Fuzzy dice?" I build my cars to suit me and my tastes.
My 23t gets 100 times more looks and stares than my Vette and that feels great. My 3 cents. Don Jr.

P.S. Original K.I.T.T. Picture below-hehe (god Im dating myself)