Does anybody have any experience racing or even just seat time in a Factory Five Spec series Cobra. Got offered one in trade for ~19-20K out of pocket value with a full set of spares and with California registration.
I assume that I can run it X class Autocross and any open track event, not really interested in the spec series per-se as wheel to wheel is not something I enjoy.
I am assuming that stock sized slick mustang rubber is available and say 400$ a wheel right? Not slick in the 250 range. Brakes and other running gear should be the usual 5.0 liter mustang costs right? Car has a book but most the belts and a few other things are timed out of compliance.
I'll wait for someone else to chime in on particulars or value. I think JG raced one in full trim at Mid-Ohio once for an article.
I expected this raw beast you hurl around at 7k with v8 snarlin' and hanging the tail like some stone-age era race car on bias plys. Slow in, oversteer and hand speed out like Clark in a Lotus Cortina... but It was kindof a Bob Costas cat. It feels like you sit on top of it rather than in it. It's slower than it feels and it is a "lazy" race car in that you don't wring the piss out of it like the cars I like to race. You short shift and use the toque. It's not frenetic. It's Clapton rather than Malmsteen.
Not my cup of tea but it could be fun as a spec racer against other identical cars.
Also: The one I drove had the IRS and was not a spec car - it was a DE car made from an older slower spec car that the owner had upgraded. It was someone's pride and joy so I was not a dick and took it pretty easy.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
I expected this raw beast you hurl around at 7k with v8 snarlin' and hanging the tail like some stone-age era race car on bias plys. Slow in, oversteer and hand speed out like Clark in a Lotus Cortina... but It was kindof a Bob Costas cat.
I kind of want something like that, old school fun. They are underpowered I know that. My last one had 3x the HP of this one and it was definitely faster in a straight line, no where near in the corners though. This feels like a sorted car not a collection of parts to go fast in a straight line.
If I stay out of the spec series I can throw the IRS in I imagine like any FFR car reasonably cheap. The SCCA certified cage and the full seats kill the ascetics of the thing but would be much safer to drive which is why I sold my last one.
Put some replica wheels on it and use it on the weekend. Just hashing this out.
Guy in my region autocrosses a factory 5 Cobra with a supercharged 4.6 in it. He's certainly not the fastest but he has fun and probably enjoys the wow factor he gets as much as anything.
And yeah, he's in our "X" class. But he's usually at or near the top of it.
Always wanted one. Withthe twin supercharged v8 for fun.
JacktheRiffer wrote:
Always wanted one. Withthe twin supercharged v8 for fun.
I think I have pictures of my old one buried on my old mac I should post. I had a blown chevy smallblock with NOS and some other really trick stuff. Would piss off the "purist" replica guys like nothing else.
I didn't think the IRS was "retrofittable" in the FFR cars. Still, I've heard the 3 link rear was pretty good, and the car ok if you have the 3.55 gears- GRM says the 3.27's were overgeared.
My buddy has one built from a '96 SVT. He uses it for autocross (XP) and sunny day drives. He's done lots of work since he built it to get it to handle, including some work up front to increase caster and to reduce SAI to normal SLA range rather than typical McStrut range. He shortened the rear axle and was running HoHo's, with 315's in back and 295's up front. I got to drive it recently at a 2-day Evo School after my S2k clutch went out. It was on 245/275 Kuhmo XS's at the time and I set FTD in it on the first day of school. Jr. Johnson did say it was one of the two best handling FFR's he'd ever driven, and he couldn't say which one was best because the other one had been on HoHo's. If you're considering the spec car, make sure it has power steering. We had an experienced autocrosser bring out a spec FFR with manual steering and gave up after 2 runs.
Sounds as if the chassis setup varies and is important. You knew that. My opinion, the visual effect is so stunning, you can forgive a lot. I graduated from high school in '65. This was an important car to me.
djsilver wrote:
My buddy has one built from a '96 SVT. He uses it for autocross (XP) and sunny day drives. He's done lots of work since he built it to get it to handle, including some work up front to increase caster and to reduce SAI to normal SLA range rather than typical McStrut range. He shortened the rear axle and was running HoHo's, with 315's in back and 295's up front. I got to drive it recently at a 2-day Evo School after my S2k clutch went out. It was on 245/275 Kuhmo XS's at the time and I set FTD in it on the first day of school. Jr. Johnson did say it was one of the two best handling FFR's he'd ever driven, and he couldn't say which one was best because the other one had been on HoHo's. If you're considering the spec car, make sure it has power steering. We had an experienced autocrosser bring out a spec FFR with manual steering and gave up after 2 runs.
Full disclosure, I agreed to buy it provided it checks out fully, might have paid 1K more then I should have but its local and is California registered. Will load up the truck and pick it up on Friday if so. Father
This is a national winner so setup is supposed to be just about perfect. I could buy/build a new one for 29-31K and spend a year shaking it down and not having fun or this and just go out any play. Needs tires the rear proxes have maybe 30% life left. I think it has the setup book and tuning as well for most of the tracks out here.
It does have power steering and the big brake package currently when it was converted over for street use. Father and law and I are going to split the usage on the car which will get more seat time and get everything really sorted.
I can't speak to the spec series trim, but I owned an FFR Cobra for 6 years. I still miss that car something terrible and vow to get another. My wife and I were so into the car that we started a local Cobra club and put on a yearly show that drew 50 Cobras.
When I bought mine, it was already built. I don't have skills to build my own. My mistake was buying on looks, not built how I want. It was yellow with black stripes. Had a 302 with 2.73 gears and Mustang steering rack. Even trimmed like that, it was freakin awesome to drive. Fast, made all the right noises, good handling. But the steering was too quick, especially with the power assist. If you sneezed, you changed lanes. I did a ton of autox with it and several track days. In one of my HPDE days, I overheated it and cooked the motor. I had a worked 351W dropped in. While we were at it, I switched to 3.73 gears. Sometime later, I also put a Flaming River manual rack in. Also a 3 link rear. It 110% transformed the car. It was stupid fast, I could smoke the tires without trying. Driving it in a tunnel I had to downshift just to hear the amazing noises. The steering was infinitely better. Manual steering is the way to go in these cars. Yes, it's heavy at parking lot speeds, but it's so much better everywhere else. I had much more fun in autox and HPDE. The 3 link made a huge difference, it allowed the rear end to take a set. But the car would bite hard if you are ham fisted.
Be prepared to spend 10 minutes talking about the car every time you stop for gas...which will be often.
It's driving in it's rawest form, even more raw than a Miata. You feel every pebble in the road, no noise insulation, no wind insulation. You get out of the car feeling like you were in a race...and you smell like exhaust. It's hot in the summer, cold in winter. But it's a feeling like no other car.
Damn, I miss that car...
I've autocrossed two of them. One an XP car and one that's just a fun weekend driver. Two very different ways of having a ton of fun.
I will have one.
Klayfish wrote:
I can't speak to the spec series trim, but I owned an FFR Cobra for 6 years. I still miss that car something terrible and vow to get another. My wife and I were so into the car that we started a local Cobra club and put on a yearly show that drew 50 Cobras.
Damn, I miss that car...
Yeah this is so not pretty, kind of excited over this one as the footbox is way bigger on a FFR then a lonestar. If the owner gets me the info I need I think I am going to take tomorrow off and drive up to get it.
No experience with the spec series, but I've driven a few.
I raced this one last season, and I'm about to start my second in it:
My buddy Wade runs a roadster that started life as a street car. With the big AVONS on the car this year, it's crazy fast. We all run XP.
Find out the age/serial number of the car. They made changes through the generations. Mine was a first series, and the footbox was tight. It's been a few years since I had mine, but IIRC they expanded the room in later series.
I freakin' love the looks of the Daytona.
weary: I do not think the cage takes away one bit from the visual appeal of the car. If that photo you posted is the actual car - it's fantastic looking. A well sorted car at the national level for 2/3 the price of building your own is well worth that extra $1k over the "going rate" used value. Think about it - that is one trip to the dyno by the time you pay the time and towing.
Get thy self to a track and maybe melt way some of that "no vacation" angst. Two birds and all that... (:-P)
The picture above is the actual car. Here is another one.
The current owner is a mechanic for Jay Leno and he has gone through the car with a pretty good comb, that alone is worth over market by a bit to me. We might spray the car flat white or black with plastidip just to make the paint a bit more presentable and so I can see where the tire tar balls are hitting the car at the track. Paint is not that bad actually just a few cracks around the doors and hood from rubbing.
Got the trailer hooked up to the truck heading up to LA tomorrow to get it around 2:00 with my dad. The front bulkhead is a MK2 so it will have the bigger foot box. Chassis was built in 01 I think which even if it was a Gen I it would have the dropped foot-box which is a big deal for me and my size 13's. All the panels are Draz attached to the body so repairs are going to be a breeze. Ordering slicks and new street tires this afternoon and some cheap Halibrand knockoffs for 1200$ that I found locally in mustang sizing. Need to order new brake pads as well for the street as they are on full race compound currently.
Rear bumpers will come off this weekend on the rear for quick jacks that I will have waterjet real quick, going to order carpet kit as well and new covers for the Kirkeys and need to get new belt webbing with current date stamps as well. Paint the fuel tank black as it sticks out under the car, and order a few seals for the motor just to be safe.
Awesome. Mine was a MK1, pre-dropped footbox days. I have size 12 feet. While it was a bit tight, it wasn't as bad as some made it out to be.
Nothing more fun than a 2200lb, short wheelbase, high horsepower, no frills rocket!! 
Even doing autox and HPDE (admittedly not at 10/10ths), it was easier on the brakes and tires than I expected.
tuna55
UltimaDork
4/2/15 1:25 p.m.
You keep buying awesome cars and keeping them for short periods of time and selling them and complaining about not being happy.
Ever think of actually campaigning some car in some real regular-ish class? Maybe competition, instead of cool-on-the-street will help.
I haven't driven a cool car (even remotely) on the street in years. One Lemons race is enough to put a smile on my face for months preceding and months afterwards.
It's an awesome car, I am just piecing together the other stuff you've written about here and wondering if it's really what you want.
In reply to tuna55
I get distracted easy and now that we have space at the house for about seven cars in the garage and another six or seven outside I can actually keep them. Never really got bored with the cars but something had to leave for something to come in. I have not even posted a few of the non grm stuff that I have flipped in the last year
Do tell. Post pix. Let me live vicariously while my wife spends all my disposable income.
If THAT is the car...
Enjoy, my friend... Enjoy.
I remeber watchig them race at the NASA nationals at Miller years ago and thinking they were not much faster than a spec miata. They do look and sound a whole lot cooler than an SM though.
