My dad has always wanted a Cobra and he had the opportunity to drive some of the original ones back in the day when his friend's dad who was a fairly affluent doctor bought one. He's never owned one himself, but he's owned tons of muscle cars over the years. He's getting up there in age, but still able to drive and get around fine. I saw Factory Five is making their MK5 version with an optional hardtop. I thought it could be a cool project if I got the kit and he picked out the motor/trans to put in it. I'm pretty sure he's picky on that and likely would only want one with a 427/manual/carb. He could have it and drive it around in Ohio and it'd just get passed down to me when he no longer wants it or can't use it. I know he'd never spring for the kit and all that himself because they've always been rather frugal despite having the money to buy something like this and not have it truly affect their finances. Edit: Added a pic for reference I wanted to see if anyone else has any ownership experience with these kits, preferences of one kit brand over another, etc etc.
I havent owned any of these. But I do know uperformance GT40 Mk II's are nearly continuation GT40s. Something like 2/3+ of the parts will bolt onto a original GT40 and i have heard some times the FF build can be spotty, but I think that was older stuff. Either way...good luck and enjoy.
There use to be a company in Alabama that sold really nice kits,but I can't remember the name.One of my friends bought one,but it wasnt cheap.Think around 65k back then
I remember Superformance was always the "best" kit and I suspect they still are. I just priced out a FF MK5 prepped for a 427 and included a lot of the little add-ons like more gauges, premium interior, the biggest wheels and brakes packages, etc. and it's around $40k That's not nothing of course, but I know he can source and build a motor crazy cheap in Ohio, so the whole cost would be around $50k all in, painted and ready to drive. Superformance doesn't have an online kit builder, but through their dealers it looks like completed versions start around $80k and that "might" be with a 302 or some other powertrain.
He's got lots of backwoods racing type connections. Guys that have barns full of old engines and whatnot and the shops that love building them / and have for him over the years. Just small-town operations, not big money restoration types.
I’d say go coyote but IMO without a turbo strapped to the exhaust they sound like ass. Gt500 engine out of a 13/14 with the tr6060 would be awesome.
Race Car Replicas has a very nice chassis. I also know of an aluminum body GT40 with RCR chassis that just (haha) needs engine, harness, interior etc. It's the nicest setup I've seen and the owner got bored. It's just sitting. The red GT was the one in the movie, tghey just sold it a while back. But it was pretty cool. Here's some pix.
This is blasphemy, I have seen a lot of Cobras, with all kinds of motors, mostly Ford's, but never a coyote, heads are to Big I would think.
Factory Five recommends a stroked 351 Windsor for those who want the 427 displacement number. They can configure the engine bay for anything you want. Just a couple of days ago I saw a youtube video of a Coyote 5.0 Factory Five going up against a real deal 427.
I’d leave the engine choice up to my dad. Knowing him though, I’m sure he’d want to go close to authentic 427 big block. Even further, an original 60s motor, not a new crate engine.
https://www.factoryfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Coyote-Engine-Fitment-in-roadster.pdf It fits, they have an entire write up on doing a coyote powered Cobra.
Yeah. When you go through the buildout it asks what power train you’ll be putting in so it comes with the. Ore t motor mounts, etc. Coyote is one of the regular options. I just know that’s not what my dad would want.
I would rather have a LS than a coyote, with them huge over cam Heads with the 6 foot long timing chain.
I built a pretty basic MK2 FF Roadster 20 years ago. Still have it. I have thoughts. Your $50k number off a $40k kit is unlikely. 20 years ago, good paint on a roadster was $5k. I did it myself and spent $2k in equipment and materials. I'm about $26k into a basic car, built with a $2500 donor salvage title mustang. IIRC, I paid $11k for the kit and picked it up myself. I was on the road unpainted for $20k with a completely stock drivetrain, 4-bolt wheels, drum rear brakes. I later did heads/intake, Koni coilovers, and painted it. I would expect the roof to add a huge amount of complexity and time. It just has to fit at so many points and FactoryFive isn't stamping things out to 0.01mm tolerances. I think the roof would suck anyway. Cobras are Harleys that don't fall over. A roof will make it claustrophobic and even louder inside. I'm not seeing any side windows so it will be just about as hot/cold AF all the time anyway. If nothing else, wait until a bunch of builders have them in hand before making a decision. They are awesome fun and great projects but it's really easy to get in deep. I used to see it all the time on the forum. Someone just has to have the built 427 with all the crap and ends up with a car they can't really afford and doesn't drive or, worse, bails before it's finished. IMHO, if you're going to do this, take the most direct path possible. The most common configuration with the fewest deviations from 'stock'. Adjust as necessary for you/your father's experience level with big projects like this.
Very insightful! Thank you. For some context, there’s a good chance my dad has a 427 (or even multiple) lying around somewhere. He’s built hot rods and stuff like this for years. One of his closest friends is a race car fabricator that owns a machine shop down the street in rural Ohio. That guy “could” fabricate an entire Cobra without buying a kit if needed, but of course it would take a long time and have different iterations before you get to where you’re happy with it. when I priced the $40k kit, I did it with all the nice stuff. Big disk brakes all around, best wheel/tire package, comes with Konis already, nicest interior option, upgraded exhaust, etc etc. paint-wise he also had lots of connections. He’s owned a used car lot since 1982 in the same area, so he has essentially unlimited contacts and buddies that do every type of paintwork, bodywork, etc. it could run over a bit, but maybe $55k. It could be less too if he already has a motor and trans ready to go. I also chose local pickup to save thousands because he’s got a massive enclosed trailer and would be excited to make the trip.
Oh I forgot to add the roof is an add-on that’s not available until September’25. So that’d be an extra cost + paint. And I do agree I’d wait until the first batch are out in the world and see if FF make adjustments to ensure it’s less of a headache. I personally just really like the look of the roof. also curious if there will be a window option, maybe something that is a fixed window hinged at the top that folds in and has a snap strap or something to hold it to the interior of the roof?