Radical Prosport sold?

I have taken a deposit on the Radical and trailer. So they should have gone by mid January. As a result of the sale, the bank account should look a little healthier! Well at least until the Cobra is ordered.

I will be sorry to see the car go, as it has been great fun competing for the last 5 years, especially when I was up against youngest daughter Sarah in the same car. Unfortunately for me, she had the upper hand in 2014, taking a number of class wins. No I am not giving up because of being beaten by a girl ..... well its not the main reason anyway! But now another challenge looms - a Cobra build. Roll on!

Radical Prosport for sale

Right! I have advertised the Radical and trailer on Motorsportads and Racecarsdirect. Hoping they sell. This should be the start of my Cobra build once I commit to the order.


For sale, my fantastic Radical

Cobra manufacturer decision

I think I now know the manufacturer, but this is a personal choice. From all accounts AK and Gardner Douglas (GD) Cobra replicas are both very good.

GD seems to suit me best. Why?

a) good GRP body, that is semi-monocoque. I will go for a Mk4, which is like the 427
b) roll hoops that are attached to the chassis, so should work in the event of a roll (but hope to never test this)
c) some protection in the body for side impact (again hope never to test this). There are steel bars in the doors and foam filling in the sides to help absorb a side impact
d) I like the engineering of the backbone chassis of the GD
e) relatively light for a Cobra replica
f) is said to handle very well, especially on the track
g) road ride quality is superb for a sportscar

Now I need to work out what decisions are required to move this dream forward. Some of the key decisions and actions I will have to take/make are shown below.

a) secure a build slot (looks like September 2015) for a small deposit!
b) decide on chassis type (GDJAG - uses XJ6 donor parts or GDEURO - latter is a fully built rolling chassis and costs about £3k more, but allows registration on a new plate, subject to the engine and gearbox - see below)
c) decide on engine and gearbox type and whether to go new or used (about £3.5k difference)
d) decide on the ratios required in the diff if a GDJAG  (it will be a limited slip)
e) colour required - not yet decided on gel coat or paint

Decisions b,c and e need to be made a no later than a couple of weeks before manufacture because of the engine and gearbox mountings, plus the gel coat materials.

Gardner Douglas factory visit

Just back from Gardner Douglas (manufacturers of Cobra replicas) near Newark. Met Meena and Andy.

Gardner Douglas factory from GDs website

The initial questions that I had have been answered. Andy is very patient with the "stupid" questions and clearly has a passion for his cars. The gel coat finish looks really good, but there was a brand new painted car there as a comparison (that looked awesome).

Quick blast in a GD to hear that tuneful exhaust note and feel how good the suspension is. Nearly as smooth as my Jaguar. Great power/torque delivery from very low revs (LS3 engine).

So now I need to make some decisions and potentially put my money where my mouth is!

Cobra build decisions

Not sure which route to go yet for my Cobra build - AK or Gardner Douglas (GD). Posted a question on the Cobra Club forum (pros and cons AK v GD). Some useful replies including an offer from Keith Akerman, who lives fairly close, to go and see his GD chassis which he is in the process of building, plus a phone call from a guy who uses the name of Midge on the Forum offering advice, as he has just been through a similar selection process.

Looks like a Cobra build is about 400 hours. The Caterham was just 70 hours. But if it is worth doing, it is worth waiting for.

Went to see Keith's GDJAG chassis last week, which is partly built up. Very impressed. Detailing was superb. It made me think that this could be the route to go, although I had been thinking of a GD Euro chassis or an AK Gen II chassis (since, I have seen the AK Gen III chassis photos).

Visited EDA in Castleford at the weekend following the conversation with Midge. EDA build blueprinted Small Block Chevrolet (SBC) engines, which have carbs, are certainly more period and can be a bit more blingy than a new style Chevy LS. However the SBC is old style technology dating back to 1954 and has an iron block, so is a little heavier than the newer aluminium block LS. For old technology you could, of course, read proven or reliable too, so its not necessarily a derogatory comment! I saw their Chevy 383 stroker (a longer stroke engine based on the SBC) engine build and got details. Ken (the owner and boss) and Ben (clearly an asset to the business) both know their stuff. Really good engineers. Again very impressed with their knowledge, commitment and helpfulness.

The LS range is not straight forward either. It consists of the LS1,2,3,6,7 and 9. Only the LS3 and LS7 are currently made. So I need to step through that treacle!

Going to the GD factory near Newark tomorrow to see Andy.

Always wanted a Cobra!

I have always wanted a Cobra, but can't afford the real thing. So the next best thing is a replica. I am not a perfectionist in terms of wanting a period perfect car, rather a modern interpretation of the Shelby original.

Some kits are pretty poor and are fairly dangerous in the event of a shunt. Yes they are cheapish, but I think that you get what you pay for.

I want a relatively safe car, one that handles well, is engineered professionally and one that will not break the bank. Saying that £35-40k or so is not exactly pocket money!

I had bought a Caterham in kit form back in 1997. At that stage I couldn't afford a Cobra replica. However, the Caterham did not disappoint, especially when the 1600cc engine I fettled produced 204 bhp at the rear wheels, just over 400 bhp per tonne. So the bhp of the Cobra may be a little lower at the wheels, but the torque will be way up and that is what makes them very driveable.

Caterham7

Following the Caterham7 I bought an OMS2000m single seat racing car. The 'm' stands for motorbike engine in case you are wondering. It had a well tuned Suzuki GSXR 1340cc engine and was very fast.

OMS2000m

A Radical Prosport followed the OMS. The Radical was sooooo much fun and looked the part too. It had a 1299cc Suzuki Hayabusa bike engine produced by Extreme Engines in Bourne, which was brilliant. Like the two cars before it, the Radical was a class winner in competition.



Radical Prosport

Keith Townsend's GD 427 (see Gardner Douglas website Contacts page or Keith's blog linked from the side panel here) re-kindled my interest in the Cobra, after stopping competing in the Radical. The white car with black "Cobra" stripes, to me, looks superb and Keith should be really proud of what he has achieved.

So now I need to decide if I want such a project and if so which spec. of car to go with.