Have any of you any experience with the newer Shelby or Kikham continuation Cobras? Kirkham it seems used to do the aluminum bodies for the continuation cobras and is now building his own Cobras. The bodies are formed aluminum (even better than the originals), you can get the frame made in stainless steel, alaong with a Raush 427 side oiler, you can have a 2200 lb car with 650 hp normally aspirated. These sound even better than the originals at 25% of the price. You can even build a 289 FIA car with leaf springs and weber carbs on a 289 block. I think one of these could be a great companion to a Ferrari, and faster than all except maybe the F40, F50, and Enzo. Anyone have any experience with these cars?
Had an ERA replica w/428 big block in it. All kinds of fun. Completely different that a Ferrari. Just make sure you're pointed straight when you nail the throttle. Not known for their handling.
Not being much of a racer any more, I'm very attracted to the "flat-fendered" cars. Kirkham is the only one doing the original body style in alloy. Seeing that takes me right back to 1962. Serve mine up with wires and a Weber-topped 289 please! PS important thing to remember: any of these cars are only as good as the builder! Make sure your builder has the right experience.........
i have been thinking of buying a kirkham for some time now. i have been shocked by price deviations however. i had thought that buying a car in the secondary market was the way to save money and get a great car. but it seems they are ...when you can find them...100k plus. what is the real price on these cars? how much is the roller from kirkham? what additional monies are required to finish to a proper level? these are real cars and even at 100k, would seem to be a value. there is a 289 fia kirkham in the dupont that looks delicious.
Aren't the Factory Five replicas supposed to be the most true to original as far as the chassis is concerned?
I have seen two Kirkhams at Run and Gun in St. Louis. Beautiful cars! I believe the bodies used to be or still may be built in Poland. I am fond of the 289! Have you visited www.clubcobra.com, there is a link to Kirkham Motorsports as well as other manufacturers. http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=55 We have two Midstates, with aluminum 427, both set up for road racing. George over at Gessfords builds engines for Shelby and Kirkham. He has built both of our 427's, also our first 428. He knows engines! Leslie
Kirkham's alloy bodies are of highest quality in the World.No other car would even compare,they are made by craftsmen who used to make aluminum bodies for MIG planes so they are used to precision and tolerances not seen in the car industry.
No they're not. The Kirkhams frames and the ones Carroll Shelby now makes are exactly the same as the Cobras Built in the 60's. The Factory Five Cobras are at the low end of the spectrum (entry level) and the Kirkhams at the top end. Original 427 Cobras are worth between $350,000 to $500,000 on average, depending on the model (Street,427 SC, or Competition). So spending $100-140,000 for a bolt for bolt exact replica is well worth it compared to the alternative. I used to own a Superformance which I sold last year. A lot of fun for the money. If I was going to buy another Cobra, it would be a Kirkham without a doubt.
is 100k the price for entry? is that turn key w/ motor? would you go paint or brushed aluminum? 427 sc or 289 fia?
Peter, howdy neighbor. I've been looking into this same question for a bit also. Looks like 100k will get you a 427 ready to roll. Shelby is also doing aluminum, actually made on the original bucke at AC cars in England, for the CSX4000 series. Very tempting!!!! Darrell.
How is one frame "above" the other in design or quality? If the original Cobra frame was just a bunch of welded steel, what's the big deal about duplicating the 40 year old design today? Unless you want a frame made of stainless steel which the originals were not made of, why not just duplicate the original design and be just as good as the original frame?
You asked earlier if the Factory Five chassis was the closest to an original frame. The Kirkhams frame is identical to the original as the Kirkhams own an original 427 Cobra and this is where they took their dimensions from. The Factory Five is not based on an original chassis. I'm not taking anything away from Factory Five, Im just stating the facts. The stainless steel frame from Kirkham is an option. Their regular frames are steel. It's great to have choices. The quality isn't just in the chassis, but the whole car. There is a reason why someone is willing to spend a $100,000+ for a Kirkham verses a Factory Five. I don't think you will see anyone willing to cough up that kind of dough for a Factory Five. I'm not knocking them, they have their own niche in the market and they have done real well with them. Factory Five has sold more Cobras than their competition. It's all because of affordability. Nothing wrong with that.
Kirkham's is based on the original which they scanned part by part but is of much higher quality as far as welds,materials and workmanship is concerned. Their workers are working at jet aircraft tolerances and they are pretty well skilled at that.
You can also get a Kirkham with a stainless steel frame. The cars are so well built, but still with a '60s design (no abs, no Mustang II suspension, etc). Nothing looks out of place on it. It just looks like a really well built 1965 car. Probably 90% of the parts are hand made or otherwise specially fabricated. This sounds corny, but it's kinda like a Cobra built by a Swiss watchmaker or an English shotgun maker. Also, they are not as expensive as you might think. I probably have about $90-95k in mine. It has an aluminum block 630 hp Shelby motor, a 5 speed TKO600 transmission, the stainless steel frame option, billet suspension and the big Wilwood brake option. Also, I had them make a dropped foot box because I am 6'4" tall with size 13 feet - plenty of room now. If I had fully listened to David Kirkham during my build, I probably could have kept the costs down a bit (I tried different motor and transmission combos during the build process). I highly recommend stopping by their shop in Provo. It is pretty impressive. You'll also be able to see the various 427 and 289 versions that they offer, as well as their 40 GT (a replica of a 1940 Ford convertible with GT 40 running gear. Mid-engined and the body is made out polished copper. Ford displayed it on its stand at this year's SEMA show) and the all aluminum Willy's that they made. You'll also see the quality that goes into their builds. Their facility is half an hour from the Salt Lake City airport, so if you are going to Snowbird, Alta or Deer Valley to ski, stop by. Sorry if this sounds like an ad for the Kirkhams, but I am really really happy with my car and with the Kirkhams themselves for the way they treated me. I am a very happy customer.
thank you for joining the thread. i am happy to see that car can be produced for under 100k. i have a strange aversion to the 100k mark for a car that is not "the real thing". but then i come back to reality to see that the kirkham is a thoroubred and at 95k as you indicate, it may be one of the few machines w/ a real value proposition!!!! i really love the car but as in your case, i am also 6-4 and have tried to sit in the car w/ little to no success...my knees against my chest...as it the steering wheel. please tell me about the specific provisions made to accomodate you. is there room to concentrate on really driving well...and not just making excuses because the car is a poor fit? i love the car in the $90's and may consider selling one of my cars to make room for the kirkham. i do not currently have a car that does what the kirkham does so it will be a logical choice. is there a secondary market for these cars? it seems to me the cars offered by previous owners are all 100k plus...can you shed some light? paint or natural? if natural, brushed or polished? i will have more questions as we go. i hope you don't mind? can you post some pictures? Peter
Peter: Without the dropped footbox, I could not fit. My shins hit the bottom of the dash and the steering wheel. It wasn't just tight - I could not fit. In the standard car, the floor is on top of the frame tubes. The footboxes are tiny and there is no leg room. I flew out to the Kirkham shop to get "fitted" for the car. Initially, we dropped the foot box to the bottom of the 4" frame tube, but for a variety of reasons, that was too much. We played around with a few layouts and settled on dropping the floor about 2-3", moving the pedals foward an inch or 2 and using a special set of pedals. That seemed to be about right. I also had them dent the left rear wheel well slightly and get rid of the adjustable seat tracks. That way, they could move the seat back further and bolt it directly to the floor. They also cut an inch or two out of the seat cushion so that I could sit lower. I could drop the seat even lower, but there is no need. Now there is plenty of room. In fact, I there is so much room that I now use a 16" steering wheel (like the original Cobras) rather than the 15" wheel which has become the standard. As much as I wanted to, I could just not fit in a 308 GTS comfortably. In my Kirkham, I fit really well. In fact, I have more leg room in my Kirkham than I do in my Chevy Suburban. Plenty of foot room - I can drive in my hunting boots (although normal shoes are a better fit in the foot boxes). I don't sit too high and I look through the windshield rather than over it. I painted the body. I went with BMW Mauritius blue from the early 1990s. The original cars were painted, so that is what I did. Bare aluminum is cool, but I like paint. Plus,there is plenty of pretty bare aluminum in the engine compartment and in the trunk. The aluminum work is really outstanding. Also, they use a higher quality aluminum than the originals, so they don't dent nearly as easily. I need to take some pix on a digital camera. No clue about a secondary market. I am not very good about selling things. (Ask my wife about the 15-20 motorcycles in the barn.) As far as buying a car second hand - I wanted something tailored for my requirements. Also, the Kirkhams are always trying to figure out how to improve their product. Therefore quality, development and innovation keeps improving. I will buy another car from them - a lightweight small block slabside (289 body style w/no fender flares), with an aluminum small block, coil sprung suspension and their lightweight goodies. They can bring them in just under the 2000 lbs mark. I think that my car is about 2200 lbs. I know what you mean about not having another car like it. I also have a couple of 911s and was looking at a 328. They are really fun cars, but the Kirkham trips a whole different set of nerves. Again, sorry about sounding like an ad, but it's a really nicely made and well thought out car.
not to hijack the thread, but i am looking for an autokraft mkiv if anyone knows of one for sale. thanx.
lew, the foot box and other changes sound like they would work for me also. it is nice that i would not be the test mule also. i assume they would know/remember the process that they went throught w/ your car so they will be able to fit me as well. i too like paint...did they do the paint work too? how is the quality? how much was the paint? do you still think the car could be done for 95K? i think it would be nice to chat w/ you as i get closer to my decision to buy a car.
stauffer classics... 608.437.3000 [email protected] george is a long time, respected member of saac. have you considered a kirkham as opposed to the mk IV
Kirkham won't do paint. That should be farmed out to a specialist. Paint was probably $5k. Probably should have spent more on that. Just tell David Kirkham that you want the Lew Ledyard XL version and they will know what to do. Just call them up and talk about what you are thinking and let them help you decide what is appropriate for you. If you go there, you will buy.
