PROBUILT UNIQUE COBRA, 428 COBRA JET, BORG WARNER 4-SPEED, FORD 9", 4 DISC BRAKE

There are as many reasons for building a Cobra replica as there are companies offering them, ut the fellow who put this brutal black-on-black roadster together did it to get close to the authentic Cobra experience without the 7-figure price tag.Sure, he body's fiberglass, ut the proportions are familiar and instantly recognizable, nd the guys at Unique Motorsports did a great job with the overall shape. A lot of Cobra kits take liberties with the original shape, ither in the interest of interior space or aesthetics, ut not this one. The finish quality is quite good, nd you can't really blame the guy for wanting it to be pretty, o the glossy paint got a lot of extra prep. Black Cobras are rare, ut nobody will argue that the shape doesn't look like a million bucks here, nd even though it was completed in 1994, freshening last year sharpened it up. The doors fit snugly, he hood gaps are clean, nd even the trunk closes tightly without a wiggle. White stripes, luminum jacking stubs, nd a black roll bar behind the driver add to the race-ready vibe. That same attitude was carried inside, here modern leather buckets were fitted, long with the right style carpets and the simple door panels that characterized the basic early Cobras. That steering wheel is a handsome three-spoke piece with a warm wood rim that looks right at home in the Cobra's cockpit. White-faced Stewart Warner gauges have been fitted in the center stack and are flanked by auxiliary switches for things like the headlights and windshield wipers. The forward-canted shifter with white Hurst cue ball knob is easy to shift and falls to hand easily. No radio, o tacked-on A/C, o modern gauges, ust a simple, lean interior that was what a Cobra buyer would have received in 1965. Even the trunk is finished in matching carpets with a battery tucked out of sight.The engine bay is also highly authentic, iven that the powerplant is a 428 Cobra Jet instead of the more common 427 or even a Windsor-based small block. A handful of 428-powered Cobras slipped out of Shelby American's Los Angeles facility, ost of which looked exactly like this. Rebuilt just last year, t wears finned valve covers and a matching air cleaner for the carburetor, nd the traditional Cobra expansion tank on the upper radiator hose looks right. There's a bit Holley up top, n MSD 6AL ignition box, nd a big cam inside, nd it snarls to life through a set of great-sounding side pipes. The transmission is a Borg Warner Super T10 feeding what is believed to be the only Unique Motorsports Cobra with a Ford 9-inch rear end. The chassis is a simple ladder-style with a Mustang II type front suspension and coil-overs all around. Four wheel disc brakes keep things from getting too out of hand and it sits on handsome aluminum wheels with staggered 235/60/15 front and 295/50/15 rear Mickey Thompson radials.Cobra replicas remain just about the biggest bang for the buck in motoring, nd with a lot of new parts, clean, lassic look, nd that big block thumping away up front, his Cobra delivers 95% of the original experience for 5% of the price. Call today!