Dropping the hammer half way up a steep incline made it plainly obvious how much instant, body-jarring torque this vehicle had. There was a heap of vibration and the bark of the big vee-eight bellowing from each side of the car was enough to impress you on its own. Shifting the trans up a gear at around 5 grand caused the tail to squirm sideways as the stonking torque set us sailing towards the crest.
Banking into a smooth left hander, we were kicking along pretty quick and the turbulence and wind from the open-top had hair flapping and our conversation volume raised considerably.
"It feels nice and stable on the road" I called across to Hans thinking about those big rear tyres and the relatively short wheelbase.
"Yeah these tyres are good, but it gets a bit loose at high speed" came the reply.
With the mention of high speed I glanced over at the speedo only to see the needle pointing at a three-digit number well over what I had imagined! Phew - lucky there weren't any police hiding in the blurred scenery! And that loud thunder from the exhausts would have made any denial of speeding totally futile...
Yes this car has character and excitement by the bucket load, and anyone doubting the joys of open-top motoring with a wild-house engine under the hood should be given the chance to go for a ride. It's a totally indulgent experience!
Hans Gabel embarked on the project of building his own Cobra replica around five years ago, using the chassis and body package supplied by Evans Sports Cars. Working on an intermittent basis, the chassis and body section took around three years to complete - but technically, development is still on-going. For those unfamiliar with the now-popular Cobra replicas, the kit uses a RHS box section fully welded chassis, which gets cloaked in a 100% fibreglass GRP body shell. The rear end is designed to accept a Jaguar IRS with its 3.07:1 open-centre differential along with shortened axles. Hans kept the already capable Series 2 Jaguar XJS braking system which sees the 10-inch front discs and 4-pot calipers working in conjunction with the standard Jag inboard rear brakes. A XY Ford Falcon brake booster displaces brake fluid.
Suspending the lethal snake is Jaguar suspension with double front wishbones, NYK dampers, and adjustable coil-over struts. The whole package is kept tight using a squeaky set of Nolathane bushes (often greased!). Contemporary style alloy wheels measuring 15x8 and 15x10 at the rear wear 225/60 and 255/60 Bridgestone Potenzas respectively.
The choice of engine is up to the owner, and Hans went for the traditional Ford V8. Namely a 5-litre Windsor pulled from a Mustang, complete with its computer. But with the availability of aftermarket blower kits, he didn't have to crack the motor open and stuff it with high compression pistons and a big cam, etc. Instead, an engineered Vortech kit from CAPA was purchased comprising a big high-flow Race Version blower and all the other necessary hardware. Hans made his own bracketry and bolting the blower to the front of the engine wasn't a real problem as the motor sits a fair distance rearward in the Cobra.
All the blower-to-throttle body plumbing was kept intact as it came in the kit, with a Bosch blow-off valve part of the deal too. But Hans is planning a major change in the induction system. He says at around 7psi blower boost pressure there is a total pressure loss through the manifold and throttle body of 5psi!
When we shot the car, he had also just bought a K&N air filter to replace the existing Finer Filter which we're told is causing the intake air elbow leading onto the blowing to get sucked in under high load! Also, at the time of our shoot, a smaller V1 S trim blower was fitted, while the Race Version was being sent off to the US for repairs as it wasn't flowing enough.
The engine management retains the stock Mustang EEC-4 system, but it is able to control the bigger injectors because of a revised airflow meter signal. The 73mm diameter Vortech mass airflow meter is located before the blower, and there is also a MAP sensor to retard ignition timing under boost. Hans does have an SVO computer which will trialed shortly. To cope with the increased combustion pressures, a Crane CDI sends a little more spark energy down the Eagle plug leads. Fuel delivery is via standard diameter lines, a Bosch Motorsport fuel pump, a set of Bosch 30lb injectors and a rising rate pressure regulator that reads boost pressure.
A pair of side-exit exhausts is a main focal (and audible!) feature of the car. Collecting exhaust gasses from each cylinder bank are 4>2 extractors with 1½ -inch primaries and 2-inch number twos. These curve gently into the stainless side pipes ingeniously housing a cat converter and hot-dog style muffler each side. But still, the noise - no matter how inspiring - is bloody loud! And Hans has got into the habit of warning first-time passengers to watch the back of their legs when stepping in or out - some burnt skin and the odd smouldering leg hair have no doubt been encountered!
In its current guise, the 5-litre produced a creditable 170kW at the wheels at around 5000rpm - with only 7psi! The dyno graph shows the power curves with and without the blower running.... some difference! A bit more boost and perhaps water injection is under future consideration, and would see this figure climb mightily. Incidentally, the engine (with its standard cam) does start to have breathing difficulties over around 5-5500rpm, but a higher gear is usually engaged at approximately 5000. Backing the torque-generating device is Ford's proven C4 auto trans, which remains internally stock, but shifts better with an aftermarket shift kit. A custom fabricated tailshaft then passes the business on to the aforementioned Jag diff centre. Cooling for the inevitable workout is through a Commodore radiator with the largest single thermo fan on the market, plus a trans oil cooler located in the car's sculpted front air intake.
The BMW Cashmere Red paint is well suited to the style and temper of this raw-edged reptile, and it covers everything that hasn't been chromed. The classic-style side mirror, roll bar and 3-piece windscreen all glimmers brightly in the hot summer sun. Once you've stepped through the small door opening, you sit in a marine-grade vinyl bucket seat and gaze upon a multitude of gauges including an Autometer Monster tacho and shift light. A leather Momo steering wheel, air/fuel ratio meter, fire extinguisher and a 10-stack Sony music maker are all part of the scenery.
That's what Hans intends doing with the car - just driving it and enjoying it. He's a member of the local Cobra Car Club and takes part in their various activities - which also includes visits to the drag strip where he hopes to run a conservatively-estimated low 13 second pass.
Oh yeah, really conservative!
Contacts:
CAPA (Centrifugal Air Pumps Australia)
+61 8 8582 3499
http://www.capa.com.au/
DAT Racing +61 8 8277 4222
turbokeen@aol.com.au
|