Driving a Cobra
"If you want to just gas and go, and never have to worry about replacing
an alternator, or snugging down the header bolts, or getting a wet leg
driving in a rainstorm, or learning how to set your carb float level, or
driving in traffic on a warm winter day with "winter gas" in the tank, get
a Corvette. " With a Cobra you have to remind yourself that you are
driving a hand made race car on the street. There is no compromise for
anything other than pure speed. These cars are brutal and unforgiving,
with all the refinement of a medieval battle axe. Like being in a
relationship with an exotic dancer, you can never take anything for
granted. These cars don't have millions of miles of testing refinement
before you get yours. For any trip longer than an hour, you need earplugs,
and goggles, and carry Advil and eye drops. You will need to learn to
"read" the clouds for rain in your path, and have experience in unwrapping
your frozen fingers from the Moto Lita. You will experience lady
passengers "wetting" the passenger seat when you merge into traffic from
an on ramp, and then nearly burn their calf getting out of the car. You
will have all the invisibility of a burning Hindenburg, and flee from
underground parking lots when uncountable car alarms are screaming your
departure. When you shop, you will remind yourself that these cars get
more attention than a dead body in a parking lot. With a power to weight
ratio better than almost every super car, you will find your 1/4 mile
times traction rather than power limited. On the other hand,
when
you stage, out of the corner of your helmet's visor you will see almost
the entire audience lining up at the fence, most with cameras up. If you
track on a road course with a Porsche club, owners of expensive German
machines will come to the fence to watch you power out in smoking
oversteer. You won't even try to start your engine in the garage, but push
it out onto the driveway, else your loyal watch dog will croak from the
exhaust fumes. If you idle next to other "sports" cars at a traffic light,
by the green, their girlfriend will be coughing green phlegm into her
hanky, yelling at her date to just go! When you refuel, you might as well
prop the "bonnet" open, because you are going to have to show your motor
to just about every other guy there. When you order your wings at Hooters,
your waitress will whisper in your ear "take me for a ride." When you stop
at the red light, the girl in the convertible next to you will invite you
to "take my top off too." When you slowly pass a troop of Harley riders,
they will look over and give you thumbs up. When you want to ease out into
traffic, other cars will immediately pause to let you go ahead of them.
When your engine has its hot, crackling, intimidating exhaust side pipe
aimed right at the flank of the GTO, or the Z28, your exhaust pulsation's
slowly unscrewing his lug nuts, the other car will remain motionless, as
if the slightest quiver of his car will cause your car to stomp it dead.
When you leave it open in a parking lot, and come back to find your
sunglasses and cell phone still sitting on the tunnel, it is because your
car has sullenly warned those who came over to admire it "touch me and I
will rise up here and kill you dead." When you put that tiny silver key
into the ignition, and begin your start countdown, your car will whisper
"take me for granted, and I will kill you." When other drivers just hop in
and snap up their belts while backing out of their parking space, you will
still have two more minutes before you even get all the Simpsons properly
on and snugged down. Pulling up in a Cobra is like landing an F4U at an
ultralite convention. In summary, very, very few drivers want this kind of
attention, or can tolerate all that a formidable Cobra demands. These cars
are intolerant mistresses. But remember, there will come a day when you
have to hang up your car keys for the last time. And perhaps you want to
say then "I did it."
Author Unknown.....
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