914 V8 vs shelby cobra, which one would win? Options

[914rat]

Has anybody ever compared the 914V8 to a Cobra on the track or drag strip?Anybody ever raced one?Which car is the better handling car?Horsepower to wt. ratio?

[Marv's3.6six]

I believe your question is too broad, to many variables to answer without refining your question.

However if things are similar: setup, power, weight, contact patch, I believe the teener has an edge all around and especially on the track. The teener has allot going for it, mid engine, unibody versus body on frame, a near perfect weight balance versus front biased cobra.

I would venture to say that on a twisty technical track a highly tuned flat six teener versus a "big block" cobra, I would give the nod to the six as it would be able to carry much higher corner speeds.

Look at the current F1 cars, now all are V8 versus last years V10 and are 200hp down from the V10. This year the cars are turning faster laps at all tracks, why? Besides better aerodynamics they can carry higher corner speeds due to less mass.

[Bruce Allert]

there was a Cobra at one of the ORPCA AX's. It spun out quite a bit (180's) and couldn't even dream of keeping up with even a 4. They are for going straight & wide turns.
.......I think (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

.....b

[lapuwali]

Look at the current F1 cars, now all are V8 versus last years V10 and are 200hp down from the V10. This year the cars are turning faster laps at all tracks, why? Besides better aerodynamics they can carry higher corner speeds due to less mass.

Bad analogy.

The cars weigh the same, there's a minimum weight that didn't change with the smaller engines, so they aren't cornering faster due to less mass. The lap times they're turing are no generally faster, and certainly not faster at all tracks. About the same as last year, yes. The 200hp number has been rumored, but hardly verified. The cars are certainly revving higher, and may make similar power to last year, just less torque because of the smaller engine size.

The teams say the lack of speed difference is mostly down to tires. Clearly, they couldn't make effective use of the power they had last year, so reducing it hasn't hurt much. This is why the FIA has now turned to a spec tire for next year, which is pretty much the only way to really reduce laptimes.

As for the original question, it's pretty close to impossible to answer. Tires would make a huge difference. A 427 Cobra probably can't use its tires very effectively, and in a roadrace on a tight course probably wouldn't be all that much faster than a 289 Cobra with the same tires. On a course with lots of slow turns and long straights, the 914 would be killed by either one.

[grantsfo]

Lots of variables here especially since not all V8's are created equal. Cobras are not known for their ease of handling and they tend to get light in rear end which isnt a good thing when you are trying to put down power coming out of a corner. Sometime do a search for Cobra on track video - you will see what a bear these cars can be.

Assuming that a V8 914 had proper suspension and brakes it should have signficant advantage over a Cobra on track.

[iamchappy]

914 would kill a Cobra, the 914 won the IMSA championship against the Vettes, Javilin's, Mustangs all of the cars of that era. And that was with a small 6 in it! The cobra was fast in a straight line but so is a 450hp 914.

[John]

The one time when I was on the track with (2) original Cobras (with dinged up aluminum bodies), there was no comparison between our track car (3.2 914-6 with flares and 9"x16" wheels).

It was truely a letdown. Those cars were pathetic in braking and handling compared to a 914 track car. The fact that they had a lot of power really never played into the equation as the poor braking and poor handling put them at a SERIOUS disadvantage.

My encounter with them was at a very large track (Road America) and it still didn't make a difference.

To be fair, they were set up for vintage racing and had to obey the rules of the class that they were running, and I was free to run whatever I brung, but still, I expected more from those legendary cars.....

just my $0.02

[Sammy]

I ended up behind a cobra kit car at an AX. We were at Irwindale speedway and were running continuous laps during out practice session, no stopping, just go until the session was over. i was in my V8 914.

He was sent out about 10 seconds ahead of me, I was filling up his rear view mirror by the second lap. On the 3rd lap he must have been paying too much attention to me because he did a very impressive spin.
IIRC, he had independent rear suspension, no live axle.
Granted that was just on a 1 mile course layed out in a parking lot so it does not represent what would happen on a real track, but I think I could have taken him there too.

No telling how well the car was set up suspensionwise, or how skilled the driver was. Basivcally it was meaningless (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[xitspd]

I ended up behind a cobra kit car at an AX. We were at Irwindale speedway and were running continuous laps during out practice session, no stopping, just go until the session was over. i was in my V8 914.

He was sent out about 10 seconds ahead of me, I was filling up his rear view mirror by the second lap. On the 3rd lap he must have been paying too much attention to me because he did a very impressive spin.
IIRC, he had independent rear suspension, no live axle.
Granted that was just on a 1 mile course layed out in a parking lot so it does not represent what would happen on a real track, but I think I could have taken him there too.

No telling how well the car was set up suspensionwise, or how skilled the driver was. Basivcally it was meaningless (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I have driven a factory 427 side oiler on a track years ago and it was scarey fast.
Until the first Porsche Twin Turbo it held the record to 0-100-0. That was for years! My 914-6 3.6 handles much better than the Cobra as I remember, but I am not sure about the braking and my car has Twin Turbo Big Reds.

Dan

[andys]

No telling how well the car was set up suspensionwise, or how skilled the driver was. Basivcally it was meaningless (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Bingo!

Andys

[cobra94563]

I don't have real cobra..but a replica with a healthy small block (no track time in it either). It is not an autocross car. On a track, compared to a '90 C2, I (novice) would say I'd be faster in my C2, except in the straight.

I would think the originals are a hand full to drive, but if you're experienced in how to drive it well and weren't a chicken (like me), it would be interesting. I was on the track at sears point behind a superperformance cobra, and it was fast!

On the otherhand, $70k+ in a 914 V8 would be race and I'd like to see.
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[alpha434]

Al's got pictures somewhere of a 356 passing a cobra through a corner. Said it never caught up.

Driver is a big variable. Doesn't matter how much cash you put in. There's a guy out here that races a factory racer spec F430, and he gets passed by mustangs.I think Lectric Leopards are faster than mustangs.

[Cap'n Krusty]

An autocross might not be the best venue for an original 289 Cobra, but at 271HP and 1960 lbs. (7.25lbs/HP), it would certainly be a match for any V8 914 hybrid on the street or road course. I was "there" and can report firsthand that the only cars that could even come close on the shorter road courses "back in the day" were the 904s, and then only if the course in question didn't have any really long straightaways. The other A Production cars of the day, the newest Corvettes, might as well have stayed on the trailer. The Cap'n

[Crazyhippy]

ive had a slick shod replica pull away from me (on r-compounds) over the course of a few laps... he had me by a sec a lap roughly.

Very good driver (better than me at least (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ) well sorted car w/ a 572 CI BBF under the hood. (I had 450ish HP)

BJH

[914rat]

Ok let me be more specific.let's say limit the comparison to 300 hp for the cobra small block vs 914 300 hp small block chevy.500 hp cobra big block vs 500 hp 914 small block chevy.With suspension and brakes of equal capeability.

[Crazyhippy]

down to the driver really....

[Howard]

Only took Moby to the track once, LA Shelby Club event at Willow. Didn't have any problems with them, but those damn little SVT Foci cleaned my clock. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Cap'n Krusty]

The biggest problem is the original Cobra , the 289 (actually, the first few cars had a 260), is the product of late 1950s/early 1960s technology, and the cars you're talking about are using any technology available at the time of their construction/modification. You could buy a brand new 289 Cobra for 5 thousand bucks and drive it home. Install the available roll bar that you bought at the dealer parts counter, tape over the headlights with adhesive tape, and drive it to the track. If you were driver enough, you'd be competitive. I know people with more money in their brakes than the Cobra cost new! Same for gearboxes, engines, and required track equipment. The later models, with the big engine, the swollen body work, and all the racing gear, were relative pigs. Replicars, in some cases, have incorporated modern technology and are better cars. Many are most definitely NOT. You just can't compare a production car, one which was raced in close-to-stock form, with the V8 914 setup for the track. A more even comparison would be the original Cobra vs. the CGT. There's where you really see what 40 years of automotive development is like. It also shows you the price disparity. The CGT is nearly 1000 times more expensive. Even allowing for inflation, that's a HUGE jump. Any kid with a good job in 1965 could buy a Cobra. It was about the same price as a 911, and $2k less than a race version of the 904 ($4k less than the street version). The Cap'n

[cobra94563]

assuming equal drivers.

with a lower HP engine, maybe the 914.

with a high HP engine, i'm thinking the Cobra....cause many (not all) 914s are not built up enough for high HP.

my .02

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[Joe Bob]

Pros or weekend warriors?

Setups? Track?.....too many variables....

Name a track....then do the bench racing....