What prompted Vern Redel of West Coast Cobra to modify a tried & true original?

When he began his redesign of the traditional Cobra in the late 70's, he wanted to address a number of comfort and safety issues he had discovered on other replicas. Starting with an old Arntz Cobra Body, Redel began cutting and fitting until he arrived at a car that would comfortably fit his 6-foot frame. Measuring 2 inches wider at the rear fenders than a 70's Lincoln Town car, the West Coast not only has a bigger cockpit but also provides plenty of room for the 12 1/2" 35 series tires (10 inch 40 series are used up front) The wheelbase is 6 inches longer than the 90-inch original, and the added length of the body gives the rear fenders a distinctive teardrop shape with a fuller, more muscular look than the already musclebound Cobra. Wind tunnel tests were done before the final molds were made, and as a result the nose of the car was moved forward and lowered 1" for better stability at high speeds.

For increased safety, Redel developed a tubular spaceframe, TIG-welded with a double-walled driveshaft tunnel and floorpan. To this he added twin side-guard beams in the doors, extra chassis members below the doors, crumple zones fore and aft, and a full-width frame-mounted rollbar. He also positioned the Kevlar fuel cell above and forward of the rear bumper. The car's steering and suspension components include A-arms in the front and a 9-inch rearend with a four-link setup. Adjustable Konis offer either racetrack handling or a boulevard ride at the twist of a dial.

Obviously, the West Coast is not your father's single purpose Cobra. It was this combination of styling, safety, speed, luxury and stretch-out room that prompted Carl Bobeck of Parma, Ohio, to buy his first West Coast Cobra in 1991.

He enjoyed the modernized and homogenized Cobra concept so much that he returned two years later to Andy and Dan Fiffick of A.C. Exotics and had them assemble a second ultraplush version shown here, incorporating even more performance and luxury touches.

A standard West Coast kit, which includes a wired and plumbed rolling chassis, starts at $21,950. A partially completed vehicle, less the motor and transmission, costs $32,000 and includes wheels, tires, a paint job and an interior. For $49,950 the Fifficks will furnish a turn-key car with a 4-bbl 460 Ford, a C6 automatic trans, a B&M shift kit, power rack and pinion SVO steering, power ABS, BFG T/A radials on Center Line or Dragstar wheels, an AM/FM stereo and more. Bobeck's car is loaded with a raft of performance items, and virtually everything on the built 460 is polished or chromed.

Custom features include 17-inch Boyd wheels with Pirelli tires, a tilt column, a MOMO wheel, an AM/FM/cassette stereo, a chrome dash and more. The car was completed in about three months at a cost of approximately $65,000.

In addition to being roomy, the Gray interior of Bobeck's car displays a luxo treatment well beyond the level normally found in traditional Cobras.

Gray leather covers the seats, door panels and transmission tunnel, then wraps around the outside edges of the cockpit.

A custom chrome dash panel replaced the standard burled-elm piece and complements the black and silver paint scheme.

Carl's Cobra is for relaxing after a hard day's work and is so easy to drive that he put more than 1500 miles on it within the first three months. Will there be a third version, in the future? "Probably not," says Carl with a smile. "This is as good as it needs to get!" KC