By Bill Moore Editor of Kit Car Illustrated June 1989

Take one West Coast Cobra, add one editor and gasoline, and you've got a ride on the wild side with Bruno

The phone rings. I answer it. It's Vern of West Coast Cobra. He's just down the road visiting and he has a car he wants to let me use for a day. I say, "Sure!" What else could I say?

The car is Arrest Me, And Arrest Me Again Red - with a very distinctive white stripe down the middle.

Vern just happens to deliver this car in what coincides with winter. And while it's not exactly freezing in Southern California that time of year, you have to bundle up for a fast ride in a Cobra because of the wind "thrill" factor.
Over the years I've managed to finagle myself into a number of fast cars, some so silky smooth you could call them something like Belinda. This thing is called Bruno.
There are some cars out there that fit perfectly into a womans hands and that includes cars like a Tans Am or a Corvette - but not Bruno. This is a mads car, especially when the wind chill takes hold. It becomes clear as soon as the 429 rumbles to life and the testosterone starts to flow through its veins. Blip the throttle once and you suddenly feel a few inches taller. Slide the B&M lever into drive and your shoulders expand. Turn the steering wheel a few notches and let the car move forward and your arms feel like you've just finished pumping iron. And once the car hits the freeway, heading south down Interstate 5, you suddenly feel like the Incredible Hulk!
Driving this thing is a rush, but it takes more than balls to drive it - or any car. You have to use your head as well. You have to learn the car's limits, and that's why we're heading for the Ortega Highway which winds like a serpent away from the Pacific Ocean, its narrow two lanes heading up into the hills.

Chugging down the freeway we crouch our bulk under the windshield, our body sheathed in a warm jacket, our head protected by a cap. At this stage in the journey people motor past giving us the high-sign and a happy smile. We, on the other hand, are trying to act nonchalant. You know, cool. What it really is, though, is frigid.
In California the highway patrol doesn't use radar, so the threat is always from behind while you're on the interstates. You have to be able to look behind you, especially at on-ramps where the troopers scoop up most of their prey. Only problem here, though, is that this particular West Coast Cobra doesn't have any mirrors. No mirrors on the side, no mirror on the windshield. So, there's no view of a cop. Naturally, with an open-roof car, there is a good view if you turn your head and look back, but you just can't be subtle that way. And with a Cobra, you should have your eyes focused forward. So yeah, we're going a bit slower than we'd normally move Bruno.
Once we hit the Ortega Highway, we check behind us. No problem, it's go fast time. And yes, it does go fast. But this car, this particular car is not without its flaws. The rear suspension has a slight tendency to pendulum out as you feed steering input into the front wheels in a classic case of oversteer, so it's not a confidence builder. But hey, maybe that's why you have a beast like this sitting in your garage in the first place. Every so often, maybe you need to get the adrenaline pumping. Bruno will do that.
In the sunshine, this is a fun winter ride- In the shadows of the Ortega Highway, and later, along the fogshrouded coast, it's cold. But beyond the chill, it's almost as though we've boarded a husky time machine. It's as though we're back in the late '50s and early '60s motoring along. The only other problem here is that the brakes work on leg strength. You have to use more force on the brakes than on a Nautilus Machine to get Bruno back to zero.

There's no denying it, the car is interesting. Vern says the 429 produces 360 horsepower as a 750cfm Holley mixes fuel and air and it breathes through an Edelbrock Performer manifold and custom headers. He also claims a top speed of 165 mph for this 2,850-pound car. The Cobra rides on eight-inch wheels out front, 10 at the back, with 265/50-15 and 295/50-15 tires. It has unequal upper and lower control arms in the front and a nine inch Ford rear-end from a '79 T-Bird, with Monroe shocks doing all the damping. A custom chassis holds all the pieces together.
Even while just luffing along, this car is really a thirsty beast. In an afternoon it drinks down $10 worth of fuel. Even stopping at a gas station is an adventure with Bruno. At this point, with so many different people you'd think that it would be internationally recognized - but it's not. People look at it, point, and say, "Isn't that a. . . " and falter. "Yeah" we say, "it's a 427 Cobra." "Yeah, that's it," they say.
The universal appeal of the shape is still there, with all those bulging curves. And when the day is over there's just a tinge of sadness when we have to turn the car back to Vern, even as we shrink back to a more realistic shape and leap into our everyday car.

Cover of June 1989 Issue 6785-16 Mile Rd Sterling Heights, MI 48312

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