Factory Five Mk4 Roadster Review // Homicidal Maniac

okay you ready we have to do this yep yep okay yeah [Music] push man it's all on the ankle come on come on you can do this push again all right you ready now you know what it's like to drive a cobra foreign [Applause] Thomas and I'm James and this is a factory five Shelby Cobra when looking for your own Shelby Cobra you have a simple Choice spend over a million dollars on an unrestored original in very likely garage it forever or do what everyone else does and pick from one of the shops that honor the Shelby Cobra Legacy by recreating the formula this one is a factory five mark IV Roadster and it began its life as a twenty thousand dollar box of Parts which gives you everything you need other than an engine and a transmission and rear end and wheels and tires and paint yeah that sounds like a lot of stuff but that customization is part of the Cobra owning Journey it also means that an average of 300 hours of your own labor later you've likely ended up with a truly unique example and even though the full build might Commander Porsche Cayman base price the result is a car that captures the spirit of the original Cobra that is to say it is one of the most off-the-wall face melting ear shattering on the edge driving experiences that has ever existed [Music] if you're new to follow us we do car reviews track tests and quite a lot of messing around so subscribe and hit the Bell 520 horsepower and it weighs 20 to 50 pounds that's a higher power to weight ratio than the Viper ACR we were just in and he's got 550 pound feet of torque don't ask me ask the dino it's been Dino to that so what does that mean [Music] s scary and you can feel all 520 horsepower all at once [Music] yeah that's different and it should feel different because compared to the smooth high revving double overhead cam German engines that James might be used to this is a good old-fashioned 427 stroker V8 or about seven liters of American displacement but it's not all old-fashioned you see where the carburetor was the owner has actually fitted a Holley sniper EFI system which is kind of like a carburetor but the fuel is controlled by sensors and a computer more reliable and more power but don't forget even though that's a modern piece of technology this is still a 520 horsepower 6000 RPM rear-wheel drive bomb now I'm shifting with the five-speed Tremec here and on the original cause the shifter itself is kind of bent over and off to a weird angle which is perfectly normal and a lot of better cars Jessica and the reason it was like that was because the transmission was so far back but the way Carol Shelby solved that he grabbed the shifter from the 65 Mustang and just turned it 180 degrees but the owner of this one's done a straight one which is actually very pleasant to use the clutch on the other hand is insane you go to war with it every time you push it down it's the stiffest clutch I've ever used my legs are already tired and you know Thomas is right you can ramp to 6000 RPM you can't ever floor it you really can't I mean for you guys I'll give it a little go no no you can't you can't you can't do it oh my God oh there's poo let's put someone's pooed my pants that sound is absolutely absurd it's like controlling every version of artillery ever made you downshift and there's cannon fire and it's right there [Music] show me a new car that sounds like that so yeah this car sounds like an older car but how much of the car is actually old underneath this has a four inch tubular ladder frame just like the cars in the 60s except this has obviously been designed and built with more modern tech so it's stiffer but still light and on top of that we have aluminum which means altogether this weighs less than my 2016 Miata and the owner and builder of this one has opted to use donor parts from a 2015 or later Mustang so this actually has independent rear suspension that combined with the modern tech means that this is safer than it's ever been and yet it's not even safe in the slightest ah because not only does everything happen through the fog of noise and vibrations but my head is also a couple inches away from the steel roll bar behind me which means that I could get rear-ended by a child on a tricycle and still die this is actually the least protected I think I've felt in a vehicle since I drove a little Yamaha scooter in he's not tell anyone that you sleep though no airbags no traction control no ABS no assists of any kind and normally when you start to lose traction you can hear some form of wheel slip or tire squeal or something you can't hear anything in this all I hear is that James actually lost it there before actually lost it he came back to us pale don't look too good [Music] I'm serious these are not these are not for the faint of heart is not an all-weather car this isn't even a some weather car this is a race car a race car from an era of History where everything was dangerous [Music] feel a connection not only that between the car and the road but between you and the car have one of these you built it probably you know every in and out so what's it actually like to drive well you've heard about the power but the steering is unassisted and the engine is completely behind that the axle I'm feeling everything and once you get over it the insane volume and insane like telepathic throttle response comes a small sports car like we said before this has independent rear suspension which means the rear end is actually very compliant that said I haven't been able to figure out the understeer oversteer characteristics even consider putting your right foot down it's all over steer it's like a switch the more I drive it though the more I get used to it the more I start to like it but could I live with him not a chance sorry talking to a guy that owns a two liter Alfa Romeo and James doesn't Miata for Christ's sake I feel like I haven't eaten enough red meat to own one of these could look at it all day I did it yeah it's gonna check something ready yep yep I have more chests here than when I started the day ah I can't believe you guys fell over this stuff this is always a scary car it's a very scary this is the most insane car I think we've driven we've driven some insane cars yeah a Lamborghini Aventador right uh what did we just drive oh the Viper ACL AC mono crazy this is on the other side of danger because yeah it's just not safe it's safe look at this this is what makes you feel alive it's not scary to look at that ow yeah exhaust well that's why I went through the practice for that yeah but uh yes it's not scary right there it's huge it's beautiful and people and it gets so much attention we've said that about the Ia Next Level attention yeah yeah thumbs up what's people come over at car Parks what's that you know how did you build that what is it yeah kids want to know what it is dads already know what it is there's always there's like the questions but it's confusing because you know obviously it's not a real one the real one's a million dollars plus yes yes as we've said but it's not a Resto mod either no that's that's a that's a bit of a confusing topic it's not a restaurant is when you take an actual class and restore it and restore it with modern parts right this is a custom build I don't even like using the word replica because they've taken on their own thing right like they say like well this is such a culture exactly and the idea behind this is that anyone can own a cobra because yeah you buy the idea is it's affordable it's not actually that affordable the owner is 80 grand into this which one am I going this way there you go yeah so everything is custom everything's a decision it's all a built not bought culture that's the whole point of this like like every part of this uh a lot of thought and choice has gone into and like every piece of it becomes its own kind of display right like this is the shiniest alternator I've ever seen in my entire life um and like the interior as well like it's just so good to look at well they a lot of they're trying to make it true to the originals right so there's like the replica wheels it's even got the historically true fuel cap with the yeah it's very cool it makes a noise but when you get this obviously it's unpainted right so one of the biggest decisions with the Cobra by Cobra Builders is what do I make the scheme everyone wants the stripes these are actually BMW Colors oh really yeah I like this color scheme I like I like the subtle stripe personally I think it just looks these look great in dark colors right because it's just this kind of like Angry looking little thing right yeah no I I I love every every part of this car from every angle from every angle I think personally if I own one I would be the guy that people make fun of and I would put a head rest on it because I just headrest on another and another um another hoop yeah like it doesn't look as cool but like just don't want to die I just don't want to die you know well that's the good news is there's a lot of modern safety Tech inside oh really nope yeah I know feels like death yeah yeah this is like a little little mini coffin but it's authentic we've got the wood and aluminum steering wheel we've got the bullet Style Racing single wing mirror yeah the pedestal mounted rear view mirror yeah okay hold on just drop the authenticity it's very authentic in here it is great drop it mate it's so important listen I just most people don't ever get to sit in a Cobra so let's just describe what it's like to actually be in one okay one word go close yes everything everything feels really close this this door panel I'm not a huge guy right I mean but you have to drive yeah you have you have to there's no otherwise you're hitting it right yeah the seeds are quite comfortable they are actually very comfortable this is the optional leather seats there's no headrest these are the tubular frame you can actually feel the frame inside this I've got a place you can rest your head once once yeah you get one briefly yeah that's right and like the the transmission in tunnel and the end the firewall are huge like you're yeah you'll feel the way over they go over here right it's it's a really it's a really unique experience it's very classic it's connected yeah connected yeah because the exhaust Outlet is literally right beside my ear um yeah I'm fine with that being off right now after after the driving we've done I have a headache the intensity yeah yeah it's a here's the thing I really like these cars I think they're really really neat but like you there's a horn yep they get good for you you found it there's also a lot of toggle I love toggle switches speaking of toggle switch is the the turn signal is a toggle switch I always forget it is impossible to remember because it only shows up on these tiny little green lights so you gotta turn it off when you go on the corner also it doesn't you just have to know which way it's left and right well it matches the steering wheel directions so if you go to the right you click it down exactly go left click it up um yeah I know I think like like for me this is a very intense experience in terms of like an ownership experience I don't know I feel like the guys that own these are they love cobras yes and they build them and they live and they breathe this this world in this life and they all have a story they all have a story that's probably the coolest part right is it like owning one of these is not just like oh yeah I have a cobra no one says that no it's like oh let me tell you about my Cobra right and I I don't know if I don't know if I could if I could without building one I feel like I would have a hard time connecting to it you know what I mean like right I feel like if I was going to do one of these I would want to build one okay I'll get that I get that that said if I was to build one I wouldn't look that dissimilar to this I love everything he's done here I even prefer this time of shift to the bent one yeah yeah which is still fine totally normal totally normal the no glove box is very clean I do like that as well um no this is I agree if I was going to build one it would it would honestly look very very and I'm a sucker for wooden steering wheels I love the I got one of my Alpha I love the gauges gauges it's so cool quite obviously this is without question it's always someone's pride and joy yes and that's what makes cobras cool I think and pride and joy is right we meant it when we said that each one had a story in the case of today's it was a classic Father and Son project that reached completion just in time for the sun's wedding day so like many others this Cobra holds a very special place in the owner's heart it is however a special place that is a complete assault on all of the senses I say all because it has the added smells of the fumes it creates while idling as well as the taste of fear on your tongue every time you put your foot down when we say we've never driven anything quite like it we mean it but we were relieved to find out that our growing embarrassing need for Advil by the end of the day was totally normal in fact Advil is right up there in The Unofficial Cobra handbook alongside goggles eye drops and earplugs and while it sounds undesirable to own a car for which you require blocking your eyes and ears to use for the lunatic Cobra owners of the world it's everything they've ever wanted more power to them unfortunately for James that will never be because not only did it overpower him it eventually overpowered his voice box my voice box Thomas you're not talking about the backup takes at the end of the day that went wrong because if you are you said you had deleted those yeah I lied nah nah nah come on don't do me like that I know it might be funny Thomas is there any amount of money I could pay you for us to not show it's gone

Channel: Throttle House

Views: 1,141,913

Keywords: Factory five shelby cobra, shelby cobra, ac cobra, cobra, cobra review, 427 stroker v8, cobra build, custom cobra, original cobra, cobra restore, cobra kit car, cobra engine, cobra transmission, cobra race, cobra drag race, ac cobra race, carroll shelby, best cobra, cobra exhaust, cobra sound, most expensive cobra, shelby drag race, ac shelby cobra, shelby cobra build, shelby cobra crash, real shelby cobra, classic cobra, classic shelby, shelby rebuild, 427 cobra

Id: 81OVZnHWd2A

Length: 18min 24sec (1104 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 27 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/Birthday_Truck]

These two are willing to have the "would I/should I" conversations about a car, and I really enjoy that. They're really good at empathetically understanding what makes the car great and why a fan would like it. E.G. what makes these factory five cobras great (simplicity and craftsmanship) and why folk love it (showpiece, raw noise and experiences).

But they're even better at having that discussion of "is this car worth it, would it be worth it". E.G. (This car destroyed us and almost destroyed James).

Another video, on their extra throttle house channel, discussed the Mach 1. In it, Thomas maintained, politely, that the GT is still a better purchase, and I really respect that.

Too many car youtube channels follow this bland formula of "THIS CAR FAST THIS CAR NEW THIS CAR HANDLES THIS CAR EXCITING" without exploring who buys, who might enjoy it, and who might be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this video, here. It wasn't just skidpad numbers and metrics, it was how these two felt, physically and emotionally, about this car and the experience it brings. That's what I'm looking for, here.

[u/unclesam_0001]

Now think about how scary these were on shitty 60's bias-ply tires.

[u/Nitrothacat]

Always liked these. You can get a fully built Mark II/III Cobra minus engine/trans from Superformance for 55-65k. Most come with SBF/BBFs but you can get a Coyote in the III.

[u/phxtravis]

A Factory Five Type 65 Coupe is a dream car to own for me. I’ll never be able to even get near a true Shelby Daytona Coupe, and I think it’s one of the best looking cars ever produced.

[u/oooKenshiooo]

Break neck speed? No assistance? Feeling vulnerable and unprotected? Borderline suicidal weight to power ratio? No airbags? Two seats only?

At that point, just get a motorcycle. :D

[u/DruidB]

Where I live it's almost impossible to find an insurer for an AC Cobra style kit car due to the fact most owners fling them into tree's or a utility pole and kill themselves. I personally know of two separate fatal crashes involving them. Source: I was an Insurance Broker

[u/Captain__Obvious___]

These two are the best thing to happen to the car content world in a long time. Lovely!

[u/Country-Strong994]

This is one of my favorite cars growing up, and I would love to own one of these. However, I completely agree where I would have to build it myself in order to really appreciate it, but that would be nearly impossible for me for many reasons. Dream cars will be dream cars for a reason.

[u/The_Exia]

Well this was a treat.

I liked the part where James get beaten up at the beginning and where James loses his voice at the end. Also everything in between with James hurting himself, scaring himself and soiling himself.