Greetings and Salutations from the Caribbean

[CobraboyDR]

A sincere “Hola” from the tropical mountains of the central Dominican Republic!

I moved from Tampa to the DR in 2008 to start a motorcycle tour company, MotoCaribe.com. It's a blast living in the Caribbean and riding motorcycles in Paradise with awesome folks from around the world. I've had “Cobraboy” as an email address and forum handle for over 20 years now.

CobraboyDR was a lucky kid growing up in Atlanta in the 50's-60's. My dad was a Ford dealer who dabbled in selling Shelby cars. Can you imagine what a 14y.o. was thinking when he saw his first 289 slab-side or the first 428 Cobra delivered to the lot? Or when that ballsy 428 fired up? I was hooked. For life. I think I sported wood...

I knew of kit cars for most of my life, but never really got turned on by them because, frankly, most were either waaaaaay expensive or pure cheesy crap (remember the Sterling?) Most Cobras fell in the “crap” category. Even the better replicas were dicey---depending on who put it together.

But when I saw my first Superformance in '96---even without a drive train---I was like “WOW! Those guys were doing it right!” And, overall, a good value for an aesthetically accurate, high-quality 427 s/c replica. I was so impressed I started a sideline business as the first Superformance dealer in FL. I hooked up with an old friend of my dad, Bill Parham of Southern Automotive in GA who was a guru in FE motors and would stuff serious big block meat into SP cars. We sold a bunch. Ultimately SP proved difficult to work with and I closed the business but kept the last car for myself, a red beauty with a 475hp 427 side-oiler and a Tremec TKO tranny. That sled was a pure blast to drive, stereophonic visceral torque and testosterone. BTW: Bill passed away in 2014.

A 12-step de-toyfication program was completed before moving down, but the venom never left the blood.

Over the years I've watched Factory Five evolve from a cheap kit to a top-of-the-line marvel that has taken the mystery out of building a serious car. So here I am, trigger finger twitchy, gleaning all the info I can stuff into my noggin, putting together The Plan to build the right Mk4 for me and the local roads.

And while FFR evolved, so did what I wanted in my next Cobra. Back in The Day I wanted authenticity, hence the 427 side-oiler in an SP sled. But now? I'm thinking thoroughly modern because technology has changed so much and horsepower is cheap.

I thank all in advance for input to my questions and hope to pass on whatever expertise and experience I've acquired that may help others.

Onward and Upward-

Robert

[Courtnie Provencher]

Hey Robert! Happy to see another customer from down in the Carribean I'm sure you're going to have hundreds of questions before you place your order, while your order is being put together here at Factory Five, and definitely once you start the build process. I'd say a majority of customers lately are going with the more modern, fuel injected engines. Blue Print Engines makes some great products! I work tech and sales here at Factory Five so if you have any questions feel free to private message me, ask them here, or send an email my way. [email protected]

I look forward to working with you!!

[CobraboyDR]

Hey Robert! Happy to see another customer from down in the Carribean I'm sure you're going to have hundreds of questions before you place your order, while your order is being put together here at Factory Five, and definitely once you start the build process. I'd say a majority of customers lately are going with the more modern, fuel injected engines. Blue Print Engines makes some great products! I work tech and sales here at Factory Five so if you have any questions feel free to private message me, ask them here, or send an email my way. [email protected]

I look forward to working with you!!

Thanks, Courtnie! I've enjoyed your FFR video stardom!