Have you ever bought something, found out it wasn't what you wanted, then gone out and made the item yourself to your own exacting standards? While some of us can identify with that thought when it comes to an engine bracket or some bodywork on your car, most folks don't sit back and redesign an entire vehicle, build one from scratch, then open a business that offers those cars to the general public. But then again, none of us are Chuck Nickloy.
But Chuck's business drive didn't happen overnight. In 1988, he started Big-W, a business that manufactured very large Styrofoam mold machines that makes blocks used in packaging and housing insulation.
As that business developed, another opportunity came about to refurbish commercial waffle irons, which blossomed into building restaurant and commercial waffle irons as well as refurbishing them. From that business came a need to develop a batch powdercoating business, and it was this natural domino effect that got Nickloy into the replica Cobra business.
Back in the early-'90s, Chuck bought a Cobra replica and soon realized it wasn't what he had dreamt it would be. While satisfied with the basics of the car, he sought to make it better with a Jag IRS and an updated 351 Windsor. While that quenched his thirst for a while, it wasn't long before he began searching for something better altogether.
That quest led to a few field trips to other manufacturers and, when all was said and done, Nickloy had purchased the molds and chassis tooling from Hi-Tech in Tempe, Arizona. Soon, Nickloy was busy refining his new molds and thoughts of offering the car to the public formed the basis of another company, Premier MotorSports, which he opened in 2000.
The expertise and methodical approach Nickloy employed in his other businesses, he applied to Premier MotorSports, too. By utilizing a dedicated and skilled staff to improve all of the tooling and molds, not only is its Cobra roadster body a superb replication of the original in shape and dimension, but with some minor adjustments in the cockpit, it also has excellent legroom (something lacking with some other replica bodies).
Premier strives to engineer quality and consistency into every part it makes. It goes without saying that, with this kind of focus, you are going to get a car that is going to last and be problem-free. Though the company's focus is to manufacture quality replicas in kit form, it believes it has a distinct difference in what it provides versus its competition. With Premier's kit, you get everything but the engine and transmission, paint, fluids, and hoses. Instead of spending hours searching for parts on a donor car or going to the parts store, you are spending the time in the garage actually assembling your car. Premier has focused in on making its cars an assembly project, not a fabrication job.
Premier believes one of the most important things that differentiates it from any other is how close the car is in appearance, chassis, and suspension design, plus overall fit and finish the car is to the original. There are a lot of folks who knew the original Hi-Tech design, and Premier still get calls based on the knowledge it has about the original tooling. Several improvements have been made that both simplify and lighten the car, and they even fabricate the hood and trunk to fit on a steel hoop the same way as the originals were. With the engine bay fabricated with aluminum panels for the wheelwells and an optional aluminum foot box and firewall package, the resemblance to the original is quite close. And though you can easily fit a small-block in the engine bay, most of the owners chose to build theirs with a 427 or 428 FE big-block.
With the 4-inch round tube frame as a base, Premier continued the design with the same suspension hard points as the original car. The front suspension has been updated with current technology ('95-and-later Mustang spindles) and custom links to provide the best possible scrub radius and geometry, and the rest of the suspension is built in-house. While there are a lot of variations of the suspension for the Cobra on the market, Premier held true to the base design and with only a few changes to the original systems, providing easy-to-adjust lower A-arms, as well as both upper and lower rear control arms and trailing arms.
That may not mean a lot to the person who only wants a street car, but to a racer or a weekend track racer, this is very important. It also makes the car more versatile and provides an added value for when the car is sold later on. Over the last year, one improvement Premier has made in its fabrication department is all of the flat or formed sheet steel parts used on the chassis or with the suspension have been engineered and produced by a computer-driven laser-cutting process and then professionally folded, which results in excellent consistency and quality. A high-quality repeatable production process improves efficiency, and with repeatability and efficiency, the by-product is quality. To this end, General Manager Doug Taylor oversees the day-to-day production, as well as sales, making sure those high quality standards are upheld.
The result of this production analysis is that Premier can produce a car that is very street-worthy, but requires little to be a track-ready machine. With a fully adjustable suspension, a few pre-calculated adjustments, and a quick tire change, you are ready to enjoy a day at the track, autocrossing, or at the dragstrip.
To back up that thought, Nickloy has been an active participant at the annual Run & Gun events in the past, personally driving his own Cobra at the track. At the 2004 event, Premier brought two vehicles: Nickloy's personal driver and a street-prepped vehicle. Both cars use a 4.6L DOHC SVT engines. For those who attended the event, they can attest to the fact that these new modular engines can really scream! They also proved their ability to perform at the top of their class in both the Road Coarse and Autocross events.
With the company's roadster in production, Premier recently turned its engineering attention to a new model, a replication of the GT40 Mark 1B it calls the P40. The prototype will be finished by the time you read this and, by all accounts, this should be one special car. Once completed, some initial street time will provide feedback for performance, and then it's on to the track for some real testing. Premier believes the P40 will be in production by mid-summer.
For Premier, attention to detail and quality is what it is all about. These cars are all about fulfilling your dreams, and the folks at Premier take that to the highest level in the engineering, design, fit, finish, and drivability of the cars they offer. Premier also has a dealer/builder network in place throughout the U.S., and even one dealer in Europe (Germany).If you want a car that will drive and handle like a race car on the street and perform when you want it to, you owe it to yourself to check Premier MotorSport out.
 Premier Motorsports is housed...  Premier Motorsports is housed in this massive 50,000-square-foot facility on the edge of Kansas City, KS. Everything pertaining to the manufacturing of the company's two vehicles, the roadster and P40, is done on-site. |
 If you are looking for a car...  If you are looking for a car that can be set up to handle the track of your choice and can finish in good standing, Premier's owner, Chuck Nickloy, can give you first-hand track advice as he's raced his personal car at the Run & Gun event in St. Louis the past few years. |
 This is the display chassis...  This is the display chassis Premier likes to show at various car shows around the country. Besides showing off the company's workmanship... |
 ...it's a great way to highlight...  ...it's a great way to highlight the chassis components (the fully adjustable suspension's hardpoints match the original Cobra chassis)... |
 ...The gas tank is a steel...  ...The gas tank is a steel 18-gallon unit, but you can order an aluminum unit in either 20- or 22-gallon sizing. |
 No chopper guns at Premier...  No chopper guns at Premier Motorsports. Everything is hand-laid using heavy cloth and mat in the doors and hood... |
 ...while the rest of the car...  ...while the rest of the car is done with heavy mat material. |
 All upholstery work is done...  All upholstery work is done in-house. John Vasquez, a 30-year upholstery veteran, is the one who does the interior work from start to finish, which allows Premier to produce every car with custom colors, excellent workmanship, and a complete selection of materials to choose from. |
 To further the company understanding...  To further the company understanding of what works best in its cars, Premier builds its own motors for its prototype and test vehicles. Typically these are 4.6L and 5.4L engines from Lincoln Mark VIIIs, Aviators, and Navigators. |
 You'll always find somebody...  You'll always find somebody in the shop doing some kind of production welding. Here, Premier's Bill Carter is welding up front spindle components. All of the flat or formed sheet-steel parts used on the chassis (and the suspension, too) are cut by a computer-driven laser and then professionally folded. |
 Having an in-house powdercoating...  Having an in-house powdercoating department has its advantages. Small parts, such as suspension pieces can be done, but Premier can also do larger items, including a complete chassis or even car bodies. The crew now has four years experience in powdercoating different types of metal parts and can also apply ceramic coatings to exhaust headers and side pipes. |
 Here's the base to the next...  Here's the base to the next Premier display chassis after it came out of the powdercoating ovens. Done in a candy-apple red, it will surely look great with the right amount of polished or chromed parts bolted to it. |
 Premier's chassis welder John...  Premier's chassis welder John Christopher goes at it with another one of Premier's Cobra chassis. The complicated jig system insures correct placement of brackets, hangers, and other necessary chassis items. |
 Another room has been set...  Another room has been set aside for final assembly of the cars. The folks at Premier make sure they're happy with their cars first, before it's delivered to their customer. |