Hulme is working on a new inlet system with Roush that will strip 30 hp from the headline figures, but it will make it a more useable weapon at the low end (and it certainly won't miss those extra ponies). The Superformance hits 60 mph in 3.9 clicks and 100 mph in 8.6, and it will take the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds. The maximum speed of this monster has been independently tested at more than 200 mph, and one car in South Africa has been clocked at 207 mph!
It's simply ferocious, but a little gel-filled limited-slip differential on the rear axle stops either wheel spinning much faster and sending the tail out into an unstoppable slide in a straight line (an occupational hazard with the original). The Superformance is less than 2.5 inches longer than the original Coupe, which is how long Negstadt wanted the 427, before AC presented him with precut tubes and told him to make do. Independent A-frame wishbone suspension all around with Bilstein shock absorbers developed specifically for this car combine with the differential to provide handling that could rival the supercars from the superpowers today.
Of course it's possible to unstick the rear wheels in corners, but you've really got to be going after extreme thrills to make it happen. And the Coupe's rugged chassis design ensures the car doesn't flex mid-corner, keeping a controlled slide progressive and manageable. The vacuum-boosted brakes, with Australian PBR calipers clamping down on 12.8-inch vented discs in the front and 12-inchers in the back, are a little savage when the car is cold, but with some heat in them they sensitize and soften-up just enough.
Let's face it, with this much power it helps to have sturdy anchors in any case and everything in the Superformance is built with rugged durability and simple effectiveness in mind-it's not a thoroughbred European motor, it's an honest, blue-collar, old-fashioned racer for the road. While the original was a pure racer, where searing heat in the cabin and discomfort went with the territory, this is a road car that has to keep its well-heeled driver comfortable.
The leather and Alcantara interior, therefore, has as many creature comforts as possible and only the styling is from the Old World. It's a superbly impressive machine in turnkey form, with the finish going well beyond the standards of some other kit car manufacturers. Of course it's still hot in there, as a 6.6L engine is never going to be cool, but Price and Brock expended great time and effort to keep the heat from the cabin, and this car is fitted with air conditioning and other items that the racers must have dreamt of halfway through the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Superformance Coupe is a thoroughly modern supercar-well worth its price tag-and that spiritual link to the Cobra. It was Brock and Negstadt's second chance to build a masterpiece under the snake's skin-something that would even make Mona Lisa smile.
The original 380bhp Daytona Coupe was born from the Shelby 289 Roadster that was all-conquering on American road courses with short straights and low average speeds. On the faster European tracks, though, it was demolished time and again by Ferrari. It's ironic then that Enzo Ferrari's desire to tamper with the rules eventually led to his own demise.
Ferrari's snub-nosed 250 GT Berlinetta had reached its aerodynamic limits in the early '60s, and refusing to build 100 examples of a new car simply to homologate a new winner, Enzo Ferrari lobbied for a change in the rules that said manufacturers could change the body of an existing model. It was meant to accommodate tweaks, but the rules of motor racing are often vague, and Ferrari used it to drop the GTO body on the Berlinetta chassis. He must have worn a smug smile that day, but it didn't last long.