Unique Cobra Replica - Back In Black

If you're a Ford guy, then you've probably been a Ford guy for a long time. In Glenn Snider's youth, he owned a 1963 Falcon Sprint and a '67 Mustang GT fastback, and in his garage right now is a J-code '68 Mustang fastback. If you don't know what a J-code is, then all you really need to know is that you're in the company of a Ford guy.

That's why, with all the types of vehicles out there one can choose to build, a Cobra replica is something most any Ford guy would want to have parked in his garage. But there are more than a few replica manufacturers out there, which makes choosing one over the other a little bit tricky. So which do you go with?

Glenn researched a few different companies looking for a nearly complete kit with a minimal amount of parts needed to finish the job, and he found Unique Motorcars in Gadsden, Alabama, was his best choice. Glenn was sold on Unique's Deluxe Pallet Kit, which came with what he needed to get his roadster on the road. Unique also builds nearly everything in their kit themselves, from the headers and suspension to the entire chassis, a non-donor car concept Glenn liked. He also figured that the build time would be short, too, as all the parts would arrive at one time.

He was right. Once he received his parts, he began putting his 427 S/C together. Unique builds their frames on a 2x4-inch box-steel ladder-type design. A Jaguar independent suspension unit was used out back, with the center section assembled with 3.54:1 gears and a Posi. Carrera coilover shocks were used out back as well as in the front of the car. The front suspension was made by Unique Motorcars based on a double A-arm design. Wilwood disc brakes with vented 11.5-inch rotors and four-piston calipers are found on each corner, as are retro-looking Cragar 15-inch wheels (8s up front, 10s out back). The wheels are aluminum, not vintage steel, and are shod with BFGoodrich rubber (245/60 front, 295/50 rear).