In my not so distant past, I was the feature editor for Custom Classic Trucks. As such, I covered street rod shows throughout the country. Both the National Street Rod Association and Goodguys events can field as many as 7,000 vehicles. There'd be such an abundance of custom vintage pickups and hot rods that it was challenging to see everything. The NSRA Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, are so immense we automotive scribes would race around in golf carts. Including the swap meet section and enormous component vendor areas, using a jet pack would have been the preferred mode of transport for getting everywhere I needed to be.
In contrast, a large replicar event might have one or two hundred vehicles. There aren't as many cars or manufacturers on hand to check out. That simply means I can spend more quality time with the car owners/builders and more thoughtfully examine their kit car creations. The Carlisle Nats in Pennsylvania and the Knott's AHA in Buena Park, California, are the oldest replica events in the U.S. But they don't field the most replicas. That distinction goes to two Cobracentric spectacles: the London Cobra Show and the Western States Cobra Bash. Held in London and Columbus, Ohio, the London Cobra Show is produced by the Ohio Cobra Club. It's a three-day event that includes a trio of different cruise options on Friday, quarter-mile passes to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research, a show 'n' shine on Saturday, a Cobra raffle benefiting CF research, a dinner on Saturday evening, and an autocross on Sunday. Over 280 cars made the '07 spectacle the biggest and best yet. There's also an optional prequel to the LCS, two days of racing instruction and ample track time at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, for those Cobra, GT40, or Daytona Coupe owners interested in attacking one of the nation's nicest road courses. You can read all about the LCS '07 and the action at Mid-Ohio in this issue.
The Western States Cobra Bash has grown in each of its three years to have almost as many cars as the LCS. It includes track time, a cruise, and a show 'n' shine. You could almost think of it as a LCS for the Western states, hence the apt name. Thanks to the event's creator, Duane Cooney, and Dan LePage, the show's chief photographer, we've been able to provide our readers with great show coverage articles for the past two years. KIT CAR would love to cover the WSCB in person, but for the past three years it has been held the same weekend as the Carlisle Nationals. If the '08 WSCB doesn't conflict with the Nats, we'll be there (hint, hint, Duane). Please be sure to peruse the WSCB '07 event in this very issue of KC.
From covering the London Cobra Show in '06 and '07 and from editing the WSCB articles that Dan LePage wrote and photographed, it's easy to see why these two shows are so popular. There's a bunch of fun stuff going on in very scenic environments with pleasurable, like-minded folks participating.
The one thing we're not sure of is whether the London Cobra Show or the Western States Cobra Bash would let the '34 Ford roadster pickup that my Dad and I are building be a part of their shows. After all, it does have 427ci stroker Ford power topped with Hilborn EFI stacked injection and a TKO-600 five-speed manual trans, not to mention independent suspension all the way around. You could classify it as a prehistoric Cobra roadster pickup, come to think of it. When we get her done, we'll pitch our case to the Ohio Cobra Club and Duane Cooney. Until then, we'll keep showing up in our rent-a-car, armed with a big smile and lots of camera equipment. Whether we're riding in the pickup or piloting a rental, we hope to see you next year at the LCS and the WSCB, and all the other events we cover, for that matter.