Lotus Elise or Factory Five Cobra: Which Would You Choose?

Ok …the cobra was a kit in the 60’s -just like today.There were no V8’s in this car from England and several items were changed. Todays Cobra can get up to 24 MPG with a 302 and a computer EFI and with todays tech ,it is a better cobra by far. the Cobra handling is in the top 5 or 10 race cars as far as speed per lap on todays tracks and same goes for the the street cars.The race track is seeing these cars eating other race cars with 2 and 3 times the H power.The exotic toyota is just that and they have a place like any other car. To own a Cobra or build one is something you share with several guys that “have done it” know more about speed -to little speed -respect speed and handling.Seek before you comment factoryfive.com

The Mark III by FFR is better than the original in many ways. First off, the insurance on an original Shelby Cobra would be impossible to pay. Second, FFR cars can use OEM fuel injection for reasonable fuel economy with amazing performance thrown into the mix. Third, the Mark III corners like it’s on rails. Fourth, a top and heater/AC are available if desired. Fifth, the FFR roadster body shape is beautiful beyond description. THe FFR MARK III Rules!!

Cobra.

I just took my first real drive in my FFR Cobra and it was absolutely breathtaking. There is really nothing like building your own car, all that hard work and sweat was definitely worth it. I have never driven a Lotus Elise, but there is nothing like a V8 under the hood.

Life is funny…
My wife’s dream car is a lotus elise….
(don’t underestimate her car skills : we both are vintage class rally drivers (in france) and when we are not quite performing: OK OK when I goofed up and where way behind about to GULPS …. lose … – I hand her the wheel…)

My long time dream is to build a cobra. And just ordered the kit.

So after heated arguements here is our verdict: (i had to settle the dispute cause three days “lets settle this or else no sex….is a very persuavive arguement from my wife who is so beautiful and sexy…)

Devil vs Angel. Cobra vs Elise…

When you want to be rowdy and make noise and attract attention and get speeding and disturbing the peace go for the cobra…. but well hell is not a very nice place to be even if you have a lot of fun

When you just want to have a huge grin – gone for the weekend down this mountain road – lets be ‘classy’ and gracious but “what me officer going fast? It must be a mistake mr officer….” kind of mood go for the elise… paradise is real nice … but nothing very exciting goes on up there….

Cheers.

I do admire the over-the-top look of the Elise. Nothing on the road in this price range looks ANYTHING like it. It’s a go-kart with a body IMO.

But I have to say, building and then driving something you made, and having it hold up without hardly any issues, has been the most rewarding experience in my life.

A Lotus is manufactured. I have nothing but respect for that car. A TRD supercharger would bring up the HP to match a stock 5.0L 225HP motor, but that’s pretty much it; bolt on and go.

A FFR Cobra was by design a race car. As mentioned in their DVD, the body is mearly a skin. I wanted to see what I could do after 20 years of wrenching on various vehicles. It was for me, the pinnacle of achivement if I could pull it off. And I did. The FFR MkIII with IRS and my selection of power, a 347W putting out over 355hp and 387ft-lbs. of torque at the wheels, is purely a viceral experience off the light, in the mountains, or simply cruising the boulevard.

I’m finishing year two after completion, put in 4,000+ miles, and everytime I pull it out of the garage (literally, I relase the brakes and pull on the overriders to get it out of the garage), I still get that nervous twitch in the stomach, and the excitement and anticipation of “the drive”. I think the recent Cadillac commercial is pretty accurate for this car – “the question is, when you turn on the car, does it return the favor”…. HELL YES!!!!

I love the Cobra and have a FFR Daytona Coupe. I’ve seen a FFR Challenge car outperform higher powered Mustang and Vettes in braking and corning.

But the fastest car in the Midwest Council’s autocross (2 mile track) last year was a slightly modified Lotus Elise. It was beating the Mustang Cobras, Z06 Vettes, a FFR Cobra and everything else by one to two seconds a lap.

The Cobra is the easy choice. I’ve driven the Lotus,and I own a Factory Five. The Lotus is a fun car, but it’s not even close to the FFR. As far as the FFR not being “real”, that’s really a lot of crap. No, it’s not a Shelby from the sixties, it’s actually a lot better. The frame is much stronger. With equal drivtrain, driver skill, etc. A FFR will run away from a Shelby. I’m not a millionare, but if I was, I’d still drive a Factory Five over a Shelby.

Cobra all the way!! Lotus no thanks!!!!!!!!

Here’s what I think. A FFR Cobra replica kit versus the original, vs. the elise. The original I tested on the lot of Unique Performance in Dallas, Tx. The ride sucked. it was rough and didn’t even turn worth a damn unless you were full throttle. The FFR Replica has a much much smoother ride than the original. Besides, why in the blue hell would I pay $50k for an Elise that has a toyota engine that I can easily get here. The FFR is much more economical, takes off better than most of your exotics. And ABOVE ALL ELSE THE FFR COBRA IS MADE IN THE USA. The Elise starts in england, goes to Japan for its power plant, then Italy for some of its interior, and uses Dodge Viper guages. The Cobra Hands down. Or would the elise fans rather help another country rather than our own. Sure it’s a replica but you can choose ANY engine you wish, plus the have other models too. Plus they do Have a Challenge Car that was made for racing and they out run Porshe 944’s, 911 turbos, Lotus espirits, Corvette Z06, Dodge Vipers, BMW’s, Mercedes. Oh, did I mention the fact that the cheapest in that bunch just listed starts at $50K. and yes it also out runs genuine Lambos too. FFR Cobra hands down. Oh did I mention the the fact that Carol Shelby sued FFR for the performance of their replica and LOST in the supreme court because it out ran the original.

At Elyria, Ohio Jim Schenk spanked a Lotus in the autocross with his FFR Cobra. The Cobra mystique, lives on in cars built by craftsmen in their own garages, where success is measured in originality, attention to detail, and hard work. The Cobra flat-out wins, hands down. Besides, listen to the pipes, man! The Cobra sounds awesome, while the Lotus sounds anemic! Cobra.

Question’ what is the definition of kit car. oh maybe a ferro turn lambo, never seen one of those at the race track. maybe VW beetle goes with a bonito body. ya got to have one of those. What is the definition of a race car,, Factory five is just that. just look at the specs, watch the car at the the race track, look at the track times. ask yourself why do they win so many races. how come many of the great drivers of the original AC cobra during the carol Shelby days owe a factory five car. As for Kit car they really don’t know what else to call it. but those of us that owe this car, understand fully the definition of a race car. PS. come out to the race track with anything less’ be prepared to get lapped.

I own a COBRA kit car, and it is like driving a big shifter cart with a tire shredding V8 in it,. Can you have more fun than that??? Pretty hard to beat! As far as the lotus I think it would be fun, but kind’a like driving my CIVIC SI coupe, just not the same as the COBRA.. I’ll keep my cobra thanks………….

I have followed Factory Five for a long time and lusted after the Lotus Elise since the first generation was released in 1996.

So lets think about this…

It would be a tough choice. Both cars are beautiful in their own ways. If it came to building the fastest car, it is the Cobra hands down. The kit is $20 and then you pick your engine, you can get a lot of engine and extra speed and handling goodies for $30k.

For everyday usability it is just about a toss up, neither one has much storage space or room to stretch out, the Lotus does have a hard top, but you could get one for the Cobra with part of that $30K you have left over. Cost of ownership? I think the Cobra would win this one as it uses mostly stock FoMoCo parts that are readily available, the Lotus does have a Toyota engine, but… So I guess that is a tie, or maybe slight edge to Cobra.

I would love to build my own car, so if it came down to it, I would go with the Factory Five. If I was buying a production car the Lotus would be near the top of my list.

So who do I see about getting that $50,000 check?

I have experienced the awesome looks and power of the Factory Five Mark 3 first hand. That experience is only half of the total fun though. Planning your unique package and then hand executing that plan in your own garage gives one a feeling of creativity that climaxes with the birth of your fullgrown baby. You feel one with the machine. The feelings one then has cruising in your own, quality, great-looking vehicle are truly indescribable. I have two other fine sports cars, but neither puts the same smile on my face as does my FFR Cobra replica.

Some one said ” Drive a FF Cobra into a Thursday nite Strip Mall Show is like flying an F4U Corsair into an Ultra-Light convention”…could never say something like that about a Lotus

So it’s not an original Cobra, come on, the challenge is for $50K, not $1M or more. What makes one orignal? Since in the 60’s they were almost like kits that Shelby built – AC body, Ford motor, suspension and other parts from here and there. Is a Superformance (built licenced by Shelby) an orginal?

And yes, you can get a both soft and hard tops (even a convertible top) for a FFR cobra. As for gas mileage, who cares? I am evolved to the top of the food chain – I eat meat and use the liquid remains of extinct species because I choose to do so.

Hellmuth – you see more Cobras on the road than Elises – Gee, I wonder why? Maybe because they are ugly, over priced, and suck.

Common on, comparing a 40+ yr old design against a new desgin? I ask you this – In 40 yrs, will anyone be building a replica of an Elise? I will tell you right now – Hell NO. Go anywhere in a Cobra and it draws a crowd – even when parked next to exotics.

Performance? ok, I will concede that the lotus will probably beat the cobra on short, twisty-low speed or autoX course, but on a drag strip or high speed oval, etc, the Lotus driver will have to squint to see the Cobra so far ahead.

the cobra looks real fast but would be no match round the track.
take the elise and run burnouts around the antediluvian hunk of crap.

Even if it is a replica Cobra, hands down. Cobra all the way… Lotus Elise… ummm 4 banger vs V8 raw power, ain’t happening. I pick the Cobra.

Your either stupid or smart… Cobra all the way.

Everyone is talking about ‘building up their own car’. It’s a KIT, you’re not putting the same effort into the Cobra as you would be if you were restoring an original Cobra. If that were the case I would choose the Cobra hands-down because I believe you should build your own car, that’s the way customs and eye-catchers are suppose to be, but since neither of these cars are ‘build’ cars, they are both bought I would go with the Lotus. I believe it has more elegance and style to it, you don’t see many Elise’s on the road today however I see many kit Cobra’s.
Like I said though, if it were the choice between restoring a Cobra, or buying a Lotus, I would pick the Cobra, but it’s just a kit car, why bother.

Ummm this goes to mattmasacre…
PUT A TOYOTA ENGINE IN A F*CKING COBRA??? THATS THE STUPIDEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD. EVER.

as far as the choice between the two…cobra.

the elise is pretty cool, but the cobra is a kit and can be modified to use almost any engine you want. not to mention that the cobra looks much sexier and could stomp the lotus into next week with little or no problem. so i would have to say cobra hands down, and not that anyone cares but im also an avid ford fan

Any real man would choose a the Cobra…and they would also not use the use practical to describe any true sports car.

Seems like everyone is getting in on the voting awesome match-up its gonna be close

Lotus.
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To be honest I’m only saying Lotus because I prefer (more practical) cars to go-karts.

COBRA. vs ELISE THATS LIKE COMPARING PLATINUM TO BRONZE. IF ANY ONE PREFERS THE ELISE THEY NEED TO GROW A BRAIN. COBRA ALL THE WAY.

Oh and for everyone saying they wouldnt enjoy a replica, i’d like to see anyone afford an original and if you’re gonna not be proud of it then you should build it yourself instead of paying someone and end up paying twice as much to build it

I’d go for the cobra, why be held back by the constraints of a factory car with 190 horsepower when you can build a cobra and have an almost infinite range of horsepower and interior options, if you wanted you could still put that toyota motor in it if you want and you’ll be under budget, the FFC is the smarter choice

Simple. building your own car forms that special bond between man and machine, can’t get more satisfying than rolling out of your garage with your new beauty built with your own hands!! COBRA

it is true that the Lotus is an iconic car, and i’m sure its very fun to drive, but i’m going to have to go Cobra on this one. You could buy the lotus, or you could Build your own car your own way, adding your own personality. really, are you going to be happier driving a car that someone else put their personality in, or one that you have put your own in. i mean, come on, get off you butt and build something yourself. i promise you will love the car a lot more when you have put forth the work and love to build your own car… Just my opinion

How can you compare a piece of shit Lotus with a Cobra?

Definitely the Lotus Elise, the Cobra is a real piece of ass-hauling beauty, but as some have said, it won’t be the real thing. On the other hand, the elise will be remembered, it is an iconic car in the lotus line-up over the years and here you’d have the chance to own “the real thing”.
I would definitely take the lotus.

Definetly the Cobra.

Lotus might be a bit easy on petrol , and works as an everyday car , and its handling is second to none , BUT that iconic looks that have been everyones dream since we ever knew about cars ……
it must be a cobra , you just cant choose otherwise even if its a Lambo or a Ferrari…!

i like that cobra but its a kit car i have to have original but thats not goin to happen an since im a tuner guy im goin to have to go Lotus

cobras are the ugliest things ever…but great performance…but id have to take the elise better yet exige

I have to go w/Lotus cause it’s pretty quick and has great handling that’s what it’s all about and looks real nice.

Cobra is the bomb but gas is too expensive for a V8 today. plus Cobra has no top for rain. I have to go with the Lotus

Love both the Elise and the Cobra, but, if I was honest, I’d take the Elise… It’s not a real Cobra, and that makes all the difference. If it was a real Cobra, then yes, easy, but I couldn’t be quite so proud of a replica.

Lotus, all though Cobras are cool. But I usually see more Cobras.

If i had the time to work on it and put it together then the FF wins, if i just want to pick something up and mess around with it on the track id get the lotus.

COBRA ALL THE WAY

Lotus.

the cobra takes around 4 months for a working man to build, plus its very easy on the mustang 8 cylinder engines that drop into it. so you dont have to rebuild the engine between each race or two. the handling provides over 1 g of grip, too and with a base price of a fully optioned one of about 21,000$, there’s lots of room to play.

cobra

even though its a kit car, the Cobra will turn more heads, and is all around a cooler car

altough the elise has more technolegys you cant beat old school power but its not an origanal. i still would go with the cobra !!not even a good match!!!!!

COBRA….. hands down…..

Cobra, part of the fun would be building the car how I want it.

cobra

cobra all the way

The cobra hands down you can’t pass up a classic like that! Plus you the cobra would most likely be worth way more if ya sell it than the Lotus. Don’t get me wrong I take both if I could swing it!

I like the Lotus Elise alot, but where I live you see them pretty often.
And when you see a Cobra( even though it’s a replica) the car just turns heads and has that “AWE” effect I think you can’t obtain with the Lotus Elise.

cobra…end of story

Aw, man. Id have to say the Elise. The cobra is a classic yes I knoooooow…..but its ugly. Think of it this way. Vehicles can be rated by 3 main topics. Power, looks, and social status. The cobra in my eyes gets 2 stars. The Elise gets all three. Its quick, sexy, and respected. Cant go wrong with that. (this is just my personal perspective) and its spelled “definitely”. K thanks.

is this even a contest??? Lotus all the way

I’d get a Cobra and make it handle like an Elise!

I’ll take the Cobra all day

Cobra. no its one of the greatest cars ever made.

Cobra

ELISE

These cars are both incredible in their own rights. Theres so much satisfaction going to a dealer and picking up a brand new car, and a lotus would kick it up 10 notches. Still, in my eyes you can’t beat that good ol’ classic hard core american muscle. cobra deffinitely for me, its just too sweet to pass up!

ELISE DEFENENTLY THE ELISE

Cobra man

Even if it’s not the real deal, genuine Cobra… how can you still say no? It’s a replica: it looks like it, it drives like it, its powerful like it. If thats as close I can get, hands down, I am taking that Cobra home with me!

Ya know, they’re both incredible cars, and I have nothing against the Elise..that’s a cool little car too, but I would definitely have to go with the Cobra. That’s one of my all-time favorite cars, and I gotta back my fellow Texan, Mr. Shelby. Mad props, sir.

well the thing is that the elise just better looking better handling but only quick on speed. and is a better car mechanicaly so dond be stupid it is what it is.but ill take the cobra any way already custom built at 30k vintage,brawn,balls and not often seen tis a winner for me

I love both cars very much. I would buy either one but the cobra offers more customability when building it plus the satisfaction of knowing YOU built it.

This is a tough match up. First of all both of these cars look good, they both deliver in the performance field, and your friends will be impressed by both. SO CAN I HAVE BOTH! I pick the COBRA ’cause its iconic and were in AMERICA so that means a lot.

cobra all the way, icnoic, retarded fast, damn good looks, you just cant beat that, even if it isnt a true shelby, its would still be an absolute blast to drive

COBRA all day long!

Just because it’s a kit doesn’t mean it’s not a Cobra.
It’s just not a Shelby Cobra.

Cobra

Cooooooobraaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

Bob1967 said it best.

On the face of it a no brainer the Cobra every single time, however it’s a kit, it’s a replica, it’s not the real deal, it’s good but it’s still not what it claims to be. I’d always feel a little ‘wrong’ in it. The Elise would win the day, but I’d not be happy with it either. Would I build it myself? Nope.

“Wow you got a Cobra!”
“Well kinda…..”
“Oh…”

Cobra all the way. Now if you added the Lotus Exige to the battle it might be a different story

What do you think?
Girly’s car or a Man’s car?

Cobra all the way baby…

Cobra hands down… love the feeling of a rumbling V8 American Muscle machine!!! My Dream car!!!
I love Toyota Engines, but a inline 4 vs a V8… I can’t get that exact same feeling from a 4 cylinder engine…
Shelby Cobra, can’t say no…

elise

ELISE because u can use it as an everyday car. And it looks 100x’s better then that FAKE cobra

Cobra all the way

FF5 Cobra all the way. Throw in an LS motor and the thunderbird IRS for good measure.

cobra!

ELISE. Thats not even close.

COBRA

elise. great match up

Cobra for me, I’ve always wanted one, and if I ever had an extra 50 grand those were my last two choices it would be the Cobra.

Lotus

I know the Cobra is gonna definitely win, and don’t get me wrong… I’d give my left nut to have one of them BUT I would pick the ELISE.

how did a harley and a cobra end up in the same comment.A harley is a misbalanced idiot tickling slobs buttholes…and maybe the “old lady”. I have never seen such a perfect match for a tumbling transverse elise but a harley owner. But being the backwards retards they are, they’d have to claim american, even if its right. So by chance, a slob could get a cobra…that would be my choice too. Of course, my brain might strain a molecule for a dream driveline,but, if I thought too hard, it wouldn’t have one, because it doesn’t exist in my car dream world yet…the benz crank v8 in the 4 liter range a with a fatass flywheel and a top end never ending….in 5 gears or auto.

cobra…jus for feeling of driving something special…

Paulie.
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Yes, I have driven one.
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I have a friend who is a Ford MANIAC. He has one. He built the kit. Even he calls it a kit.
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I haven’t thought enough? Oh, I have.
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It’s the guy who will spend 50K on a cookie cutter car that looks like every other one, who hasn’t thought enough, or has no IMAGINATION. What kind of dedication is required to build one of these kits, other than funding?
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Is there parts sourcing? Parts fabbing? Coming up with new and different ways to power it? Nope.
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They are basically ALL THE SAME KIT and you buy ALMOST EVERY COMPONENT from the kit manufacturer. The rest is all figured out for the builder. When you are done building it, it’ll be just like the guy’s down the street. Maybe the color is different. Maybe a slightly different wheel choice. Maybe it’s got a 351 Cleveland or an 80’s 5.0, but overall, it’s really the same, identical sheep for the huge flock of other Cobra sheep.
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As I said before, I think these fiberglass Cobra kits cheapen the originals.
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Are they engineered well? Most are.
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Are they a kit car? Yes.
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Everybody calls them “kits”, ’cause that’s what they are.
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Maybe you don’t like that word, but it is true.

Elise! This was an excellent match up!

cobra, probably pretty sweet with a Hemi

cobra

COBRA FOR SURE

The Cobra. I like my power and torque. I’d put a boss 429 under the hood

cobra

while the cobra is cool, its not a real Cobra, most end up with Chevy engines, parts, etc. So I’d rather have the modern day roadster/sports car, and thats the Lotus.

Elise. Subtlety and guile is more me.

Cobra, but for 50k you could buy a Superformance one, factory built and actually licensed by Shelby! Forget the Factory Five kit car.

http://www.cobracountry.com – lots on here in the 50k range.

Cobras have become like Harley Davidson. Any older guy mostly known for being a consumer and far form a connoisseur gets him a Cobra or Harley when he gets access to enough of his retirement and thinks he is the shit. I am tired of it. If it wasn’t for that, a Cobra would be cool but it isn’t. Lotus any day.

Lotus hands down

I know the Cobra is gonna take the cake, but I’d go for the Elise. Solid package, tight handling, and good power to boot. It’s just more my style.

FFR Cobra. no question. both are awesome rides, but I’m more of a sledgehammer guy than a sawsall type. both get the job done just as good, ones just more BRUTAL.

cobra.
i’d rather have a coupe thougj.

For $50k, I would have selected more of the available suspension options for my Mallett Solstice, which in my experience outdoes both the Lotus and the Cobra in performance and attention.

lotus

I’d take the Lotus. I’ve never been too fond of kit cars…

cobra.

cobra

Let me think here for a minute, yeah cobra. Take one of them and put one of those new 302boss blocks, or a built up 427 like the originals, super t10 4 speed and we’re in business.

I would definetly have to go with the Cobra. Nothing beats American Muscle

Lotus, it’s just plain beautiful

Well, had you said FFR Type 65 Coupe, that would have been my answer.

But I think the Elise would probably win.

Factory Five, every day and twice on Sunday.

FFR Cobras are not “kits” as much as they are homebuilt race cars, much like homebuilt experimental airplanes. The non-donor FFR cars are an amazing, unique piece of engineering, from the frame and suspension parts to the all-aluminum interior and the unstressed fiberglass body. True, some parts are sourced from common vendors like Ford, but plenty of new car models are engineered to share common parts or entire platforms and nobody would call them “kits”. Of course, if all you’re interested in is writing a check and laying rubber, FFR probably isn’t for you. If you’re an automotive purist who loves turning wrenches and skinned knuckes, and who thinks a new set of air tools would be the best birthday present ever, you’d make a good FFR customer.

To the fellas who see FFRs at car shows and dismissively think “kit car”, I say (a) you’re not thinking hard enough about what you’re looking at and the effort/commitment it required, and (b) you’ve probably never driven one.

Cobra all the way! Nothing beats raw, stinking, loud, v8 power. Nothing against the Elise. Just would prefer that Ol’Muscle!

Lotus, hands down. Cobra kits are dime a dozen. I may be biased though, as I am am a V8 Esprit owner

Cobra all the way!!

LOTUS!

I’d have to say the Lotus.
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There are SO DAMN MANY fiberglass Cobra kits out there, that
every time I see one, all I can think of is that it’s just a kit-car.
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Every show I go to, there are several copycat fiberglass Cobras.
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I think it cheapens the real ones…
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I really don’t know much about the Lotus, but I know that
I don’t see them all the time…
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If it were me, and I had 50K to play with, it wouldn’t be either of these cars.
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I’d do something really different.