Visit to Kirkham Motorsports [many photos]

[drooartz]

My local car club took a tour of Kirkham Motorsports today. They are makers of Cobra replicas out of aluminum. The bodies and frames are made in a former MIG factory in Poland. The workmanship I saw was pretty amazing. The cars are normally left just polished -- quite stunning, though I wouldn't want to keep one clean.

Also took a short movie of them using a computer-controlled tube bender to make pipes for a header.

An interesting side note. If you buy an aluminum continuation Cobra from old Shelby himself -- Shelby buys their bodies and frames from Kirkham.

My kind of six-pack!

Custom made A-arms, replace the original steel ones

Think these will fit my Bugeye?

Special engineering project for a major auto manufacturer

Stainless steel frame on this car

Original Shelby Cobra 427, the model they used for theirs

 

[jlaird]

Wait, I gota get the drool off of my keyboard.

Well, if I win the lottery I will have one.

 

[Steve_S]

Stunning cars in polished aluminum, but I wouldn't want to take one on the road. If it didn't blind me, it might blind someone else who would then run into me!

Personally I've never been a HUGE fan of the Cobra roadster, but the Daytona Coupe is pretty high on my list of the most beautiful cars of the era.

 

[sideache]

Great shots! There are a couple of guys that come to C&C with polished aluminum Cobras - One has stripes polished at a different angle - way cool.

 

[DrEntropy]

I especially like the suspension bits. Elegant. Even adjustable rear.

 

[JPSmit]

sigh /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif I have to stop looking at this stuff, I have resentment issues /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cryin.gif

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Absolutely GORGEOUS!

But how'd that E-type bonnet get in there? Do they make replacements?

 

[DrEntropy]

I wonder'd about that too. Kinda outta place. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Looks like an original bonnet underneath it. Maybe the model?

And the seventh picture shows the rear end.

 

[DrEntropy]

Quite likely. An all-aluminum E-Type in the works?!?! w00t-w00t!!!

 

[drooartz]

There was a customer's Jag (7th photo down) in the shop. Didn't catch the whole story, but that is an aluminum bonnet for it, just received from their factory in Poland. They do a small amount of custom work -- if you've got the cash, they can probably get it made for you.

On a side note, some of you may remember a story a couple years back about a US Army chap in Iraq who designed an attachment for his 50 cal machine gun, to allow better sights and such to be attached. That was these guys -- the father was giving us the tour, his son is in Special Forces in Iraq. He showed us a pile of these little attachments, that are now used by all the Special Forces guys. Very interesting stuff.

Great shots! There are a couple of guys that come to C&C with polished aluminum Cobras - One has stripes polished at a different angle - way cool.

Quite possible that those are Kirkham cars -- I got the impression that they may be the only ones making the aluminum bodies, and they sell all their cars unpainted. When I'm rich (in another life) I'll have mine painted though. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[jlaird]

After long thought and sleeping on it I think I will go for one of each. They are just lovely and the rear end looks like a grown up bugeye.

 

[bugimike]

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif Jack, I have always thought a fun project would be to take a BE and turn it into a mini-Cobra look-alike!!!

Who was complaining in another thread that all-chrome grill slats in a T-series MG would be too bright??? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif

 

[Steve_S]

I wasn't complaining, just warning! The TC grill is very vertical so it ends up in other driver's eyes. I think a fully polished aluminum body would be worse overall though.

There is a polished copper Rolls Royce sportster at the National Automobile Museum. Apparently the owner could only drive it at night because it not only blinded him to drive during the day, but was considered a hazard to anyone else on the same road!

 

[bugimike]

Oh, I fully agree with you Steve!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif