Newbie ready to purchase, why choose Hurricane?

[MalcolmV8]

Hi there.  New guy here.  I've never build a Cobra kit car but I'm no stranger to turning wrenches. You can take a look at my web site and see. I tore a smashed up 92 Ford Ranger down to a bare frame and built it up as a hot rod v8 powered Ranger. A 5 year project, which I will be selling to fund the Cobra kit car project.

I also turned my daily driver 94 Ranger into a V8 powered all wheel drive truck. Both trucks are EFI and great fun to drive.

So anyhow I'm trying to make a choice which Cobra replica to purchase. FFR by far seems to be the largest company moving the largest volume which makes me want to stick with them for quality reasons.

However my original first choice and the company that got me all pumped to build one is Hurricane Motorsports.  I'd always wanted one and then after seening them in person at the Kansas City Good Guys show it's got me pumped.
The huge attraction with Hurricane is for $15990 you get absolutely EVERYTHING you need. No donor car required. That's pretty cool. All you supply is engine, wheels & tires, and paint. It's a really attractive looking deal.

Of course I don't want to blow my money on a lemon either. That's why I'm here looking for people with real knowlege and know how.  A lot of you on this site have probably built a Hurricane and can offer me first hand experience.

I found this page that outlines the donor parts required for the FFR kit
http://www.factoryfive.com/table/ffrkits/roadster/donorlist.html
Well the Hurricane kit only costs about $3000 more and includes everything I need. There's no way I could purchase all that stuff on that page new for $3000.

However the frame concerns me.  I'm not bashing it but the Hurricane frame looks closer to something I could build myself in my garage where as the FFR frame looks like a work of art.  Their tube chassis design looks very riged and I'm sure a great deal lighter.

Another concern with the Hurricane is the ride height.  In all the pics I've seen they seem to sit quite a bit high.  Is this adjustable?

Also I've noticed the FFR's come with a nice aluminum construction for the firewall and inner cabin where you sit where as the Hurricane is a fiberglass tub.  I assume the fiberglass for the cabin is pretty thick and possibly has layers of plywood in it for strenth?  Combined with the heavy looking frame I'm afraid it's going to be very heavy by Cobra standards and loose some of that fun power to weight ratio.

What do you guys think? I'm building this a fun car to play with on the street. It's not for racing and will probably never see a race track. Not that I want to sacrifice performance or handling, just letting you know what I plan on using it for.

I had originally intended on putting in an 03 Cobra motor and tranny into the Cobra replica as I absolutly LOVE the power of my 03 Cobra. Not to mention the motor is so smooth and loves to rev. Power is insane from idle to red line. Very nice to drive. However after looking at prices ($12k just for the motor) I may have to settle for a blown 351 or something... that's a secondary concern. First issue is picking the car that's right for me and my budget.

So I guess what I'm asking here, is there anything special about the Hurricane that makes it the right choice?  Why should I pick it over the FFR despite the square tubing frame, fiberglass tub cabin, and possibly higher than normal ride height?

Thanks so much for helping out a newbie. I've ordered some Shelby Cobra books from Amazon.com to brush up on the history and authenticity of these wonderful vehicles.

Take care
Malcolm

[Dan]

Malcom:

I had many of the same questions and ended up going with Hurricane. In terms of ride height, I don't see the height issue. Maybe one of the resident experts on the original cars can weigh-in in terms of how the Hurricane compares. I do know that the Hurricane body wins out in terms of accuracy in comparison to the original cars. It's a relatively accurate reproduction, while the FFR isn't, particularly the rear-end. In terms of frame, while I really like the engineering behind the FFR frame, it results in a very tight passenger compartment. The Hurricane design allows for more leg and foot room, which for me was a primary consideration. In terms of how this translates into ride and performance, I've ridden in both cars, and think the Hurricane is on equal footing with the FFR for spirited street driving; I doubt I'll be able to over-drive the car's potential. For true road-track racing at high speeds, I imagine FFR would perform better, but that's not how I intend to use the car. The other major issue that pushed me toward Hurricane is the quality of the body. I've talked to many guys that have built FFR cars and was surprised by the amount of extra time and $ that went into final body prep. Their quality in manufacturing of the body appears to be hit and miss. Hurricane on the other hand has proven to require less 'fixing.'  Add all that to the fact that all the parts you need are provided, and they're all high quality, it became a clear choice for me. I traveled to KC to meet Mike Arps and visit the shop and came away convinced they're turning out a quality product, and will be there for years to come for support.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[LMH]

Hey Malcolm
You may have been told this before but I urge you to read about the frame set up ERA uses and why they use it. It is true that FFR does have a stout frame. It was designed to be a race car from the beginning as the Smith brothers wanted to race cars as a hobby. That led to the FFR being produced, but making a round tube car stiff is different than making a box tube car. Most people don't really understand how it works.
Hurricane uses a frame design similar to that of ERA. Read this about round tube vs square tube: http://www.erareplicas.com/misc/stress/deslogic.htm

As for the cars being too high; Take a look at HM1001: http://forum.hurricane-motorsports.com/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1152563959
His car looks just about perfect for height in my opinion.

I'm not going to bash FFR. It's a well made and well thought out car. And I know them very well as I've built one that belongs to my brother. But what I wanted was a car that was much closer in shape and profile to an original and FFR couldn't fit that bill IMO. The body is just too far off. I couldn't swing an ERA which was my first choice, (SPF was never considered) when I happened onto Hurricane and they offered what I was after. I would buy another one if I had it to do over again too.
Let me know if I can answer any questions about FFR or Hurricane.
Larry

[MalcolmV8]

Dan,

Thanks for the reply.  Nice to hear some positive stuff about the Hurricane.  While I will probably never meet its limits on a track I would want it to perform very well as I sure like to drive em hard.

It's great to hear you've driven both and thought they were on par with each other.  Is there a big weight difference though?  I see the Hurricane's are between 2700 and 3000 lbs which seems very heavy to me.  Heck my 03 Cobra came in at 3662 lbs.  The FFRs are said to be 2100 to 2200 lbs but I don't know if that includes the motor or not?  It doesn't say.  I'm looking for an excellent power to weight ratio for maximum fun.
It's nice to hear the Hurricane has more interior space... also kinda scary because I sat in one at the Good Guys car show and thought "man this is TINY inside".  If the FFRs are even smaller inside that might be to tight.

What you say about the body is consistant with what I've been hearing.  In addition to the Hurricane having a more authentic look (which I really like) I hear it also has rolled edges which I've heard the FFR guys saying they wish they had it... well some of them.  Others say it would just make an already small interior be even tighter.

Take care
Malcolm

[jwd]

[MalcolmV8]

Larry,

Thanks for those links.  No I didn't know any of that information about the frames.  It makes me feel a lot more conformatable with it now.

It's also nice to know the Hurricane is closer to the original design, although I have to admit I'm still learning the differences myself and can't really tell yet.  Do you have any pictures of both your Hurricane and your brothers FFR side by side?

Since you've built and driven both and would still pick the Hurricane for your next project that's great to hear.  Which rearend did you go with?  I'm wanting the IRS but have not spoken to anyone who's used it.

Jim,

Where did you get those much lighter weights from?  They do sound much better.  When I was at the Good Guys car show in Kansas City I found the Hurricane booth which is what got me all excited about building a Cobra replica.  Of course that was my first taste of them, I didn't know what to look for or what questions to ask.  The person who helped me out at the show was very helpful and seemed to know a lot about the cars.  I asked about the weight, twice actually, and he pointed to one of the cars and told me it was 2700 lbs and that black one you see with the number 98 on it (on the home page) he said was 3000 lbs because of the big block.  Was he mis-informed?

Thanks
Malcolm

[jwd]

Malcom,

Here is the link to the thread on ClubCobra- www.clubcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71840

Rich is one of the owners of Hurricane Motorsports. I would assume (and hope) that he is correct in his statements.


Jim

[LMH]

Hey Malcolm
On the rear end, I picked the 9" solid axle because the IRS unit wasn't quite ready for sale when I ordered mine. However, if I had to do it over, I would have opted for IRS. (and I still may buy it and switch mine out.) I have the 3.50 or 3.54 or whatever the 9" ratio is in 3.5. I can't remember the exact ratio at the moment. Limited slip is a must with either set up, trust me. I think Tom has IRS on his car if I'm not mistaken. Maybe he'll chime in and can tell you more about his.
The only photo I have of my car next to an FFR is when my car arrived, a couple friends came by to help unload boxes. One was an FFR MKIII and I took a photo of the two together. Kind of hard to tell the differences in photo's but in real life, the more you look the more obvious they become.
There's also this line up: http://www.erareplicas.com/427/profiles/index.htm
Larry

Here's the photo I took of mine:

[k_pauley]

Thought I would give my two-cents worth on the "why buy a Hurricane" question.

I originally began searching for a Cobra replica in the logical place (FFR) due to their extensive advertising. After pricing everything out and ordering their build manual, the thought occured to me that if I wasn't careful, I'd end up with basically a "Mustang" in my garage (that looked like a Cobra), but had 70,000-100,000 miles on it! This was not a time in my life I needed a high-mileage car sitting in my garage needing attention..............

After pricing a Hurricane with all new parts (and crate motor/ new transmission), I realized I could have a NEW car with very little increase in $$$$$$$. After 1,500 miles, I'm happy to report I think I did the right thing. My Hurricane has been extremely trouble free, with NO repairs necessary to any components supplied by Hurricane. No electrical problems, no brake system problems, no suspension problems, ect.

With the exception of a problem I created (car rolled out of my garage), I've enjoyed driving my car every day weather permitting! In addition, the public response to the Hurricane has been tremendous!!!! The Hurricane is not a car you will ever need to make excuses for! These things, combined with the fantastic service provided by the crew at Hurricane, have convinced me that purchasing HM 1001 was an excellent decision!!!!  

[dlowman]

I am in SpringHill, Kansas and still building mine so I am local to you probably.  I love the hurricane.  I have a neighbor that has an FFR and he was really impressed with the hurricane and the way it was built.  You look at the cars side by side and there is really no comparison.  You can make the FFR look just as good, but it will cost you more money in the long run.  

Dan

[Rich Burroughs]

Larry,

...
Where did you get those much lighter weights from?  They do sound much better.  When I was at the Good Guys car show in Kansas City I found the Hurricane booth which is what got me all excited about building a Cobra replica.  Of course that was my first taste of them, I didn't know what to look for or what questions to ask.  The person who helped me out at the show was very helpful and seemed to know a lot about the cars.  I asked about the weight, twice actually, and he pointed to one of the cars and told me it was 2700 lbs and that black one you see with the number 98 on it (on the home page) he said was 3000 lbs because of the big block.  Was he mis-informed?

Thanks
Malcolm

Malcolm,
I am sorry I did not get a chance to talk with you directly at the Good Guys show.  You might have been talking to one of our newer associates. We had a crazy busy weekend there and recruited help from some of our employees. I think he was a bit mistaken in his weight estimates...

To answer you question, the weight of a smallblock car (the silver car at the show) with 1/2 tank of gas and cast iron heads is around 2350. Big block 80-100lbs more. You can easily shave 100 lbs if you are weight conscious.

The height is fully adjustable front an rear. As far as the frame goes, I think it would help to see the quality of our welds and the strength of our frames first hand. We have customers with over 800hp in our frame without issues. On top of that, our "standard" 3 link rear and adjustable A-Arm front suspension are top notch in strength and quality.

Since we didn't get a chance to talk (and I assume you are local), perhaps you could come in for a shop tour and we can talk about what we offer. We are always happy to go over the details of our kit.

Rich

Richard Burroughs
Hurricane Motorsports

[mrmustang]

Malcom,

   Since i have not yet owned a Hurricane I cannot tell you how they ride or handle differently, I can however tell you that the hype you here about round tube vs square tube and one chassis design over another is 85% talk and 15% factual. Does Hurricane make a nice product, yup, you bet, does FFR, again, yup, you bet. Does one body shape look more accurate than the other, yes, Hurricane wins this one hands down. Does the tub vs pop riveted aluminum panels matter, only to a select few as neither offers any advantage (other than a lack of air leakage) over the other. I believe the biggest advantage to owning one or the other is the group of owners and their attitude(s). Take a look at the responses you have received on the various forums and decide for yourself which is more of the class act over the other. You can then go from there.

Here is wishing you the best on whatever decision you personally decide on.


Yours In Racing Fords,

Bill S.

[LMH]

Well said Bill.
Larry

[HAVASUBILL]

Malcolm,   Great to here your planning on building a Cobra replica.  

It's difficult to chose which brand is best for you..they're all good and each brand has specific positive and negative points.

The Hurricane is a very correct replica, a complete kit and with the ford 9' rear end, just to mention a few of the Hurrianes finer qualities.

The best thing about Hurricane is the fine support you will get from the folks at Hurricane Motorsports, the helpful and detailed informaton on the forum and the great feeling that comes with owning a fine sports car when your done.  

Anyway, best of luck on your quest.

Bill  

[mrmustang]

Well said Bill.
Larry

Larry,

  As a staunch, long time supporter of FFR as a company (how many other people have Dave Smith's personal contact numbers in their cell phone   ), I am amazed at some of the bashing that takes place. I had a recent experience in Penn while driving a CSX3000 series car where a "pack" of replica owners degraded themselves in public, again I just cannot fathom this type of mentality. it's not a certain brand owners group, just a select few owners who drag everyone else down with their actions. So far, the Hurricane owners groups seems to not fallen into that same quagmire, and again I commend you guys as a class act that likes to keep an open mind to everyones opinions. Even if those opinions differ from your own. I'll stop rambling now as I'm buried in moving and business paperwork, I will however ask, aren't we all just car guys, can't we appreciate each and every one of them for what they are and not have to put down one car or another just to make our personal choices more acceptable to our own ego(s)?

Again, everyone who reads this, keep up the great work, while I've yet to owned a Hurricane, you never know what the future might bring.

Yours in Racing Fords,

Bill S.