ERA GT not mentioned much

Hi all,

I'm new to the community here and have been listening in for a while and noticed that there's not much mention of the GT40 kit made by ERA.

I've always known ERA to make fabulously accurate and well engineered Cobra replicas... Is there some reason that they are not a big contender in the GT40 arena?

Thanks,
Mike
 
Like yoy said ERA makes a fabulously accurate and well engineered Cobra and the ERA GT is fabulously accurate and well engineer. I have own 2 Cobras and 2 GT from ERA. The cost of ERA is higher but that is the price for quality and craftmanship.
 
Mike,
I have been looking at GT40s for awhile. ERA has nice cars, but for a long while they were the only game in town and a small producer so prices were high. In my opinion you can get as nice or nicer monocoque cars from Superformance, CAV, and RCR for a lot less money. Plus you can get very high quality space frames from Australia, Roaring Forties, and Tornado for a lot less money.
 
Yikes!! 2 years for ERA to deliver - are you kidding me?

I didn't know about Superformance - do they make a MK I version also, or just MK II?
 
SPF currently only offers a MkII, but a MkI is in development.

Have you looked at RCR? They make a very nice aluminum monocoque frame and their bodies are dead on accurate. They offer a MkI, MkII and a MkIV! Leadtime is about 5 months.

Where are you located? RCR is located in Detroit, MI.

Bill
 
Bill,

Actually, I met Fran from RCR at Carlisle this past year. I was the 6'5" guy mentioned in his posts regarding the show that fit into his GT40 frame he had there - albeit I had to lay down almost horizontal to fit in. LOL!!

He didn't have a finished car there - only prototype stuff. Has anyone put together one of his cars yet? Would be interested in checking it out

Mike
 
Several are in work, but I don't believe any are on the road yet. I will get my car mid-January and hope to have it running (sans paint and carpeting) by July. I already have the engine and trans. I just need the exhaust, driveshafts and few misc items to complete the car
 
ERA makes a great car...has for many years.
I believe they'd shipped close to (100) now...but only
a handful of owners participate on this Forum.
I'm not sure why...maybe because most cars were finished
a while ago and the owners aren't looking for any
parts/advice.

Almost all ERA's are MK 1 type...very few MK II...which
is the opposite approach SPF took. They are releasing the
MK II first...but it sounds like their MK I isn't far behind.

It appears ERA will soon be overwhelmed
by the other GT40 makers in terms of volume...but reading
ERA's mission statement they make it pretty clear they
prefer to stay low volume....so indeed they will.

If all goes well...we'll soon be able to attend club races
populated with CAVs, RCRs, GTDs, RFs, DRBs, SPFs and yes...
some ERA's as well. Looking forward to it.

MikeD

MikeD
 

Fran Hall RCR

GT40s Sponsor
Mike69z..

Nice to see you on here...

I have had a few big guys in the car since you and they are all very pleased and the fact that they can fit at all is a major bonus to them....laying down or not..:p..

I have actually had two 6'8" guys in the car ...one is really slim and they fit albeit a little tighter... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The car at Carlisle was not a prototype but things have continued to evolve as any forward thinking company does...and are even nicer..
 
Hi. Mike. I guess I'm one of the few ERA owners. Had mine some 10 years now. I see Jose Velez also answered your post. It was his red GT-40 I saw up at the factory in New Britain that really sold me. Be glad to answer any questions you may have. Peter Portante is their sales manager and a nice guy. He,ll be glad to build you either a Mk 1 (prettier IMHO) or a MK 2. Bring lots of $$$$$.
They do stainless monocoques nowadays.
Mike
 
ERA GT40 #2076

Great car, great look, high quality, and almost done. Hope to on the road spring 2006. Delivered 11/04 after a long but worthwhile wait. Easy to go for the short delivery vendor /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banana.gif but you'll regret it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bash.gif

Love my ERA

LLoyd /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banana.gif
 

Howard Jones

Supporter
When I decided to do a GT40 I was left with three choices. ERA, GTD, Toronado, At the time there was a also something being done in NZ or Austraia but I couldn't really pin it down. After doing some math I decided that the ERA was going to be $85K + and that a GTD could be done for about $50K. I think there was a 18 month wait fro the ERAs and I couldn't track down anyone importing the Toranodo's into the US. As it turned out I was able to buy a complete GTD kit here in Calif just a few miless from my house.

I really wanted the ERA. I didn't have the money to do it and the GTD was within buget and right around the corner. By the way I was right about $50K-$55K. I'm right at $54K as I write this. I still couldn't afford a ERA and I don't know what they cost today. You can't buy GTD's anymore at least as a complete kit like I did.

I would guess my experiance would accout for some of this and the numbers of cars would accout for the rest of it along with some people want to build one and some people want to own one.

At the time you could buy Kit ERA'a but I think many were done as near turnkeys. Whereas nearly all the GTD's came in boxes. It's just a different customer base I believe and thats good for the hobbie, somthing for everbody. I think the GT40 hobbie would suffer if only turnkeys were avaliable.

Oh and I could never have put my $3000 paintjob on a ERA!!! Now could I ????
 
Llyod

Why would you say that those who have or will purchase something other than an ERA are opting for an inferior product? That is a slap in the face to all the other manufacturers.
 
I've put about 13K or 14K miles on my ERA over the past two summers. There were a few things to be worked out due to the Cleveland engine and EFI since these aren't normally fit, but got those things squared away the first year. I wouldn't be afraid to jump in the car now and travel any distance with it.
It's a comfortable car to travel in and I do run it back and forth to work a fair amount. The ride is surprisingly not harsh at all and it doesn't wander around on bad roads even with 245 front and 335 rear width tires.
The biggest thing I've found to be a hazzard is dragging the front of the car or directly under the seats while going in and out of gas stations and side streets.

The amount of thumbs up you get while driving is surprising, especially from motorcyclists. (I have a bike too and wave at other bikes, but rarely cars)
Cameras and picture phones pointed at you while in traffic or at stop lights are fun too!

Everything about the car is first class as I'm sure the other manufacturers car are too. As has been stated many times on the forum, each potential buyer has to weigh all the options out there and pick the manufacturer that is right for them. I doubt you could go wrong with any of the cars currently being offered. 5 or 6 years ago, there were not quite as many offerings, at least ones being advertised on the Internet.

Like the other ERA owners, I love mine too.
 
Lloyd,
Just because something costs less does not imply that it's inferior. These are kits and that means the builders imput has alot to do with the final quality of the product.
I do remember when you and I both were doing our research and we even conversed on the old Cobra forum. I went with the RF and had to leave that forum because of mob action against RF. One certain individual took it upon himself to torpedo a good product without basis. I still stuck by RF and built my car in under eight months. I have over sixty thousand care free miles with a few minor problems that were shared here in this forum. I'll put the quality of my car up against any other manufacturers out there. My GT may not be the best but it's what I chose through hard work and research. I respect the fact that you did the same. The important thing to remember here is... WE OWN A GT40. A car that will forever be a contemporary classic regardless of the replica company that made it. They all have the essence of what most of us look for. I can't tell you how many times that I get that great feeling of owning one by just looking in the garage. I consider myself extremely luck to own this car. The most impressive thing about owning any GT40 is how easily it helps you meet people and new friends. This forum is a true example of what comes from good friendships. All of us are here because of the cars.

Happy Holidays to All !!

Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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