SPF v. CAV
- Thread starter Hoota Caroota
- Start date
Seriously guys, I did not put Rick up to posting his rear end pics!
Rod mentioned the CAV Series 100 cars, yes there's quite a change between the pre and post s/n 100 cars. Both the SPF and later CAVs are essentially "arrive and drive cars" when completed by a professional builder.
The attractiveness of the Series 100 CAV GTs is in the fact that they are best when upgraded, doing so can bring the owner into the build process and make it more of a personal project. This also works well for budgets that won't cover a brand new pro built car.
When the original CAPE ADVANCED VEHILCES folded CAV Canada was already well down the road of sorting out what the early CAVs needed to meet the increasing demands of GT40 replica buyers.
I have to thank several CAV GT owners for chiming in on this thread and mentioning my parts: Eric re technical support and misc parts, Cliff for the affordable suspension upgrades, Dave again for the suspension upgrades and Chuck for the ZF shifter mechanism. Thanks guys.
So don't count out a Series 100 CAV GT that's been upgraded, or budget the upgrades into your purchase price. You'll end up with a great car. For the "arrive and drive" crowd there's a couple stables with strong horses in the race... pick your pony and get ready for the ride of your life!
Rod mentioned the CAV Series 100 cars, yes there's quite a change between the pre and post s/n 100 cars. Both the SPF and later CAVs are essentially "arrive and drive cars" when completed by a professional builder.
The attractiveness of the Series 100 CAV GTs is in the fact that they are best when upgraded, doing so can bring the owner into the build process and make it more of a personal project. This also works well for budgets that won't cover a brand new pro built car.
When the original CAPE ADVANCED VEHILCES folded CAV Canada was already well down the road of sorting out what the early CAVs needed to meet the increasing demands of GT40 replica buyers.
I have to thank several CAV GT owners for chiming in on this thread and mentioning my parts: Eric re technical support and misc parts, Cliff for the affordable suspension upgrades, Dave again for the suspension upgrades and Chuck for the ZF shifter mechanism. Thanks guys.
So don't count out a Series 100 CAV GT that's been upgraded, or budget the upgrades into your purchase price. You'll end up with a great car. For the "arrive and drive" crowd there's a couple stables with strong horses in the race... pick your pony and get ready for the ride of your life!
Sorry Ian,
but the RCR narrow (Borrani) tail has never changed...I offer three tail widths all pulled from original cars..
We do single and double light versions for the narrow Borrani tail...
As far as I am aware the original KVA was not pulled from an original Mk1 ...it was a Mk3...
Now back to the scheduled programme...:thumbsup:
but the RCR narrow (Borrani) tail has never changed...I offer three tail widths all pulled from original cars..
We do single and double light versions for the narrow Borrani tail...
As far as I am aware the original KVA was not pulled from an original Mk1 ...it was a Mk3...
Now back to the scheduled programme...:thumbsup:
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Rod:
The SPF GT40 MK I plug came from a set of molds made directly from GT40P/1010. The MK II molds also came directly from an original car; however, it's my understanding that the US owner requested that his chassis number not be revealed.
We had the opportunity to park both an SPF MK I and II next to original cars at Road Atlanta and you couldn't tell them apart. Bear in mind that many, if not most, of the original cars had small modifications done to the bodywork- so few cars are absolutely identical.
Alan
Julian
Lifetime Supporter
That is correct as far as I could ascertain from my research at least for the original 1982 KVA, then came a MKII, however in 1984 Ken switched to a Mk1 by popular demand with molds supposedly taken from an original Mk1 car.
Hi Fran,
I had to re-read my reply to be sure there was no foot-in-mouth disease. I didn't say RCR modified the narrow tail, rather that you now offer curvey versions. No harm, no foul.
I spent a lot of time with Ken Attwell at his home in Swansea way back before he retired and know very well where the bodies came from. Suffice it to say, the KVA started the whole thing going with an extremely accurate shape, done with the conscent and cooperation of the Ford Motor Company.
Today we have manufacturers around the globe producing versions of the GT40 consistent with their capabilities and market interpretations. There has never been a better time or more choices for GT40 enthusiasts to buy quality cars.
Cheers
I had to re-read my reply to be sure there was no foot-in-mouth disease. I didn't say RCR modified the narrow tail, rather that you now offer curvey versions. No harm, no foul.
I spent a lot of time with Ken Attwell at his home in Swansea way back before he retired and know very well where the bodies came from. Suffice it to say, the KVA started the whole thing going with an extremely accurate shape, done with the conscent and cooperation of the Ford Motor Company.
Today we have manufacturers around the globe producing versions of the GT40 consistent with their capabilities and market interpretations. There has never been a better time or more choices for GT40 enthusiasts to buy quality cars.
Cheers
Jimmy ,
I agree....no such thing as a bad GT40....
Ian,
no biggie but I dont offer a curvy narrow tail...its still the same Borrani tail ...
but we do offer a plus 2" and a plus 4" (Gulf tail)..and have done for quite some time.
I agree....no such thing as a bad GT40....
Ian,
no biggie but I dont offer a curvy narrow tail...its still the same Borrani tail ...
but we do offer a plus 2" and a plus 4" (Gulf tail)..and have done for quite some time.
Fran, I thought you had to glass in the wide flares on your cars to get the widebody look?
We do ...as was done on many of the originals....
We offer them factory installed or DIY.
We offer them factory installed or DIY.
Hi Jim, the Cobra Club guys are actually meeting this Saturday, but I'll be out of town. I do have a bunch of questions, especially since there's an available MKI roller out there very close to your P2264, although I haven't made any final decisions on which brand to buy, but I'm getting closer.
It sounds like it could be wet up on Skyline from the breakfast thread:
Alice's for breakfast on Saturday 8/1? - Club Cobra
Yes, Dennis still has P2265 for sale, but there are some other rollers available as well. Look forward to meeting you soon too. Now if we can only get a CAV and RCR owner there as well. :laugh:
Thanks for all the responses and sorry I haven't been back here in awhile. The world wide web isn't as world wide as the name implies.
Back on page one or two, Jimmy Patton asked if I was tilting one way or another. It depends on the day. The authenticity of the SPF is tempting yet so are the refinements offered in the CAV.
That said, the web is back in my life only for a day before I head out to the near wilderness for another couple of weeks. I've saved all five pages of the discussion here for leisurely reading and rereading. And maybe rerereding.
Back on page one or two, Jimmy Patton asked if I was tilting one way or another. It depends on the day. The authenticity of the SPF is tempting yet so are the refinements offered in the CAV.
That said, the web is back in my life only for a day before I head out to the near wilderness for another couple of weeks. I've saved all five pages of the discussion here for leisurely reading and rereading. And maybe rerereding.
One of the discussions a few pages ago was about the roof line differences between SPF and CAV cars going all the way to the spoiler. Here's the picture of Chuck Smith's car, a CAV, and SPF #2122.
Sorry I couldn't do larger pictures side by side.
Sorry I couldn't do larger pictures side by side.
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One of the things that’s come up here is comfort and size of the driver. I’m 6'0", 165 lbs., size 10 regular feet. How much headroom is available in each car? What happens if I wear a ball cap, for instance? Would the visor on the cap hit the windshield?
It sounds like the SPF can be modified for more headroom by somehow lowering the seat. How do you do that? New seats? Rebuilt ones?
One thing that’s a little troubling with SPF is the modifications that seem necessary. If they are a clone of the original, why the need for engineering mods? For instance, I’ve read where the rear sway bars and exhaust headers have needed to be modified to fit the chassis, rear suspension travel, and bodywork. Were those complaints of early cars? Do later versions incorporate those fixes and others as well? If so, after what serial number were the fixes made?
With CAVs, everyone seems to agree the post series 100 have been pretty well sorted technically. With SPFs, what modifications are necessary that are endemic to all the cars? For instance, with the early CAVs, the uprights were underbuilt. Are there common issues like that with SPFs?
How about pedal boxes. What are the differences in the pedal boxes between the two cars? I’ve heard that on CAVs, the pedals are forward of the front axle line, which present a safety issue. Same on the SPF? Also, how does the pedal box fit size 10 shoes?
And here’s one for Mike Drew and/or Julian (still there gentlemen?): have you been able to compare the pedal placement and pedal box size in a CAV and/or SPF with what’s in your Pantera? How about with the RCR, Julian?
RMH, what is BDR? Is that a constructor who builds CAVs?
Richard, to answer your question about RCRs, I guess I don’t know much about them but I wonder how strong the chassis is since it’s made of aluminum. And no, your post wasn’t too long.
Back on page one of the thread here, Jimmy asked if all the comments were making mince of my brain. They haven’t – I’ve been enjoying the hell out of ‘em – but I’ll tell you what has. Since my time online has been limited lately, I’ve been loading the pages of the tread on my laptop when I can to read them at leisure. What’s minced my brain has been Microsoft. Thrice now, I’ve settled in to absorb what everyone’s been saying here only to find Windows deciding to restart my computer for me. I’ve lost the thread.
Is everyone here frustrated by all my questions, all in one post? Well, here’s another. I’ve heard that it’s more difficult to climb in and out of an SPF than it is a CAV. True? Why?
It sounds like the SPF can be modified for more headroom by somehow lowering the seat. How do you do that? New seats? Rebuilt ones?
One thing that’s a little troubling with SPF is the modifications that seem necessary. If they are a clone of the original, why the need for engineering mods? For instance, I’ve read where the rear sway bars and exhaust headers have needed to be modified to fit the chassis, rear suspension travel, and bodywork. Were those complaints of early cars? Do later versions incorporate those fixes and others as well? If so, after what serial number were the fixes made?
With CAVs, everyone seems to agree the post series 100 have been pretty well sorted technically. With SPFs, what modifications are necessary that are endemic to all the cars? For instance, with the early CAVs, the uprights were underbuilt. Are there common issues like that with SPFs?
How about pedal boxes. What are the differences in the pedal boxes between the two cars? I’ve heard that on CAVs, the pedals are forward of the front axle line, which present a safety issue. Same on the SPF? Also, how does the pedal box fit size 10 shoes?
And here’s one for Mike Drew and/or Julian (still there gentlemen?): have you been able to compare the pedal placement and pedal box size in a CAV and/or SPF with what’s in your Pantera? How about with the RCR, Julian?
RMH, what is BDR? Is that a constructor who builds CAVs?
Richard, to answer your question about RCRs, I guess I don’t know much about them but I wonder how strong the chassis is since it’s made of aluminum. And no, your post wasn’t too long.
Back on page one of the thread here, Jimmy asked if all the comments were making mince of my brain. They haven’t – I’ve been enjoying the hell out of ‘em – but I’ll tell you what has. Since my time online has been limited lately, I’ve been loading the pages of the tread on my laptop when I can to read them at leisure. What’s minced my brain has been Microsoft. Thrice now, I’ve settled in to absorb what everyone’s been saying here only to find Windows deciding to restart my computer for me. I’ve lost the thread.
Is everyone here frustrated by all my questions, all in one post? Well, here’s another. I’ve heard that it’s more difficult to climb in and out of an SPF than it is a CAV. True? Why?
I don't think the RCR is being considered in this debate but I will say that the foot box is large and there is tons of room. It is much larger than the cobra's I have had in the past. As for the aluminum chassis, it is made from .25 aircraft aluminum then tig welded to form an incredibly stiff chunk of metal and I think Fran has the torsional rigidity numbers on the frame. I would think it would survive a crash much better than a sheet metal chassis, but I'm no expert.
the CAV is easier to ingress and egress for me. the SPF seems to have a wider sponson and the steering wheel position makes it hard to get in and out, however it is removable but a PITA. Neither car is a breeze to get in or out. the pedel box is as original inthe SPF and very well constructed, however mine had a flaw in the way the balance bars were set up and it seemed dangerous to me.
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