250 or Kobra? Anyone in the Northwest for show and tell?
 

I think I've settled on a Tribute Z3 based conversion but I haven't made my mind up between a 250 SWB or a Kobra.

I'd really like to look over a couple of live specimens of each to see what they look like in the flesh. I'm based near Manchester and I'm wondering if there are any builders in the Northwest that I could hook up with?

Around 13 years ago I built an MK Indy and sold it after 3 years on the promise of the prospect of a Supersnake 5K based on the Mondeo ST which sadly never made it into production. I've been too long without a project and need to get my hands dirty again.

I've looked at a few builds on this forum and they all look great (eventually...)

I'm planning on going to Stoneleigh next month but I didn't find a tribute owners club stand, or did I miss it?

Anyway, I look forward to hearing from someone.

There is a Tribute club stand this year and there were a couple of cars on it last time. There were several 250's there but some were on the Italian Replica club stand. Like wise a couple of Kobra kits around the show ground.

I think ClassicCoachWorks and Tribute have a combined trade stand from what I can gather from reading a thread on here a while back.

In my opinion the 250 works well over Z3 chassis and there are some fantastic examples out there. The Kobra is fine but is only ever considered a base / entry level kit car amongst the other "Cobra" owners.

I went to see Malcom at automotivenostalgia in Middlesbrough. He has about 4 250s in various state of build. Great guy and helps a lot with the build. I bought my tribute 250 kit from him

Thanks for the quick reply.

All being well I'll get a chance to see what's what in a couple of weeks time :icon_biggrin:

Thanks Hughandjen, I've just taken a look at their website.

That might be a worthwhile diversion to take next time I head up to Edinburgh (which I seem to be doing a lot of at the moment..)

I think they are also likely to be my closest potential supplier of the kit.

I've just ordered my Stoneleigh tickets and I think the hunt is now on for a nice Z3

Whether you buy from Chris at Tribute, or a sales agent, the price should be the same as published on the Tribute website. Ditto after sales support, it will likely be equally good. Whichever option you go for, ask Chris about dashboard options. Good luck with your build, and be sure to create a build thread on here.

PM sent , Geoff .

Yep same price through agent

There are 2 very nice 250's on eBay at the moment, £39k and £48k. There is also a very nice Kobra for £12k.
Does that help your decision?

The yellow one was at automotivenostalgia for quite some time as is where I got my inspiration from. The detail is very good indeed.

Dash is a bit dodgy, just a cover over the original BMW instruments. Back looks as if it is bonded on, not a good idea in case the fuel filler (bit of a weak point) or anything else needs repairing.
Yellow is going to limit its resale appeal.
For that sort of money I would expect a new roof with a DNA style rear window.
It is nice to see the 250's being put up for sale for decent money.

I was reading Ericholm's build diary yesterday morning so it's interesting to see it for sale on eBay. The really interesting part though will be to see if it sells and if so for how much.

Since I saw the 250 SWB kit I have to admit that it is a very attractive looking car and I feel myself being pulled very strongly in that direction.

Interesting that at the show there were dozens and dozens of cobra kit cars and less than one dozen 250s. That is why I went for a 250 build

I think I'm ready to close this thread now. I've bought my Z3 and I'm going to run it as-is for the summer then work on converting it to a 250 SWB over the winter.

I'll start a build diary thread when I kick off :-)

Thanks to Geoff and Justin for showing me their's

Cobra kits have been available for over 30 years and there have been many manufacturers. Along with the Lotus 7 lookalikes they have been the mainstay of the kit car industry for that period.
The "classic" replica's such as the 250 models are still a new thing, as is the rebody concept, so there are far fewer cars out there and are a bit more of a niche product. The rebody idea will grow and so will the product range so long as the powers that be allow it to happen.

Seems that way. Here on the other side of the pond, is opposite with most kits being re-bodies of VW's, Fiero's, etc.
Cobra's and Hot Rods the exception.