Ariel Atom vs Shelby Cobra

[McNutty]

This is really supposed to be in Point-Counterpoint but you can't post pictures there and I thought the side-by-side was important.

vs

No, I don't care if the Cobra is a replica. I wouldn't want a real Cobra anyway; I'd be afraid to drive it.

[Inner Stickler]

Meh. A car is a car is a car. But the Cobra is blue so it gets my vote.

[McNutty]

Originally Posted by Inner Stickler

Meh. A car is a car is a car.

Don't we have a hate speech rule on this board?

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

Where is the option for YOU SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF YOUR BABBY?

[Elyanna]

I like the blue one. Which one is the blue one?

[nonny too]

I pick number 4 - they're both fucking ugly.

[Xan]

Cobra all the way.

[Dirx]

While the Atom is pretty cool, I'd rather drive the Cobra around more.

Though I'd prefer a Corvette Stingray instead.

[Uthrecht]

I'm going to have to go with the Cobra. The Atom sounds like it's unbelievable in performance and so would be a blast to drive on any kind of course, but mmm, the Cobra just is more my kind of car. This is mainly because there are no Excalibur models on the list (if we're dipping into kit car territory).

[Who_me?]

If the Atom is street legal here in the States, I'd take that... but only the supercharged V-6 version though. Who doesn't want a car that can go from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds?

[3acres]

If you're giving them away, I'll take my Cobra with a 427, please.

[Taur]

The Shelby Cobra. It has way better curves than I do.

[Who_me?]

Originally Posted by Who_me?

If the Atom is street legal here in the States, I'd take that... but only the supercharged V-6 version though. Who doesn't want a car that can go from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds?

Never mind, give me the 500 HP V-8 version.

[Borborygmi]

Which one has the better stereo? I drive around mostly to listen to music.

[SoylentPopTart]

Totally the Cobra.

The Atom is too bare bones and while I wouldn't mind driving one once, I don't think it would be as much fun in the long run. Plus it's not like the Cobra is a low performance machine either...

[WormTheRed]

The Cobra is one of the purtiest cars ever made. I'd take it over Natalie Portman to be frank.

unless she'd give me a Cobra, then I 'd have them both

[Steerpike]

Originally Posted by Who_me?

Never mind, give me the 500 HP V-8 version.

Want! Wantwantwantwantwantwant!

[McNutty]

Truth is, the original Atom is still ridiculous power. I'd totally be happy with it. The 500hp mostly buys you the ability to overcome wind resistance and get a higher top speed, which I don't particularly care about. Going around corners is where it's at.

Has anyone here followed Dennis Palatov's saga of creating a lightweight 400ish horsepower AWD track car? He goes into great detail about all the design decisions and trials if you have the patience to wade through the badly-organized website. He built two test cars: in one, he took the V8 he plans to use and squeezed it into an Atom, and for the other, he built the prototype chassis and drivetrain but used an inline 4 cylinder engine. Now he has real funding behind it and is starting to bring up actual production of the final design. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results.

All that considered, that car and the Atom, as super kick-ass as they are, are track cars (yes, I know the Atom can be made street legal, but seriously). I'm not going to get into spending a lot of time on the track. I've done it a little and it is expensive, time consuming, and there is of course risk involved. So any dream car I get needs to be a street car, and it needs to be something SugarPlum would want to drive or at least ride in. So my vote goes to the Cobra, which, as WormTheRed put it, is one of the purtiest cars ever made, and also completely bad-ass. And if you are ok with a replica, which I totally am, they're not even that expensive. Another requirement of a dream car for me is that it not be so goddamn precious I'm afraid to drive it.

[OutStandingInTheField]

The Cobra is beautiful. The Atom ... isn't.

[The Second Stone]

Originally Posted by WormTheRed

The Cobra is one of the purtiest cars ever made. I'd take it over Natalie Portman to be frank.

unless she'd give me a Cobra, then I 'd have them both

I'll take Natalie Portman over either. But I'm a perv.

[Khampelf]

The Cobra is a car. The Atom is an F1 style racer that can be made street legal.
I'd rather have the Cobra.

[dogbutler]

Originally Posted by 3acres

If you're giving them away, I'll take my Cobra with a 427, please.

Me, too.

[Random Precision]

I've gotta go with the Cobra as the prettiest and most practical of the two. But I'd happily set the Cobra on fire if someone would give me one of these;

The Bugatti Veyron

[McNutty]

Originally Posted by Random Precision

The Bugatti Veyron

Not a fan. If you gave me one, I'd trade it in for a Cobra, an Atom, a 68 Camaro and a very nice house.

[Doyle]

The Shelby Cobra is the coolest car ever made.

[SoylentPopTart]

Originally Posted by Random Precision

The Bugatti Veyron

We saw one of these in the wild in Potomac MD, just going for a Sunday drive.

I was like, 'Look at that!'.
Ms. was all like, that's cool, could we get one? So I showed her the website...

She didn't like the price tag.

[Uthrecht]

Wasn't the Veyron produced as a lark, and at a loss for each car?

[WormTheRed]

Originally Posted by Uthrecht

Wasn't the Veyron produced as a lark, and at a loss for each car?

Yup. They sell it at aprox 25% of cost; it was built by VW engineers just to prove they could

[WednesdayAddams]

Originally Posted by WormTheRed

Yup. They sell it at aprox 25% of cost; it was built by VW engineers just to prove they could

Now that is cool.
I went with the Shelby, but my heart still lusts after the Tesla

[WormTheRed]

It's very cool.

But since we're going to list the cars we actually* want, I'm gonna have to got with either one of these:



Or this one:



*realisticly, since I'm not a true motorhead and just want to drive a really good car

[McNutty]

Originally Posted by WednesdayAddams

Now that is cool.
I went with the Shelby, but my heart still lusts after the Tesla

Dude that's a Fisker, not a Tesla.

[Who_me?]

Originally Posted by SoylentPopTart

We saw one of these in the wild in Potomac MD, just going for a Sunday drive.

I was like, 'Look at that!'.
Ms. was all like, that's cool, could we get one? So I showed her the website...

She didn't like the price tag.

Dude... it's Potomac, the only car I could possibly afford that's owned by someone there is a 16 year old kid's second car, possibly a four year old Beemer or something.

It is a good place to see cool cars though. I've seen a Ferrari 430 and an Aston Martin DB9 sitting at a light together. I thought I was watching an episode of Top Gear.

[Mako]

I've driven both of the cars in the OP. On track and in anger.

The Atom is mind-blowing. Organ rearranging. Unless you've ever been at the controls of a jet aircraft, you've never known anything like it. I've driven a (track) Ferrari 360 Modena and it didn't come close.

But the Cobra, despite being a ladder-structured, live-axled, cantankerous, unreliable, vulgar, oversized and overgrown Ace is the essence of beauty.

If I had to choose one car of the two to drive forever, The Cobra would be it.

[SoylentPopTart]

Originally Posted by Who_me?

Dude... it's Potomac, the only car I could possibly afford that's owned by someone there is a 16 year old kid's second car, possibly a four year old Beemer or something.

It is a good place to see cool cars though. I've seen a Ferrari 430 and an Aston Martin DB9 sitting at a light together. I thought I was watching an episode of Top Gear.

I know
That day we saw a couple of Lambos too, it's just that there's so many in that area, they don't even turn eyes.

[Steerpike]

Veyrons are hideous: they look like squashed-flat delivery vans.

[Claptree]

The Cobra, any day of the week. I've been in lust with it since I first saw a photo.

I'm sure most of you have seen it, but in case you haven't: the Weineck Cobra. (In German)

[bengangmo]

How to choose just one?

Totally different cars for totally different purposes.

I still love the original Caterham / Lotus 7 that is the grandaddy that spawned the Ariel, and would really love to have one built from kit one day (would rather do myself, but I am too mechanically incompetent)

I also am totally in love with the Exige S and the late 60's Stingrays...