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PART - 1 - AT
AT THETHE FACTORY
FACTORY -- AA CUSTOMER’SCUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVEPERSPECTIVE- SPO 2891
SPO 1649

MKIII’s

THE JOURNEY OF TWOS-FROM HERE

PART-1

Juan & Cindy Lopez-BonillaLouisville, KY

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FULFILLED

A JOURNEY

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

Original 1960’s 427SC owned by Jim
Maxwell, NC.

As a youngster, growing up in the 1960s, I was fascinated by automobiles
and specifically those of the Muscle Car Era starting with GTOs and 442s,
etc. At the time anything with a slight exhaust rumble captivated myattention and made me drift away from anything that should have beenacademically prudent during my high school years.(can you relate?)
The Cobra of course was such a strong influence to kids like me thatof impressions etched in our hearts from that time, those of the Shelby
Phenomenon remain on the surface of our consciousness forever.
Economics, stints in the US Navy, college years and a family, washedsome of those early memories with an untouchable veil of longing. Our
responsible quest to take care of family was our Cobras of the 80s, ourkids’ education. Oh boy did it pay off, with 4 solid kids on the right path toliving well, and a wonderful and supportive wife, Cindy. That reallyshould be our legacy on this Earth.
After 4 great kids and 4 college careers it was time to revisit earlier
thoughts of “Visceral Tingling” at the sound of 500+ ponies at the tipof your right foot.
1998, that is when I stumbled upon what I thought was a real Cobra fromthe 60’s, at a Superformance Tradeshow Booth in Louisville, KY during
the Hot Rod Nationals. My youngest son Marcos was with me. He was 15
at the time but knew quite well this moment was special. Not only did I
find out that the car was not priced in the high $250,000s, like most of us
thought, but that it was a replica costing a fraction of that.
Dean Rosen was there, then one of the owners of Dynamic Motorsports
in Ross, Ohio, a Superformance dealer. He captivated me with his passion
and love for these cars and, yes, I blame him for jump starting this phaseof my life.

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Replicas, what are they?

Replicas, who owns them?

Monika gets a new tenant?

That was my question to Dean at thetime. Later I discovered that there wasan entire industry dedicated to,satisfying the likes of me, affording us
the financial reality of owning one ofthese beautiful, nasty and insane
monsters of the roads.

Armed with the knowledge that one ofthese beautiful pieces of mobile art
would be mine I wanted to know
anyone who owned these.

Monika is Sam’s wife. I can only
imagine, in the ensuing months,
Monika asking Sam, “Doesn’t hehave a home to go to? He’s
always here.”

2003, with a few names and phone
numbers of Superformance customers
in the area I did my due diligence by
assuring myself that this replica was
the one. DONE DEAL? Not exactly.

It seems like from that first afternoon
on, every minute I had to spare wasspent asking Sam, “If you ever go for
I left the Dynamic Motorsports Bootha spin on your MKIII give me a calland Dean “BITTEN BY THE SNAKE”
and I would offer shotgun ridewith the thought of 500 plus ponies in
Well, in my above quest for assurance I support”. Well, he never called, I
my head.The seed was planted withnever gave him a chance, I was
periodic visits to the computer in search was rewarded with the best part ofalways calling as soon as I knew he
Cobra ownership, a best friend.
of more information on anything Cobra.
got home from work. Every day sharp.
What I found out was that only thosewith endless sources of green grass can Samuel Jackson, who?
The first day he showed me his MKIII
afford what a real Cobra costs today.
Sam, one of the names Dean gave me, I was stunned, not only from the
The alternative for us mere mortals is
beauty of the car’s show quality paintis a Superformance MKIII owner thatclear. Replicas.
had purchased his MKIII a year prior. I job but the sheer brute and raw
2002, four years later, and the sale of my remember my phone conversation with horsepower displayed by the Ford
Design business, became the sparkplugs Sam in February 2003. After explaining Racing Engine lurking within.
that ignited the high octane fuel for my 8 his pride of Superformance ownership“BITTEN BY THE SNAKE”
and asking if I wanted to see his
cylinders of lust for a Cobra replica.
Superformance, I promptly asked back, Hooked I was for sure, and with abest friend to last me a lifetime“Can I Come Over?”, Sam replied
I am not going to enter the debate
and…
“Now? Sure”, “BIG MISTAKE”
engaged in by many on which Cobra
replica is the best, the most original, etc.
Sam Lives about forty minutes from myThat I leave to the Purists. I just enjoy
house at the legal speed limit of 65
looking and driving my replica. The
mph of Kentucky highways.
feeling is all Real.
Thinking back he estimates that fromthe time he put his phone down with
I studied many of the Cobra replica
manufacturers and decided that the one the word “Sure” coming out of his
mouth, maybe not ten minutes had
for me at the time was going to be apassed and I was right there at theSuperformance built MKIII.
Jackson’s residence. “BAM!!”
Here you see Sam ON THATFIRST DAY showing me his
pride and joy in his garage.

02:12:2003

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PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

What is a MKIII?
Built under license from Carroll Shelby
Licensing Inc., the MKIII looks like anexact Cobra replica from 1965 should.
It is aesthetically and dimensionallycorrect. It is sure-footed and reliable
and is as exciting as the great sportroadsters of the sixties.
Each rolling chassis comes completely
assembled and painted, less engine andtransmission.

All MKIII’s come with:• Show quality two-stage paint finishes. • Aluminum pin drive “Halibrand” stylefiberglass body with reinforcing inserts. wheels (Knock – off) with 15” tires.
• Heavy duty TIG welded ladder frame• Side and rear view mirrors.
zones.
• Carpeted interior and trunk.
• Fully independent front and rear
• Aluminum finished firewall.
suspension. Limited slip differential.
• Soft top and side screens.
• Original style side pipes and headers to • Tonneau cover.
accommodate a 351,460 or 427 motor.
• Sun Visors and wind wings.
• Willwood® power-assisted vented disc • Wipers & Washer, heater/defogger.
brakes (4-pot calipers.)• Leather seating surfaces• Billstein® custom crafted coil-over• Original style latch-lock seat belts.
shocks.
• Moto - Lita wooden steering wheel.
• Monza style filler. (locking gas cap)
• Aluminum, single core hi-performance
radiator, shroud and dual fans.

• Original style gauges (Smith) andswitches. (Lucas.) Reverse 180mph
speedometer .
• Original style pedals, catches andfittings.
• Original style shifter and hand brakelever.
• Stainless steel roll bar, chassis
mounted.
• Oil cooler and braided lines.
• Stainless steel fuel tank. 17 gal.
(Pressure tested.)

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Who is Superformance?
A distributor for complete, "Rolling
Chassis" replica and continuation
race cars of the 1960's,
Superformance has distributed
specially constructed cars in the
United States for over 12 years. As
one of the first players in theindustry, Superformance has over
20 independent dealerships
throughout the world. They haveearned their reputation withattention to detail, quality,
craftsmanship, fit, finish andcustomer service.
Superformance LLC has a longstanding relationship and build
contract with Hi-Tech Automotive,
in South Africa, who is the world's
largest specialty car production
facility. Together they and Hi-Techhave produced and distributed morethan 4000 rolling chassis
worldwide.

The Hi Tech Automotive 400,000 sq.ft.
factory is located on the Southern tip ofSouth Africa, West of Port Elizabeth.
Hi-Tech employs over 600 highly
trained craftsmen.

Juan & Cindy Lopez-BonillaLouisville, KY

STREET ROADSTER

My1stMKIII

SPO 1649

2003

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January 2003 Love at first sight! With my wife Cindy that is. She is therock that has made the last 20 years of my life a Renaissance. My love affair
with the Cobra would not have been possible without her.
I remember very vividly the month ofJanuary 2003, very, very cold. But on thisparticular Saturday morning the sun wasshinning especially bright and we embarked
on a sightseeing trip to Cincinnati, OH tovisit Dynamic Motorsports for the very firsttime since meeting Dean Rosen 5 years
earlier.

Arriving at Dynamic on that Saturday
morning with temperatures hovering at 17
degrees was not the proper framework to
introduce Cindy to the finer points of Cobra
replica ownership. But she hung in there.
The reaction from my wife upon seeing theseincredible beauties was followed by a“…These must cost a fortune? “Dean assured my wife that the cost of thisincredibly well made replica was a small
fraction of the cost of an original. Her
response ”…well, not too bad…”
Bam!! The deal was done!

01:18:2003

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2004 We spent many, many days and hours
riding this work of art. As a result of owning
this replica my world has changed forever.
Made many new friends and helped form the
Kentucky Cobra Club.

My1stMKIII

July 2003 Picked my first MKIII, SPO 1649 at Dynamic Motorsports andPerformance Engineering. Eric Hindenberger built and installed my engine
and transmission. 427 W Stroker, 566 hp / 557 lb ft torque. A true beast.

SPO 1649

2003

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

2005 After 2 wonderful years of ownership,
an attorney from Nebraska made me an offer
I could not refuse and my beautiful MKIII
was gone.

07:15:2003

Juan & Cindy Lopez-BonillaLouisville, KY

STREET ROADSTER

my2ndMKIII

SPO 2891

2008

S

All photos on thissection of thebooklet courtesy
of Francois
Oliver, Hi-Tech
Automotive,
South Africa.
The names on
the photos arethose of theemployees thatworked on SPO
2891 at Hi-Tech
Automotive.

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April 24, 2008 2 Cobras and 3 years later afforded me the luxury of tryingout and buying different manufacturers’ replicas. What I discovered is thatno matter what brand of replica you own the pride of ownership is all thesame, just ask me. After 5 years of owning and looking at different brandcars I decided that purchasing, my 3rd Cobra, another Superformance MKIII
was right for me one more time. On this date I ordered my 2nd MKIII.
BODY PREP

In these pages I will try to capture the whole
production process for the manufacture of my new MKIII,
SPO 2891, in South Africa. Without the assistance of
Shane Miller, Lance Stander and Jimmy Price this would
not have been possible.
CHASSIS ASSEMBLY

04:24:2008

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PRIMER COATING

my2ndMKIIIThis time, however, I decided to special order the car just the way I wanted
it. A Street Roadster Special. No side pipes, no stripes, no rivets, no hoodscoop. Under car exhaust, wire wheels, a hardtop and two roll bars, please,for my wife Cindy. All of these photos are of my car (SPO 2891) as it isbeing manufactured and assembled. The photos were taken by
Francois Oliver at Hi Tech Automotive.

SPO 2891

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

While a trip to South Africa, to document the process
personally, would have been nice the price tag made it
impossible for me. So I relied on the staff at Hi-Tech
Automotive to provide me evidence of the process.
Enjoy the ride!

BODY TRIMMING

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Raymond

Superformance utilizes a multiple booth paint shop, each with its own in-lineoven, located in a climate controlled and dust-filtered environment. The
paint used is PPG Light Toreador Red Metallic, a GM color spec.

IN THE PAINT BOOTH

The color I chose for my street roadster special is a PPG/GM
color having been used only once on the 2003 Saturn.
Light Toreador Red Metallic
HARDTOP FITTING
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BASE COAT HAS BEEN APPLIED

my2ndMKIIISuperformance uses a twin-pack urethane base coat-clear coat system andeach body and component is hand-sprayed by highly qualified andexperienced spray painters.

SPO 2891

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

In the above picture the base color has been applied andwaiting for the high gloss clear coat.
The color will look flat and golden
ONE OF THREE PAINT BOOTHS

until the clear coat is applied.

05:21:2008

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After painting and baking, each body is flattened with 2000 grade flatting
paper. The bodies are then machine and hand polished to the tough,gleaming surface that is the most visual quality of a Superformance Replicar.

LET THE BUFFING BEGIN-

FROM THIS…
BeuatyAs the car is being buffed you will begin to see the richdepth of the color I have chosen.
Light Toreador Red Metallic

05:22:2008

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….TO THIS-BUFFING BRINGS OUT RICHNESS OF COLOR

my2ndMKIIISuperformance bodies are also non-stressed, so they will never show
pit marks, print thru or stress marks. Careful handling of all body parts
exemplifies Superformance’s dedication to high quality.

SPO 2891

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

This is show quality paint and body at its best.

BUFFING DONE - NEXT…

05:22:2008

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Simon & Ashton

Superformance pride continues throughout the whole process ofmanufacturing. Headlamps are assembled and attached as well ascompleting the wiring, affixing the windscreen, roll bars, etc. Quality control
also inspects all progress to ensure all production standards are maintained,
no watches, rings, phones, belt buckles or loose items are allowed in theassembly hall.
ASSEMBLY-

WHERE IT COMES TOGETHER

DivanWhat has always impressed me about Superformance isthe attention to details.
NOT A BAD ANGLE

Note the taped edges on the fender wells to avoid
nicks and scrapes.

05:28:2008

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CONSISTENT-

HIGH-QUALITY

The above photo illustrates what typicallydistinguishes Superformance from other Cobra replica
manufacturers. Notice, for example, the jig used for
accurately positioning and installing the windscreen.

my2ndMKIIIPRECISESPO 2891

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PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

NEXT STEP…

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Ashton & Lee

At this stage of the build process the roll bars are installed as well as theinterior of the car is finished. Only a factory with a work force of over 600
employees can dedicate the adequate amount of time required to recreate
one of these high quality replicas in the short time frame it takes Hi Tech tofinish them.
FINAL ASSEMBLY-

ROLL BARSJacques

05:29:2008

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ROLL BARS

my2ndMKIIIFINAL ASSEMBLY

SPO 2891

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PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

Jimmy Price, President of Hi Tech Automotive, hasbeen so very kind in having company staff provide mewith photos of my build. I had the pleasure of meeting
Mr. Price at Dynamic Motorsport in Ross, OH.

05:29:2008

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Yanda

FINAL ASSEMBLY-

HARDTOPSimon

The fabrication and installation of the hardtop for the
MKIII requires a lot of attention as you can see by thesephotos.
INSURING FOR A TIGHT FIT
Simon, Wesley & Ashton

05:30:2008

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HARDTOP
Jimmy Pricemy2ndMKIIIFINAL ASSEMBLY

SPO 2891

Ashton, Wesley, Simon

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

The factory in South Africa employs 600 plus personnel
with diverse backgrounds and skills assuring you a prompt
quality and value driven response to your order.
Above: My friend Jimmy Price with my completed roller.

05:30:2008

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FINAL ASSEMBLY-

ELECTRICAL
Shaun

Each MKIII is accompanied by a comprehensive“Owners’ Manual” that outlines the proper
procedures for maintaining your new MKIII.

This is a factory built
automobile not a kit. Only
this way you can be sure thateach MKIII is assembled withas good a quality job as
the first.

06:03:2008

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ELECTRICAL

my2ndMKIIIFINAL ASSEMBLY

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PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

The electrical system on every MKIII is designed for longlife and ease of maintenance.

06:03:2008

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FINAL INSPECTION-READY TO SHIP?

WesleyThe final inspection is not a quickie courtesy
check. This insures that your investment is securewith a reliable rolling chassis that can be driven
on the streets comfortably or at the track.

06:04:2008

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READY TO SHIP?

my2ndMKIIIFINAL INSPECTION
AshtonSPO 2891

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

At this stage of the build process the car is gone throughcarefully to make sure your ride is all you expect it to be,safely. Next stage is pre-shipping.

06:04:2008

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GET ME HOME-I AM READY

My first Superformance MKII, which I bought in
2003, was ordered with little or no input from mylovely wife. 5 years later, a little different story.
As you can see, now our MKIII will have 2 rollbars, a hard top and no side pipes.
Request of my lovely wife Cindy, it’s “Our Car”.

06:05:2008

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GRADUATION TIME!

In these photos my car is now in the process of
being ready for shipping to the US. I have been on
pins and needles since I ordered my car in April 24,
2008. (My, how time flies) Next step isloading.

my2ndMKIII

SPO 2891

SPO 2891

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

WHAT A SIGHT…

06:05:2008

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LesleyLOAD ME UP-

BOUND FOR THE U.S.A.

The car shipped to the USA on Friday,
June 6, 2008 aboard the MSC Voyager fromPort Elizabeth, South Africa. Estimated time ofarrival at Ross, OH is July 7, 2008.

HERE I GO…

06:06:2008

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GOING ON SEA DUTY!

my2ndMKIII

SPO 2891

SPO 2891

2008

PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

I hope you haveenjoyed this part ofthis journey with me.

Shaquil
HOW FAR AND YET SO CLOSE.

You too can embark onsuch a journey once
you are…
…“Bitten By The
Snake”(continued on book 2)
Juan, SPO 2891
Louisville, KY, USA

06:06:2008

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PART - 1 - AT THE FACTORY - A CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

TO HEREPART-2