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Presidents Report August 2020
Contents
Presidents Chat
Well a month has passed since becoming Mr President and I’m settling in to the role. I’ve caught up with the other club heads and I’m sad to announce that Kim Downs, the NSW President and the NSW committee have cancelled this years Nationals, This Covid virus is hitting our southern cousins a lot harder than it is up here in Qld and with the borders closing to SA and Vic and now us here, Nationals is just not possible.
The Biannual Cooma Historic Car Rally – Surf to Summit is also cancelled for the same reasons. It’s not my place to make comment on the do’s and don’ts of Covid, but I will say, I’m much happier to be here in Queensland than anywhere else!
Also I have been in discussions with the Corvette club President – Brad Stumer about potential joint events in the coming months. Many of our longer term members will remember we used to hold joint events including the very popular car-karnas. We are currently discussing a couple of potential outings later this year, I’ll let you know more as soon as we have something to propose.
Name Badges... we have a few new members and some returning members that haven’t been for a while and like me, many people feel a little awkward when we can’t remember names (especially for me after 15 years of seeing you each month!). So can I please ask you all to start wearing your name badges again. For those of you that have lost your badges or need new ones please let me know and we’ll organise some new ones.
Show and Shine. We had a nice roll up of cars at the August breakfast and most of the attendees took time out to complete the voting cards. The four categories of best paint; best engine bay; best interior and best ‘used’ car should allow each car to be judged on its best merritts and holding the vote over 3 consecutive meetings will hopefully encourage the continued roll up of Cobras.
Albert River Winery Breakfast
- This Month’s breakfast was actually a morning tea at the Albert River Winery, due a last minute cancellation made by the Colmslie. The first to arrive were there by 9am and we had a pretty good roll up of cars including Rob’s very nice GT40 and some we haven’t seen for a while.
We moved in to take our seats at 10am and the staff were excellent and most attentive. The ladies taking our food and coffee orders did so quickly and manged to sort our orders efficiently and the ones I met were wonderful too! We only had the table for an hour and half but no one was left waiting. The only complaints, well observations really, were about the damage the recent rains had done to the driveway, a few of the cars helped out with some accidental grading (oops). On the up side, there was very little dust from the gravel.
We had 31 people in total including Brad and Sandy from the Corvette club. Brad and I are looking to create a couple of joint events as I mentioned above in the presidents report. Brad came along in his white 1989 C4 corvette
This months Raffle prizes were donated by: –
- Rob & Jenny Sandow – A Bundaberg Scarf and Beenie
- Barrie & Heather Corrie – Bundaberg Royal Liqueur
- Alan and Tina Ball – Bundaberg Rum Red Label
- The Club aka Flintstone cellars – Red wine
Out of 4 prizes, 3 were alcohol, and out of the 4 winners, three do not drink! ummmm, maybe we need to start issuing guidelines on what raffle prizes to donate … Just to be clear, I’m fine with the booze, single malt, Rum, Bourbon, Vodka, Red wine , white wine (oh dear this isn’t painting me in good light is it). Seriously though, we’ll try and limit the number of alcohol prizes to 1 or 2 per draw. We have small pool of prizes so we can swap them around a bit I think and we’ll try and keep the number of prizes to 4 (although there may be exceptions to this for bigger events).
Upcoming Events
- Nationals at Goulbourn Oct 2020 is Cancelled
- Cooma Surf to Summit Nov 2020 is Cancelled
- September Breakfast Sun 6th at Historic River Mill
- October Breakfast to be confirmed
- Club drive – Oct 18th or 19th details to follow
- Christmas Party 29th November and the Drift Inn
Member Spotlight Lance Baynton
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How long have you been in the Cobra Car Club?
5 years
What got you interested in Cobras?
My interest actually started with Carroll Shelby, his story, and the cars he built. The Cobra was as raw as you could get; an enormous engine in a small car. Remember that this was back in the 60s. It fascinated me with how he was able to pull the racing program and car building all together to build an icon.
Is this your first Cobra?
Yes
How long have you owned it?
5 years
Was it complete or did you build it?
It was complete and registered, and I bought it from Western Australia. I’d and inspected a few and initially couldn’t find one that was early enough for me to be able to put my “old school” interpretation onto it. I wanted it to look like it was a race car. I searched for 8 months before I found this one. I flew to Perth to inspect it. As soon as he started it up, I knew I wanted it. This was the one!
What year was it first registered?
2015
Cobra manufacturer?
G Force Mk 2.
Paint colour?
White gelcoat, which I’ve blocked down with wet and dry. It took a full day to get it to the polished finish.
Engine brand and size?
460 big block Ford
Engine mods?
Alloy Edelbrock Performer RPM cylinder heads, Edelbrock Torquer intake manifold, twin gas carbs, Eagle H beam rods with ARP rod bolts, SRP pistons
Gearbox?
Tremec TKO600 5 speed
Rear end?
Jag IRS
Front suspension?
Jag
Rear suspension?
Jag
Wheels?
Halibrand 15×8 and 15×10
Tyres?
Goodyear Eagle Billboard 245/50 and 295/50
Interior?
Tan leather, VDO gauges, Moto Lita style wheel
Other notable specifications?
Static cling race decals, working stainless side pipes, twin roll bars
What do you like about this car in particular?
It’s a bit different. I feel like I bought it for a fair price, which gave me the opportunity to change things to give me the look I was after. It’s nice to drive, makes the right noise, has great power and feels like a good solid car.
Have you changed anything on it since buying it?
I replaced the 17” wheels with the 15” Halibrands and Billboard tyres, added the decals, fitted heat shielding throughout the car. I made a cold-air intake from the front of the car and fitted an oil cooler.
Any plans for future changes to the car?
I’d like to have 600hp in the future! I have bought an 8 stack EFI manifold made by Blue Thunder in the US. I’ll fit some racing belts. That’s really about it. I sometimes think about painting it in the future, but to be honest I’m really happy with the way it looks now.
Have you experienced any challenges since you’ve owned the car?
I had a tyre blow out in the fast lane of the highway and getting a sideways car across 3 lanes at highway speed wasn’t the most enjoyable experience. I also have challenges finding LPG around the place, so I’m looking forward to running it on petrol with the 8 stack EFI. Otherwise, just getting caught out in the rain is always a bit of fun.
Anyone you wish to thank for work performed on the car, general advice and guidance, or for any other reason?
It’s great to be able to bounce ideas off other club members, especially regarding the process to transfer registration from another state into Queensland. I drive away from the Cobra breakfasts after talking about our cars with the enthusiasm to keep working on it and keep improving it.
What’s your most memorable moment with the Cobra?
When it arrived! It came in an enclosed car carrier, and the sidepipes were a bit louder then. When it fired up inside the carrier, I thought there’s no way the car would ever be legal to drive on the street! I also wondered if I would even get the car up my driveway. It is legal, and it did get up the driveway…
How does it make you feel to drive it?
I don’t thrash the car or throw it into corners; I just like to get out and enjoy the experience out on the road. It makes me feel good to drive it – it puts me in a happy place. The open cockpit, the nice rumble, it just all adds up to give you a sense of freedom. It’s a place where I can relax and leave the worries of the world behind.
How often do you drive it?
Maybe once or twice a month at the moment. Not enough!
Is Cobra ownership what you expected?
Yes, and then some. There’s nothing else like the driving experience. I mean, have a look at them! If I had a dollar for everyone who wanted a race from the lights…