Unique vs. ERA

[767Jockey]

Hi, folks. I had planned to buy a Cobra last year, but a job change nixed that. Looks like this winter will be the charm. Anyway, my problem is that I'm really torn between ERA vs. Unique. All in all, without considering price I prefer the ERA car. However, when I factor in price it seems to me to be a toss up. Obviously both are quality cars. Can anyone shed some light on the main differences between to two? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Jim Harding]

Rather than reinvent the wheel here's a thread to read that can give you some info........

http://www.uniquecobra.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1490

It gets a little off topic, but it'll start this thread off


- Jim -


Jim Harding
La Plata, Maryland

1982 #3004

[Justin Upchurch]

767,

Please give me a call, I will be more than happy to talk to you about my opinions of the two cars. I was in the same boat as you last year and did extensive research between ERA and Unique. Price was not a factor in my decision. I have looked at both brands in both the FIA and 427 and chose Unique. I had originally put a deposit down thinking I would go with the 427, but changed to a FIA at homecoming.

Justin
hm: 281-485-1116 wk: 713-881-7143

[twanita]

hi, i also narrowed down to these two, visited both factories twice and you won't go wrong with either. i went with unique, southern auto motor and bruce bunn paint job and happy with choice so i am obviously biased.

these comparisons often start arguments but here are a few of the differences i saw.

era bonds their body to chassis and does the interior panels separatly. so you put drivetrain in after car is assembled. then paint. then finish.

with unique you assemble chassis and drivetrain. then paint body separatly, assemble to frame and then finish.



both use well made square tube chassis which vary from the original.

if you equip the era with the same options like leather seats, wildwood brakes, assembling the suspension, bonding the body, etc. it will probably cost 20%-25% more than unique. you might(?) get that back at resale. a deluxe pallet kit, using southern and bunn comes to you with a lot of assembly labor that you don't pay extra for.

the overall bodies, interiors and details are very close in originality but era promotes some little details that add to originality like dash support tubes, exposed lower rollbar, and a cluttered firewall. you can duplicate those details on a unique but you might think the car will look better with out those items.

no one, including kirkam or shelby is making an exact duplicate so it is tough to draw the line on originality details because it is not the same as restoring an original car to original condition.

the era manual,website and sales info is more comprehensive but the unique forum and the accessablity of the weavers offset that.

from what i saw, the quality of welds, workmanship, consistency between kits, fiberglass fit and materials used was equal.

in my opinion, they are very close but you have to do a little more digging to see what a good value the unique is.





Jim O.
Unique 427 S/C #4279479
SA 402FE,Toploader,
3.53 Posi

[wlewis]

767jockey,
Why do you like the ERA better?
walter

[davebetts]

I had the same issues three years ago - Unique vs ERA??? Visited both businesses. Talked to owners and shop workers. Price is somewhat important, but value is very important. I chose Unique and never regretted it for even a moment. The support and person to person help is priceless. Believe me, these Cobras have special issues. You need answers, parts, advice, support and a lot more. You couldn't ask to for a better relationship than the Weaver's. They listen and advise, but you make the choices. They want you to be satisfied with the car.
Both make a good car but, UNIQUE MOTORCARS is surely the better choice!!!

[767Jockey]

Walter,
I wish I could tell you what it is that I like better about the ERA. I'm not trying to be coy or evasive, but honestly I just can't put my finger on it. Looking at the car, it just seems to be just a little better engineerd, a bit more thought out. Perhaps a bit higher end? I may be all wet on this, but these are my impressions so far. That's why I asked for all of you guys to lend a voice. Who better to help but fellow enthusiasts who certainly know so much more than I do at this point. Specifically, I like the rear suspension on the ERA and the options and the way it is mounted. That may amount to a hill of beans, but certainly at least visually it seems to be a more complex, better designed system. As vague as this may sound, I like the way the ERA "sits" better. Again, I can't articulate what it is, but the stance just seems nicer to me. Guys, please don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking your Unique cars at all. I may yet buy one. I'm just unsure, that's all. I appreciate all the generous input you a have given to this point. Any more that you may have, by all means fire away. Thanks so much. Whatever brand I choose, I can't wait to join the extended Cobra family.

[patrija]

767Jockey

Another way to look at Cobra ownership is the friends and "family" you make. I have a question for you ... is there an ERA owners forum with active manufacturer participation that provides this much candid and friendly assistance? Maybe there is one I'm not aware of? I'm not knocking the car or the owners ... but owning a Unique is a different experience. I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you choose - they are both high end cars.

Jason

[twanita]

hi, regarding the way they sit. i don't think the shape of the body varies but if you see several of either brand together you will notice they sit different within the same brand based on tire and wheel size and the adjustments of the coilovers. i compared several at a unique gathering and recorded the sizes of the "sit" i liked best before ordering. jim o.

Jim O.
Unique 427 S/C #4279479
SA 402FE,Toploader,
3.53 Posi

[clayfoushee]

767, you'll have to make up your own mind. There is no clear answer, but as Jim O. just said above, the way the car is set-up (ride height, tires wheels, etc.) has a lot to do with the intangibles you mentioned above. Ride height and tire/wheel choice are owner variables.

After several years of comparing the two (which also happen to be my two favorites), I have a hard time seeing tangible differences in the ERA and Unique 427 bodies. I have seen a wide-variety of owner set ups in both. It's most important to decide what's important to you and make sure you communicate that to whomever you chose.

With enough money in either, you can make them pretty darned close.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[pgermond]

The Unique "family" has been mentioned, and I can't speak to ERA, but the Weaver's are unmacthed (IMHO) in the customer service department - before, during, and long after. Plus, it is an exceptional product! [^] BTW - what is the delivery inteval for an ERA now-a-days?

Phil

427 Roadster, #4279436
Southern Automotive FE
3:31 and Toploader

Roseville (N.Cal)

[Aggressor]

767jockey,
If you have an image of a real or replica Cobra that has what you consider a perfect stance, I am sure that the Weaver's can help you achieve the same look. With any replica a lot depends on setup and combination of parts. For example, my car has a great stance with the exception of the front which should be slightly lower in my opinion. The slightly raised front was a concession that I made to use classic "Cobra" T style oilpan. The pan with extra cork gaskets for windage tray currently yields 3.25 inches of ground clearence.
Even with this concession she has 42 show competition trophies to date.



Also if you look at past major SAAC events notice how fiercely competitive the Unique cars are in show competition. Some prime examples are Mike Fields 289 Le Mans and Rick Bagley's 427SC. I admit to being biased but they have the look and performance factors.

- Geary

[wlewis]

767,
When I made decision to buy my Unique, it was at suggestion of a good friend who told me, "If you'll buy the kit, I'll build it for you". He was very familiar with Cobras and had previously built an ERA and a Contemporary and thought Unique's bodywork, ie glasswork was better. Not knowing anything about any of them, I took his suggestion, visited the Unique factory and subsequently bought the kit. If you knew my friend, Ed, you would understand why I didn't question him. He's and absolute perfectionist who is obsessed with details. If he couldn't find a necesary small part to his liking, he would fabricte one, even to extremes. For example, it took him 14 hours over several months to fabricate the right alternator bracket and months to get the surge tank right. It took 6 1/2 years to build my car! He's really a nut about doing things right. I mention all of this because he's built the two others and thinks Unique is better. I sure cannot disagree. On top of that, the Weavers have been great, putting up with our questions for 7 years! If I had it to over,I'd buy Unique because of the Weavers alone! Good luck in your decision!
Walter

[Justin Upchurch]

767,

I didn't hear from you, so I will post my opinions for you to look at when you get time.

First of all, ERA has the best website in the Cobra industry, I spent hours and hours researching this project on their site. The chassis diagrams and theory along with pictures of all the details are fantastic. ERA also really sales you on how complete their kit is, which is very important to me. I do not want a project that I couldn't complete or would tempt me to cut corners. At this point I was sold on ERA, but wanted a small block, but didn't like the pictures of the FIA that Peter had sent because I thought the front end was too high. Anyway, Peter found an FIA for me to look at in Texas that was for sale, and as luck would have it ths person also had an older ERA 427 to look at. The FIA was cool, had a little bit of a perky butt which was unexpected, but the 427 was bad-ass. I don't have to tell you any more because it sounds like you are already familliar with the ERA. But just for your information one car had the Jag rear end and the other had the ERA outboard brakes. Peter had recommended that I go with the inboard setup for a smoother ride, butI had already decided to go with the ERA outboard set up because the ERA jag is known for wheel hop. Peter also recommended I upgrade the brakes in the front since the standard issue are single piston GM units. After a while the FIA began to grow on me, but in the mean time I did a little more research.
My searches on CC and other sites kept pulling up Unique when people would compare other kits to ERA. This is when I discovered this forum and the research on the Unique began. Obviously, I went to Unique's web page, but it doesn't even remotely compare to ERA's web site. The first thing I noticed was the frame and it seemed like all of the supports were missing and the car was made of 2x4 rails intead of 3x4 like ERA. Digging through the site and checking on this forum I realized that Unique's Deluxe Pallet Kit came with almost everything that was an option on the ERA car, including the big brakes, Jag rear end, and it was already assembelled! This warranted a call to Unique.
I spoke with the Weavers and they explained to mee their philosophy of having a removable body, and that their frame wasn't missing supports, but the pieces you see on ERA's web page are jiged in with the body (I later saw this at homecoming). Also they explained why 2x4 frame rails are used instead of 3x4, and comming from a race car background the logic made since. You will have to call Alan or Maurice for their explanation as I do not want to put words in their mouth. At the end of the converstion they gave me Kelly's number, but they did warn me that the car was ORANGE!
I called Kelly that night and he told me how great the Weavers were to work with and a little about his car. But more importantly he invited me down to his house to take a look at his car the next morning and to go for a drive. I pulled into Kelly's driveway and there it was the ORANGE ONE! The first thing I noticed about the car was how low and wide the ass set, if it was a woman you would have to grab it! No disrespect ment, just the first impression. Also the Lamborghini orange with the white stripes looked awsome, even on a rainy day. Unfortunatley we were not able to go for a drive because of the rain, but Kelly was nice enough to show me every detail of his car and talk for a couple of hours. I had also brought the Backdraft and ERA brochures with me to compare pricing.
The fit and finish on Kelly's car is top-motch and every bit as good as the ERA, if not better in some areas. In most areas I would say the cars are very parallel, because they both use the same suppliers for most of their parts. In fact, the cars were so simular that the interiors smell the same.
As for the body they are virtually identical. Both cars sit very low in the rear and if you see several Cobras at a show you can spot an ERA or Unique because the peaks of the rear quarters sit between six inches and a foot lower than most other cars. The nose o

[clayfoushee]

Very nicely done Justin! You captured the intangibles better than anyone else.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[767Jockey]

Justin,
Sorry I didn't call. I have no idea how I missed your message with your offer for me to call. Somehow I skipped past it. Thanks for offering, and I apologize for not taking you up on it. I just messed up somehow. If your offer still holds I would love to speak with you. Anyway, thanks to you and all the others who were so generous with your time and expertise. I will certainly take all your opinions into consideration when I finally make my decision. The benefit for me is that given my access to air travel I can go see the folks at Unique easily, and ERA is just a 3 hour drive from home. Clearly the next step is to go spend time in both factories and see the products first hand. Thanks again to all of you for your written advice, and to Brian for your generous time spent on the phone. I truly appreiate it. By the way, are any of you aware of any Uniques on Long Island up here in NY that I can see? Thanks.
Doug

[Justin Upchurch]

Doug,

You can call me any time. Just look at the post above for the number. Give Unique a call to find an owner close to you. There are two guys that drive down from Conn. for homecoming every year. Both of those guys have FIAs at this time, but it looks like from the post of the car with the flames that one of them is getting a 427. You may want to get in touch with them to see their cars.

Justin

[767Jockey]

Justin,
I called on both numbers and got machines. Since I'm in and out of home constantly, I didn't leave a message since your chances of reaching me on any given day are slim. I'll try back. Thanks again to all of you for your valuable input.

[cobracobra]

Doug, Even though mine is being built as we speak, I never went to ERA (and its only 1/2 hour away) or even seen a Unique. But I chose Unique more because of VALUE/PERFORMANCE. And the combo you can go with by going with Southern and Bunn for painting is unmatched. when I get mine, probably in 2/3 months your more than welcome to check it out.....Mike - CT

[olblu66]

HUM I DONT KNOW ABOUT THAT