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Thread: Top Speed in a Unique??

  1. #1
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    Roseville, Ca., USA.
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    Mine hasent moved for 5 Years, that doesnt make it very fast but I'm sure getting good mileage.
    Rod
    Roseville, Ca.
    289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"

  2. #2
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    As I recall Tony Naumoff ran the quarter mile over 120 with top up a while ago.

    - Geary

  3. #3
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    Top Speed in a Unique??

    Having just seen Dick Smith's 198 MPH Cobra it made me start thinking about our Unique cars. Who among us has seen the fastest speed in a Unique? Official or unofficial it doesn't matter. As long as it is an honest recollection not being fattened and spiced up with a bit of BS here and there.

    Look at the second image below.
    Daytona Beach: Official Speed 198.045 MPH

    -Geary
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  4. #4
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    140 a couple of times (per speedo, not data acquisition) - car was very stable. I always begin thinking about the benefits of a full cage, Hans, arm restraints etc. at those speeds.
    Gary
    Unique FIA 351W

  5. #5
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    Silk out of the first 55 viewers you're top dog at 140 MPH.

    - Geary
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    Last edited by Aggressor; October 26th, 2010 at 05:25 PM.

  6. #6
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    123 mph (according to the speedo) on a rolling country road filled with coyotes doing leap frog with other Cobras on BFG's that weren't speed rated. Scared the B-Jesus out of me thinking about the tires giving out and/or a critter jumping out in front of me. It was still climbing, but I thought better of it (all the while my wife was screaming and beating the piss out of my right arm!)
    Phil

    427 Roadster, #4279436
    FE Specialties FE
    3:31 and Toploader (wide ratio)

    Roseville (N.Cal)

  7. #7
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    I was black flagged at Lowes Motor Speedway for running too fast at a Kit Car event back in 94, 160 on the track radar. The next day I flipped the car entering turn 3, I had looked at the speedo going down the back straight and it showed 163 mph. The car was fairly stable but the tires I was running went away and rolled off the rim going into a chicane causing the rim to dig into the asphalt and turning me over. Terry pendleton was running with me that day and stayed on my tail, we both have Nascar engines.

  8. #8
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    For me top speed is 125 for a brief sprint on interstate 79 during the SAAC34 Convention last year. I got into it with an original 3000 series CSX (Number unknown) on the 20 minute run to Beaver Run Motorsports Park. Calculated top speed on my car is limited to 140 MPH due to the 39,500 RPM limit on the Paxtons.

    A few more vintage racing photos.

    - Geary
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    Last edited by Aggressor; October 27th, 2010 at 11:00 AM.

  9. #9
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    Pearland, TX, USA.
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    In the FIA the speedometer only goes to 160, and I have had it that fast a couple of times, with a little room to go....maybe. It wasn't really too light, but you could tell a difference between 140 and 160.

    I do not think Dick Smith"s car ever got to 198 miles per hour. I just don't think that he was running an endurance motor at the time that was capable of pushing that brick almost 200 MPH at Daytona's roval.

    In 1993 Ford took a stock bodied 93 Cobra Mustang, and tried to get it to the 200 MPH mark. They finally got there but with an R trim Vortec and 740 HP to the wheels. This car is much more aerodynamic than our roadsters.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nrba-lCFs8

    Justin
    Last edited by Justin Upchurch; October 27th, 2010 at 07:32 PM.

  10. #10
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    Justin: Someday you'll have to upgrade and install one of my custom made Stewart Warner 240 MPH speedometers.

    I just watched the video. Here's something for discussion.

    The cd for a 1993 Cobra Mustang is listed at 0.37

    The stats as published by Road & Track Magazine in 1966.

    The drag coefficient for 427 Cobra S/C is 0.42, frontal area is 2.26 m2 (from Road&Track 1966)
    (Daytona Cpe had cd = .29)

    Coefficient of Drag (Cd): 0.42
    Frontal area (sq. ft.): 24.3176
    Vehicle and Rider Weight (lbs): 2550
    Speed (mph): 198

    Horsepower needed to push Dick Smith to 198 = 551.6

    -Geary
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    Last edited by Aggressor; October 28th, 2010 at 06:23 AM.

  11. #11
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    Birmingham, AL, USA.
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    Gettin to old for this but I touched 133 on west Lakeshore, Birmingham, AL. Front end was very light and hard to keep in straight line. As I was slowing down, came over a slight hill, and the fuzz was on my side of road pointing radar right at me doing 90. Cost me $150. and 3 hrs in class. Now I make a first run down to check for cops. State Trooper ticket for speeding can run up to $300. Ain't worth the 20 sec thrill.
    Bob

  12. #12
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    Newton, NJ, USA.
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    Known Top Speed

    On Pocono, PA tri-oval (North Course road track). I didn't have the courage to look down, I was mentally preparing for the braking to go through a sharp right turn; heavy brakes and throttle releveling of the car; but the driving instructor says we were doing 115 mph. Not enough track to go flat out, without continuing down the ti-oval (not allowed in roadrace program). Sounds as good as it feels though.
    I must be getting older, but I will not do the high speed stuff without the right tires and track to safely run on. Doing AutoCross now, try it, alot of fun.

  13. #13
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    I understand one of the nastiest Uniques was built for wrestler Goldberg. 9000 rpm Ernie Elliott racing engine is what I have heard.

    More Vintage
    -Geary
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  14. #14
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    Goldbergs car has a Nascar 351W stroked to 454 CI and dynoed at 898 HP, I don't know how fast it is but I have talked to a few people that said they would never get back in his Cobra with him driving. He still drives the car as far as we know.

  15. #15
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    Port Charlotte,Florida
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    A pretty straight,rural road over near Arcadia has my name all over it.

    I have run my Unique by a half dozen radar guns alongside the highway in 4th gear. Every single one shows 80 mph/give or take a couple,at 3500 rpm. The Digital 6 is set at 7K.

    It is a pretty sudden slow down when you hit the rev limiter topped out in 4th.

    The car is pretty flighty at speed though. I really wouldn't care to go much faster. Now,0-90,I don't think we can ever decrease that enough in a street car.


    Chris


    BTW,purely hypothetical. Read at your own risk. Not approved by most mothers. Improper use can and will result in you becoming gator food.
    "Why built it if you are not going to beat on it ??"

  16. #16
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    Chris, 80 MPH, you must have steel b@lls !!!

  17. #17
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    Roseville, Ca., USA.
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    Quote Originally Posted by chris knueven View Post
    A pretty straight,rural road over near Arcadia has my name all over it.

    I have run my Unique by a half dozen radar guns alongside the highway in 4th gear. Every single one shows 80 mph/give or take a couple,at 3500 rpm. The Digital 6 is set at 7K.

    It is a pretty sudden slow down when you hit the rev limiter topped out in 4th.

    The car is pretty flighty at speed though. I really wouldn't care to go much faster. Now,0-90,I don't think we can ever decrease that enough in a street car.


    Chris


    BTW,purely hypothetical. Read at your own risk. Not approved by most mothers. Improper use can and will result in you becoming gator food.
    Let me see... if 3500= 80 in 4th then topped out at 7000 = 160?
    Rod
    Roseville, Ca.
    289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"

  18. #18
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    Jul 2003
    Location
    Kansas City, MO, USA.
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    The local Cobra club had an event out at Kansas Speedway a few years back, and I was able to get mine up to 143. That was not radar gun confirmed, just what the speedo said (and I've never had it professionally calibrated, so who knows hows if it's accurate up in that range).

    I could have gone faster, but the crappy little Holley I've got kept running out of fuel if I went faster than 90mph in the banked turns, so I couldn't really set myself up exiting the corners as fast as I wanted. Plus I had some "tire-anxiety", as I was rolling on my sub-par street Goodyear Eagle GT II's, which are definitely not speed rated for that.

    I know one thing, and that is it felt danged fast. The wind buffeting at those speeds in these cars is pretty crazy, and when you combine that with the side pipe noise, it felt a lot faster than 143. The car itself was stable and not "flighty" at all - very confidence inspiring.
    Unique 289FIA - Chassis #9229 - Viking Blue

  19. #19
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    Weatherford TX
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    16

    Still have a speed addiction (somewhat)

    My goal is to reach 150 (just once!) in my future 289 FIA powered by a slightly massaged 351 Cleveland I'm finishing.

    Since I have barefoot skied at 69 mph, speed skied at 85+ behind my former 402 Chevy powered flat-bottom V-drive, passed through 130 in my Hemi Magnum RT (after drinking, turned her on!), nailed my former 350 Chevy ZZ4 powered Boss Hoss scooter to 140, piloted my former Piper Comanche 260B at 200+ 5 feet above the ground, it seems reasonable.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aggressor View Post
    As I recall Tony Naumoff ran the quarter mile over 120 with top up a while ago.

    - Geary
    That's with babying her off the line.

    I have had it faster. The straight at Gateway IR you can pick up a lot of speed even though it is short. Coming off the banked turns you can be at full throttle in high gear as you come into the straight away. You need some big brakes before you enter turn one. It is a fast turn but turn 2 has a late apex and that is where you get into trouble if you don't have either enough speed bled off before you enter one or a go-cart to take it. A few guys lost it there.
    Tony
    Unique 427 #4279480 Precision Engine Machine Company 427 s/o 483.47 stroker close ratio toploader 3.31 jag rear

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