Cobra Experience: Cape Coastal Roads With The Top Down

WATCH: Get behind the wheel of an open-top V8 vintage-style Cobra for a day and experience the Cape Top Gear-style with Cobra Experience in Cape Town

Picture it. Your hands grip the steering wheel, you feel the breeze rush through your hair, the fresh sea air fills your lungs and the roar of the powerful V8-engined Cobra sports car thunders in your ears as you hug the bends of the snaking coastal roads.

This is it. Cobra Experience. Cape Town’s ultimate sports car adventure.

You know, something like this:

WATCH: COBRA EXPERIENCE SPORTS CAR HIRE IN CAPE TOWN

BUILT FOR MAKING MEMORIES
At Cobra Experience, you get to drive factory-crafted V8 Cobras, custom-built for the road by local race car specialists. And you get to drive yourself. That said, though, the petrolheads at Cobra Experience are passionate about helping you plan the perfect itinerary – whether you’re heading to Cape Point to witness the breathtaking views, stopping over at Llandudno Beach, exploring the Cape Winelands or just chasing the sunset. There are usually about nine stops, loaded right onto your smartphone to guide you through your day.

“We know what people like, and we want them to create memories that they’ll never forget,” says Cobra Experience founder David Ash. “It’s an experience within an experience – you get to discover Cape Town from the driver’s seat of a Cobra.”

SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST SPORTS CAR HIRE IN CAPE TOWN
Operations manager Matthew Muldoon explains: “We know our customers well and regularly do the route ourselves, this helps us find the best places for them to stop. We work very hard to tailor-make the experience so that it's one for the memory books." 

Besides the normal tourist spots, the team will also guide you to their favourite restaurants, unknown back roads or hidden beaches.

DRIVE THE LEGENDARY COBRA
When American automotive designer Shelby built the first Cobra in 1962, the world fell in love with the classic open-top V8 sports car.

Rumour has it that it was the AC Cobra pioneers who tested their 4.2 litre V8-engined monsters at over 183mph (294kmph) in the UK that led to the country introducing the 70mph speed limit on all unrestricted roads. And now you get to drive a modern and refined version in Cape Town (make sure to watch for speed cameras).

MODERN RACING TWIST ON THE VINTAGE COBRA
Just how modern and refined are the cars at Cobra Experience? Very. The fleet of vintage-looking Cobras are all hand-built with modern parts by Backdraft Racing. You know, the guys behind these incredible racing Cobras:

These Cobras come with power steering to make cornering a breeze and an automatic gearbox so you can focus on the journey. They pay homage to their predecessors from the ‘60s, though, with original style dashboard dials, mirrors and turn signal levers, not to mention the two sporty stripes down the middle of the hood.

GO FOR AN EIGHT-HOUR CRUISE
The most popular option is the full-day experience, which means you get the car for eight hours and you can cover up to 120km. They have stopped offering the half-day experience since people did not want to bring the car back after only a few hours, says Ash.

The other option is the sunset experience, which covers about 35km and lasts 1.5 hours. “A drive along the coastline and watching the sun disappear over the Atlantic Ocean is best done from the seat of a Cobra,” says the team.

Customers also take the Cobras out for events such as film shoots, birthday celebrations, matric dances and weddings. 

COST AND BOOKING INFORMATION
The full-day experience: R2850
Sunset experience: R1500

To book, phone David on +27 (0)83 376 0376, Matthew on +27 (0)83 666 8321, or book online.

By Daryn Wood

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