While Gardner Douglas' Euro 427 may hog the limelight, the company's Jaguar-based Cobra replica still accounts for the majority of sales.

Part of the Kit Car Industries appeal is its affordability - you can build a car with supercar performance for Mondeo money. But, whether we like it or not, there's also a certain amount of snobbery. When you're building something from scratch and taking all that effort, you want to make it the very best you can - certainly better than anyone else's! So when you are faced with a car that is offered in a number of different options, there's often pressure to go for the 'best one. After all, who wants to spend a lot of money and time on something that is inferior?

'Affordable', budget and 'base model' are all words that could be used to describe Gardner Douglas' Jaguar-based Cobra replica when compared to the company's acclaimed GD Euro car. But such things are always relative. A Lamborghini Diablo Vi is some £40,000 cheaper than the GT, but it's hardly what one might call the budget, low-tech version and it, like the Jaguar-based GD, takes the lion's share of sales.

Not that there's anything penny-pinching about Gardner Douglas' latest factory assembled Jaguar-based roadster. The paintwork is excellent, the interior awash with Connolly leather and deep carpet and under the bonnet there's a serious Chevy 350ci V8 which is good for 350bhp. Built for a customer to his own specification, even the turnkey price is an eye-watering £32,000 once labour and all the options have been added in. 'Budget' and 'base model' are words that just don't seem to sit comfortably with the immaculately presented performance roadster in front of us.

The Gardner Douglas, in any of its various guises, has a slightly unique appearance within the hard-fought Cobra replica market. More closely emulating the Mk3 289 variant, the smoother lines have been enhanced by GD's policy of using the minimum amount of typical Cobra jewellery. Under-slung exhausts instead of side pipes and the lack of front and rear nudgebars all help to keep things simple (although both remain available to those who can't resist).

Add into the equation the introduction of Single Vehicle Approval in 1998 and the enforced absence of traditional brightwork such as wheel spinners and flip-top fuel caps all enhance an image of sophistication rather than in yer face bravado. Save for the recommended use of 16 rather than 17" wheels, there really is nothing to distinguish the Jaguar-based Gardner Douglas from its performance Euro option. Even under the skin both use the same backbone chassis and semi-monocoque GRP body.

Unique within the Cobra replica world, this set-up offers a number of advantages. In order to get a more conventional ladderframe chassis torsionally strong it has to be big, and that means weight penalties. Spaceframe construction is another alternative, but a backbone chassis achieves a number of things that would have been difficult to obtain with the former.

A backbone set-up makes assembly during the build-up process extremely straightforward while enclosing the drivetrain is a substantial safety cage. Combined with GD's unique body construction, the chassis can be fully built with suspension, engine and gearbox, wiring, brakes, steering and almost everything else in place prior to fitment of the body. Using a backbone chassis means that the body has to be self-supporting and in order to achieve that you're looking at a monocoque type construction. Front and rear bulkheads become moulded-in structures with a honeycomb sandwich floor and foam filled sills and side panels.

The result is a package that has certainly won a great deal of acclaim, both for its structural rigidity but also for the way in which the rubber-mounted body helps to isolate the cockpit from both road and suspension noise -once aqain addinq to the sophisticated feel of the whole ensemble, GD developed the Euro suspension package in a successful attempt to overcome the Jaguar components' obvious shortcomings - essentially those of substantial unsprung weight and only limited adjustability. As such, the Euro's use of aluminium uprights, lightweight Ford components and dedicated double wishbone suspension has addressed both problems highly successfully. In most road-going situations there's little to tell between the two setups and even GD admits that it's only when things get pretty frantic that the Euro option takes a clear lead. If proof were needed, then you only have to look at the company's race car, which won the BRDC Sports Racing and GI championship two years in a row using the Euro package.

Not surprisingly, the Jaguar-based car takes a somewhat more conventional route, retaining the Jag's front wishbones, stub axles and braking set-up along with the standard width rear driveshafts, wishbones and inboard differential and disc brakes. Avo coil-over dampers (two up front and four out back) keep everything running smoothly, GD recommends sticking with slightly smaller 16" wheels on the Jag cars to improve ride quality.

The test car has been retrieved from the owner after only three weeks so that we can get a drive. Using brand new components throughout, it should come as no surprise that it looks totally immaculate. The brand new Chevy engine was supplied by Re-Power and benefits from a major Edelbrock performance package that bumps performance up to a highly respectable 350bhp. Allied to a Tremec 5-speed gearbox with a very long cruising 5th-gear, the car has great continent-bashing potential.

We've always commented on them, but Gardner Douglas unique inner door release handles are a real treat compared to the agricultural release catches found on most fake snakes. They also fall in a sensible place if you actually want to open the door whilst in the car and without resorting to contortionist extremes. They're a real treat.

Inside, the driving position is good. With the optional addition of Gardner Douglas' adjustable pedals, theres simply loads of space in here to accommodate drivers well over 6 tall. The gearshift falls easily to hand on the substantial centre tunnel and the sensibly sized leather steering wheel suggests a car aimed at driving rather than posing. Single Vehicle Approval has both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to replicas. The modern dash-mounted rocker switches may seem a little at odds with the 1960s feel (although we really like them), but the properly positioned and comprehensive set-up mirrors are a real boon. Only the centrally mounted mirror seems a little small - something that could easily be rectified, but otherwise they're excellent.

Gardner Douglas has seen fit to retain the original Jaguar ignition switch and steering column lock (again for SVA reasons), which requires a bit fiddling around under the dash to locate and use. A push button on the dash then engages the starter motor, but by now we've already rummaged through under dash wiring and generally felt a bit ham-fisted.

The Chevy spins into action accompanied by the most glorious baritone rumble through the under slung exhaust. GD has designed the system in-house, so it fits neatly under the car and works well. The fact that it sounds quite unique is an added bonus - a sort of subdued musical thunder.
Wearing comparatively narrow shoes, we're slightly surprised by the comparatively tight confines of the footwell where the peddles are pretty tightly packed. On the positive side, they're not as wildly offset as they can be in Cobra replicas with massive centre tunnels, hut it's a surprising irritation in a car that otherwise appears so user-friendly.

The steering, while heavy at parking speeds, soon lightens up and remains utterly positive throughout the drive. With no discernible bump steer and a good suspension set-up to start with, the steering is one of the really positive aspects of the GD driving experience. It encourages the driver to push on and dials in some excellent feedback about what's happening at ground level. The Jaguar wishbones may not allow for quite the same degree of adjustability as the Euro, but when it works this well anyway, why worry? By comparison the brakes were less promising, with too much spongy travel in the pedal to really inspire confidence. The company was aware of the problem and felt it was probably just a set-up glitch with such a new car - certainly it was something they aimed to address as soon as we left.

Out on the roads the Jaguar suspension certainly seems to do a terrific job. The ride is supple and the composure over some really nasty back roads is excellent. The car simply feels good. And while that is not perhaps the most technical description we could have come up with, it's certainly something that accurately describes only a few of the cars we get to drive. What we are really talking about is a combination of factors that gel together to deliver a really rewarding driving experience. The balance of the car is good, the damping just about perfect, the steering feel responsive, with the result being a car that's both easy to drive and easy to exploit.

350bhp under the bonnet also ensures that this car is no slouch. Allied to a smooth and precise gearbox, the GD can be hustled along very swiftly indeed. In typical V8 fashion, progress is delivered in massive great waves of sledgehammer power. There's nothing too technical about it -just good old brute force endowing the car with mega wallop. Allied to the box's extra tall fifth gear, it's really easy to see how you could cruise at autobahn speeds without breaking into even the tiniest sweat. At 75mph you're cruising along at around 2000revs so at 4000rpm we'll be looking at around 150mph - that'll do very nicely indeed!

Of course, such performance doesn't come cheap, the engine and gearbox package from Re-Power setting you back a cool £6100. All of which brings us to the sobering business of finances. We've already mentioned the slightly frightening turnkey prices and Gardner Douglas estimates that a similar spec car could be built at home for arourd £23000. Conversely, a base spec car retaining the gel-coat finish and using a nicely rebuilt Rover V8 engine could hit the road from around £16,000. The performance won't be as good. but the noise will be much the same and the level of finish for the suspension need not be compromised at all so long as you carefully refurbish the donor Jag components. All of which means it's quite possible to get a car on the road, with good performance, for late teens money.

We've spoken to a number of fake snake manufacturers over the last few months and theres little doubt that you now need to be looking at the mid-teens for a solid spec, Jaguar suspension/Rover V8 engined car which is well finished and using suitably refurbished donor components.
Two things make this latest visit to Gardner Douglas so memorable. Firstly, the car feels very modern in terms of its abilities and levels of finish. From the interior switchgear to the refined handling, ride and interior comfort, this feels a thoroughly modern car.

Secondly, you really have to wonder whether the premium paid for the Euro option is worthwhile if you only intend using the car on the Queen's highway. Yet again the GD product has left us thoroughly impressed. It's certainly not the cheapest fake snake you can buy, but then sometimes you just have to spend the money to get what you want.

If you fancy one, then contact the Gardner Douglas Sports Cars, Pin fold Lane, Bottesford, Nottingham.
Tel: 01949 843299