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I'm the 3rd and longest owner of SPF # 747, affectionately known as Boeing 747 by some on the SCOF forum. I received all the previous ownership history from the 2nd owner & confirmed the car's entire history thru Doug Reed Motorsports in Louisiana, the original dealer that sold the car new. Ronnie Kruger, now retired SPF CEO in South Africa, confirmed the actual build & ship date of Mar. 29, 2000, and a great history of how the earlier cars were entirely built by dedicated two-man teams. The name of one of the team members, Pierre Steyn, along with the car number is written in white paint marker under the passenger side dashboard! I was attracted to Superformance because it was one of the few cars that I could fit in at 6' 3" tall. The consistent build quality and overall fit/finish was a very strong deciding factor, so in mid 2003 I set out on a search for the right car, and it had to be "Burn your Retinas Red" with white stripes, perhaps from my initial encounter with a real street Cobra as a young child. My search soon went beyond the California borders, where I found the absolutely perfect car in North Dallas. I flew there on Dec. 6, 2003 to see the car in person, and after a brief drive bought the car on the spot. It was shipped after the holidays and has been in my garage ever since. I have made several minor modifications to this car, many with documented help from several SCOF resources. This includes eliminating the rear wheel hub spacers for added tire clearance, a billet Pro 5.0 shifter mechanism, Jordan shifter handle w/ white knob, Steeda differential brace, R/T shock tower brackets, custom driveshaft safety loop, custom 3 mufflers from Stainless Specialties, a Rob Frink billet remote clutch reservoir with custom bracket, fan motor covers, remote vacuum reservoir, Canton oil thermostat, Bilsteins from car #21xx and a McLeod safety bellhousing. I also had the rear Trigo wheels extended 1" inboard by having new inner halves machine welded on. This was a necessary modification when I used to run 325/50-15 Mickey Thompson drag radials. I kept the rims when I moved to the more period correct Goodyear Billboards, and the wider rim actually helps the larger rear tires set better on the car. Lastly, I have added a Blas Costagli s remote circuit breaker to the amp gauge. This particular car is powered by an RDI 392. RDI out of North Carolina was a very popular option for these cars before Roush began to dominate the market. It s essentially their One Lap of America motor and features a pretty stout Comp Cams hydraulic roller that still manages to exhibit good street behaviors. I just LOVE the idle with this cam and the motor pulls strong well past the 6,000 rpm pill I have in the MSD box. I used to have a lot of polish under the hood but have more recently leaned toward the brushed finish for ease of maintenance & it just looks racier. I used to have the proper rims and monster 325 MT s tucked underneath the back end, and I really liked the look and performance, but quite honestly the Goodyear Billboards really make the car and I've been showered with compliments ever since I went that way. They also stick like crazy and make the car fun to drive. SCOF is the best Superformance resource on the planet and my car would not be complete and running well if not for the fine contributions by several there.
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