BUILD YOUR OWN POWER MACHINE
Once I saw two identical red Porsche 911 cabriolets, with identical drivers playing identical loud music stuck opposite each other in the traffic, and still nobody looked.) It takes a lot to get those eyebrows above the rim of the café lattes.
But the Python SC did.
Even people who know little about cars sense there is something special about the Python.
The Python SC is a replica of the AC Cobra, the legendary and sought after sports car from the 'muscle car'-mad 1960s US where the gungho philosophy involved putting the biggest motor in the lightest body and going very, very fast. Thirty years on, the Cobra is still the quickest production car, and if you would like one of the surviving 900, all you need is $750,000.
That price makes the $59,000 Python SC seem a bargain.
Hand built by GV automotive in South Melbourne, the Python is, in many ways, better than the original. Based on a 1960's design, the Python must meet the Australian design rules, which apply to all new production cars. The Python is safest, stronger and cleaner running than its predecessor. The fibreglass body and overall dimensions are faithful to the original but the rest of the Python is a hybrid of the best high performance components.
The heart of this 'snake' is the unleaded fuel injected five-litre Ford V8 fitted to the late model Falcons. Output is around 165kw and in the 1490kg Falcon, this produces respectable performance. The same power plant in the 1150kg Python is shattering.
Changing into fourth gear allowed the Python to purr along in the traffic at 60kmh. This was a big ask for a car with its top end capabilities but because its performance is derived from light weight and not from an overworked motor the Python handles city traffic in the same manner as the V8 Falcon. But the temptation to shift back to third and cruise along with that beautiful motor singing in V8 stereo proved irresistible. All this power demands serious braking and handling capabilities. The front suspension is Python custom-constructed independent (IFS) while the rear is all Jaguar independent (IRS). Stopping the Python are huge ventilated VN commodore disks and $4000 worth of Simmons wheels and Pirrelli tyres.
Inside the Python is standard Connolly hide leather trim and a quality sound system but because the cars are hand built the option list is limited only by your imagination and wallet. The Python may be purchased in various kit forms to give the prospective owner control over the final product. Body and Chassis kits start at $10,500, which includes factory advice on design rules.
Whichever way you do it, it adds up to a package that starts, stops and handles like little else this side of $100,000.
Courtesy, Prestige Cars August 10th 1994.......
