It is official; I am giving up the inline-six-cylinder-in-a-Cobra-clone idea. After doing some more research I discovered that the smaller 200 cubic inch Ford inline six is probably never going to make the 300 naturally aspirated horsepower that I am looking for and the large 250-300 cubic inch Ford inline six is physically too long to fit in the Cobra’s engine compartment and there is very little weigh difference between the big six and the small Ford V8 that is the normal power source for the Cobra and its clones.
If I persist in building a Cobra clone the small block Ford V8 gives the most horsepower for the size and weight of its package. And it is dead simple to build a powerful small block Ford V8, the parts and services are as common as dirt here in the United States. For that matter, it equally easy to find performance parts for a small block Ford V8 in nearly any part of the globe. The advantage of being in production for 40+ years and used in performance applications since inception has made the aftermarket supply of high performance parts nearly endless and the ease of constructing an engine in my garage as simple as ordering some online parts.
Heck, there is no reason why I have to build my own engine in my garage. I can buy a high performance Ford V8 new from the Ford factory, delivered to my location of choice for a reasonable price. Nearly complete, a crate engine (so called because the engine gets delivered in a wooden crate) arrives just needing a few external accessories bolted on before installation into the car or truck of your choice. And there are numerous companies unrelated to the factory that will be happy to ship you their version of a crate engine in a nearly endless variety of levels of tune.
So the Cobra with a weird engine project is officially off the table for discussion. That means that the consideration is between the Cobra clone with a V8 or a Lotus Seven clone with either a Miata engine or some other undetermined power source. The visceral thrill of a large thumping V8 pulsing under the toe of my right foot is seduction. The thought of more power and torque than any set of street tires can translate to the street is tempting. But the Cobra is a big project; the Lotus is a smaller and less complicated project to construct.
Finally, the cost of a buying and constructing a Cobra clone is about three times that of building a Lotus clone. Not that money should ever be a consideration when pursuing a dream, automotive or otherwise. But I do live within a finite set of means with family responsibilities to consider. So I will continue to mull over the possibilities before making a decision.