COBRA

[Alan Cherry]

Apologies if this has been discussed already, or I'm the only one that doesn't know, but can anyone tell me if the magazine 'COBRA' still exists ? ( It concerned itself with all things F1 )
I subscribed about the time that Mansell was in F1 - It was a sort of amatuerish cross between Autosport , Viz and Private eye. I believe it was started for/by? the Brabham team (hence the Cobra) but proved so popular, was available by subscription. Sometimes it missed the mark, sometimes hilarious, and probably always the wrong side of the libel laws - although they didn't seem to care.

Thanks in advance
Alan

[Alan Cherry]

Apologies, - searching the net, I managed to find the following from Joe Saward written some years ago :-
A few years ago - when Brabham was a race team rather than a Law of F1 Physics - the Chessington team had an unofficial fan magazine called Cobra. It was named after the team's logo Hissing Sid the snake, but could equally have been accused of being as poisonous as a cobra. It said the unsayable, insulted the ego-inflated and, rather worryingly, printed the truth - which is more than can be said for a lot of magazines in F1 these days. Cobra was so tiny that it could never be sued because it never had any money to lose. In fact it survived longer than the team. Alas, it has now gone.


I think we could do with COBRA now - I'd subscribe again !

[strider]

On Facebook, the social networking site, there is a group formed in memory of the original magazine. This is the introduction:

Long ago, somewhere between James Hunt and Michael Schumacher, a poorly produced newsletter was sent in dodgy manilla envelopes to Formula One's smallest ever subscriber base. Around eight times a year, "the Private Eye of the pitlane" brought mirth, merriment and a surprising amount of truth to bleary-eyed GP attendees.

The world of motor racing has moved on and it's high time we took a fond look back at those halcyon days – while critiquing the current state of (role) play in the F1 heirarchy. This, then, is where the world of eighties / nineties Formula One comes back to life. Welcome, welcome one and all.

Unfortunately it's not attempting to revive the magazine - most of the content would probably be libellous anyway - but that's where you will find the guys who wrote it originally.

The nearest modern equivalent is probably RBR's Red Bulletin. This is so irreverent that Ron Dennis has reportedly banned it from the McLaren hospitality unit, or whatever it's called.

[Dutton]

In order to avoid libel, could a producer of such a thing not just use different names, titles, phrases, or what have you? Have it all done in such a way that it is clear to anyone with enough interest who or what is being refered to, but yet allow it to be claimed that it is a work of total fiction (any similarities with real or living persons/things being entirely coincidental, and all that).

Probably not, or whatever, but it would be class if a COBRA-esque thing were to exist today.

[chunterer]

I'll look it up on Facebook then!!!

I've got a couple of issues of it somewhere in the loft. Just as I asked to subscribe it died off!!

Some of the Sniff Petrol stuff is alarmingly similar, to the point that I wondered if it was indeed the same 'publisher'!!!!

[Dutton]

Sniff Petrol is variable, though.

Sometimes it just makes mindless lowest-denomitator garbage-humour, as opposed to the well-observed variant that it is capable of.

[Alan Cherry]

Originally Posted by strider

On Facebook, the social networking site, there is a group formed in memory of the original magazine. This is the introduction:Unfortunately it's not attempting to revive the magazine - most of the content would probably be libellous anyway - but that's where you will find the guys who wrote it originally.

The nearest modern equivalent is probably RBR's Red Bulletin. This is so irreverent that Ron Dennis has reportedly banned it from the McLaren hospitality unit, or whatever it's called.

Do you have the name of the group - I tried punching in Cobra, but there are hundreds of the buggers ! - anyone know if the RBR rag is available on line ?

Thanks
Alan

[strider]

Originally Posted by Alan Cherry

Do you have the name of the group - I tried punching in Cobra, but there are hundreds of the buggers ! - anyone know if the RBR rag is available on line ?

Thanks
Alan

Hi Alan, yes, it's Cobra F1 Magazine. They are currently running a poll called Champeen or Choker? You can guess what that's all about. I think you have to be a member to vote, but the email address to use is: cobraF1@me.com

You can find the splash page for the Red Bulletin here. Just click on any of the Grand Prix tabs above to read the relevant issue.

[Alan Cherry]

Thanks