Complaint Review: Hillbank Motor Corp - Irvine CA

My Superperformance MKIII Cobra Story

It’s been nearly two decades of dreaming of one day owning a 1965 Cobra Replica. The story I am about to share with you is my experience with owning a Superperformance MKIII from Hillbank Motor Corporation. Please note, I am not seeking anyone’s opinion or feedback on this post, it is simply my experience.

Two years ago, I set out to find what I believed was the best replica made in the industry. Through personal contacts, research and forums I realized Hillbank Motor Corporation would be my best option for a 65 Cobra, so I thought. This would be my retirement gift to myself after 20 years of service in the U.S. Army. While I have built and owned other hot rods, this one would be the crown jewel.

I purchased my Cobra at the Barrett Jackson event here in Scottsdale, AZ. Two days of walking by this stunning replica, in all her beauty I could not resist the temptation any longer. There she was, I finally found the color scheme that fit the body style perfectly. At that moment I left a deposit and sent payment in full a few days later. From that point, it was all downhill from sales to delivery and mechanics.

Delivery day; as you can imagine this dream becoming reality while picking up my car, I could not be more excited. As I approached the car, I noticed it was never cleaned, or even wiped down for that matter. But realistically, I could care less at the moment.  Next, I noticed there was no fuel in the tank either. Red flags began to go up, was this car even looked at before I came? Again, I was super excited to take her home. Drove her home like I had a newborn in the car, never exceeding 60 MPH. Get home and begin to detail it when I notice fuel running down my driveway. Call the dealership, no one knew anything about it or how to help. After an inspection, saw a rubber fuel cap had crack in it. But why would there be a live fuel line that was not connected or a rubber cap restraining it?

As you can imagine I was quite eager to drive my dream car, everywhere. This is when the real problems began… Keep in mind this was a brand-new car, so I thought! I had been told by the salesmen that this was a new car. It was not until I went to the DMV did I find out it was preowned and titled in another state. As it turned out, the salesmen lied to me in order to not risk the sale, then later admitted the truth via a text message with no apology. I was also told that the 250 miles on the car when I purchased were break-in miles and Hillbank does this with every new car they roll out. Again, another lie by the salesmen. The miles came from the original owner and likely beat on.

On to the oil leaks, while I am aware the 427R is a high-performance engine, this one had a series of oil leaks that should have been addressed prior to delivery. Again, this was supposed to be a new car and inspected prior to delivery. A month into ownership I take the care to meet some friends and show it off. As I pull into the driveway there was a trail of oil following me. After an quick inspection it was clear the massive leak was coming from a weld on the oil pan. A flatbed was sent out by Hillbank fairly quickly, only to sustain scratches on the side pipes from their straps. Out to repair, returned several days later.

Engine issues, The engine would not idle when cold, both the owner of Hillbank and salesmen told me there was a choke on the carb. Any rookie mechanic can assess if there is a choke on carb, there was none. More extensive engine issues followed; engine would not turnover from cold, when it did run would not shut down (dieseling) and belt squealing. All these issues could essentially be diagnosed and resolved by a skilled mechanic. Unfortunately, after going back to Hillbank CA twice for two weeks at a shot, they could not be, until after being sent out to a master mechanic. After a month of not having the vehicle, the car still has issues where after running for 30 minutes or more, the engine will not turnover.

The car itself had its own series of issues; wheels out of balance, tires with flat spots, wheels out of alignment, transmission causing a vibration from not being properly installed and balanced. Last but not least, the transmission was grinding all gears.

Hillbank had been forthcoming with most of the repairs and transporting each way from AZ to CA. Unfortunately, the last trip resulted in multiple impact areas from road debris from being transported on the flatbed. To date, I am unable to drive the car anywhere because it will not restart after shutting down 10 minutes or longer. I am left with a $96,000 conversation piece in my garage.

In close, my experience with Hillbank has not been favorable. I do understand these cars take work to maintain, this is why I purchased it. However, none of these issues should have been since day one of ownership on a new build. To make matters worse, the owner of Hillbank wrote in an email to me that all of the issues I experienced were my fault because of the way I drive it. How’s that for appreciating a customer!

Fast forward a few weeks, Hillbank agreed to replace the car or refund my money. I valued this opportunity and of course wanted the car of my dreams. We had a gentlemen’s agreement to replace the car and Hillbank even took it step further to add a few extras. Unfortunately, this was all smoke in the mirrors and went back on their promise, not once but twice. Their excuse was, I will never be satisfied. Hillbank now has my old vehicle in their possession and reneged on the new build because they refused to pay for delivery from Tucson to Scottsdale!

Last I checked I was the paying customer expecting quality…