Cobra
Classic: Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
The A/C-based Shelby Cobra made its racing debut at the 1962 Three Hour Invitational Endurance Race organized by the Los Angeles Times, the same event that Chevrolet chose to introduce the then-new Corvette Z06. The Cobra went on to become a successful race car in the United States but it largely failed to make a name for itself on the other side of the pond.
Keepers: Mustang SVT Cobra—Community
Mustang clubs are about as common as all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. There are clubs for old Mustangs, new Mustangs, convertibles, specific models, specific colors (yes colors), and of course, clubs for the SVT faithful. The good news here is that yes, there is a Mustang club in your neck of the woods, wherever your woods happen to be. If, however, you want to associate only with the Cobra crowd, that may be a bit tougher unless you stick to internet chatting only. Most Mustang clubs—even the ones specializing in a particular Mustang genre—welcome all breeds of the horse, and that’s okay because Mustang fans generally love other Mustang fans, whether behind the wheel of a V-6, GT, or Cobra. There is a dark side however; drop an SVT badge on anything other than a bona-fide Cobra, and true Cobra owners will strike with great vengeance and furious anger. For these folks, the SVT badge is a sacred item, so if you’re thinking of sprucing up a V-6 or even a GT with Cobra badging, think again. At least if you want to be part of the Mustang crowd and have two working legs.
Keepers: Mustang SVT Cobra—Shopping
“The fix” are two words perpetually connected with the 1999 SVT Cobra. To make a somewhat confusing story very simple, it goes like this: Design flaws in the intake and exhaust caused the car to make less than the 320 horsepower advertised by Ford. Average losses were in the 30 horsepower range, but some folks claimed as many as 50 ponies were missing from their Cobra. The fallout caused Ford to stop Cobra production, issue a recall, and “fix” the cars already in circulation so they actually produced all 320 horsepower. All Cobra owners were notified of the problem and asked to deliver their cars to the nearest SVT dealer for service, which consisted of a new upper and lower intake manifold, new exhaust system, and a PCM reflash.
Keepers: Mustang SVT Cobra
When the concept of Keepers was bouncing around the NextAutos office, there was a tinge of trepidation about discussing Mustangs and Camaros. Aside from the fanatical, insanely-large following enjoyed by both cars, they’ve been covered, featured, mentioned, compared, discussed, reviewed, and otherwise overblown by just about every publication on the planet. As such, you’ll never likely never see a Mustang GT or Camaro Z28 in this neck of NextAutos cyberspace, but some of the specialty models do stand a chance, such as the 1999 and 2001 Mustang SVT Cobra.
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