When Ford brought us this modified 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra, it wore four brand-new Toyo Proxes tires. And we mean brand-new. It looked like Ford enlisted a guy to mount them in our office parking lot minutes before we took delivery.
Seven days later, when we returned the car to Ford, its rear tires looked like drag slicks. They were done. Toast. Useless for anything but a tire swing.
It was a fun seven days.
Returning a car in need of new rubber is generally frowned upon. Manufacturers don't want their cars abused, and they certainly don't want to pay for the tires. In this case, however, it was not only expected, it was encouraged. Returning this Mustang with even one remaining tread block would have been insulting. The guys from Special Vehicle Team (SVT) and Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) would have egged our office and taken us off their Christmas card list.
SVT and FRPP, which are Ford's two in-house speed shops, built the car to demonstrate the awesome performance potential of a 2003 or 2004 SVT Mustang Cobra, and how it can be tapped with a few well-chosen parts from the FRPP catalog. The results are astronomical power numbers, remarkable dynamics and a surprising level of refinement.
Power to Burn
Those well-chosen parts have taken the Cobra's supercharged 4.6-liter V8 from 390 horsepower to 690, and from 390 pound-feet of torque to 620. According to Ford, that equates to 601 hp and 529 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. Suddenly the Viper's 500 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque sound inadequate to mix a margarita.
What does that kind of muscle feel like?
Well, spinning the rear tires isn't really an option, it's an absolute. In first, second and most of third gear, laying into the Mustang's throttle just fries its tires like mozzarella sticks. If you're ready for it, and quick with the steering wheel, it can be a whole bunch of fun. If you're cocky, and lay into it while talking on your cell phone, it'll bite you. It's a car you better respect. One editor said his commute in the Cobra was like driving to work on black ice.
That severe traction problem keeps the Mustang from setting any quarter-mile records. We recorded a best run of 12.8 seconds at 120 mph, and our best 0-60-mph time was 4.7 seconds. We have no doubt it would run in the low 11s with real drag slicks. Impressive when you consider it has ice-cold air conditioning and will idle in traffic all day long, and it made it through a very abusive week without one mechanical problem. Plus it runs perfectly on the 91-octane swill we call gasoline here in California.
Under the stock hood is the same four-valve double-overhead-cam supercharged 4.6-liter V8 the Cobra originally came with. Only now it wears a Ford Racing Whipple twin-screw supercharger making 14 pounds of boost. Ford says the Whipple is more efficient above 6,000 rpm than the stock Roots-type blower, and adds 100 hp on its own.
It works with a K&N air filter, Ford Racing high-flow cylinder heads, high-lift camshafts and a new high-capacity fuel system that includes two high-flow pumps, a larger 90mm mass-air meter and 60-pound injectors. Ford's engineers say a custom calibration of the engine management system is unnecessary to make all these parts harmonize, but they performed one anyway.
The exhaust system starts with Ford Racing "Hi-flow" shorty ceramic-coated headers. They lead to Bassani high-flow catalytic converters and X-pipe, and a Ford Racing Borla cat-back system. The sound is 90-percent V8 rumble, 10-percent blower whine and 100-percent sweet. And it's loud enough to wake Henry Ford himself.
A Hurst shifter with very short throws is the only modification to the Cobra's six-speed transmission, and its independent rear end received a shorter 3.73-to-1 gear set (3.55-to-1 is stock). We were surprised to learn the clutch is stock, but it is, and it handles the power with no problem. It's a bit heavy in traffic, but nothing a real man can't handle.
More Than Just Power
Springs from a 2000 SVT Cobra R lower the ride height, and Cobra R front brakes with Brembo calipers and competition brake pads show through the 18-inch FR500 chrome wheels. The rear brakes also get a set of competition pads.
We found its highway ride shockingly livable, refined even, and its handling surprisingly neutral and easy to control. Body control and balance are excellent, and if you're delicate with the throttle, it generally goes where you want it to.
Still, on a narrow mountain road, it drives like a 2003 Mustang with way too much motor. That means the steering is painfully slow and feels like it's been shot up with Novocain. More importantly it means you can't just toss it into a corner and hammer the gas on the way out. If you do, you'll back it off the road like an early Porsche Turbo. Remember, respect.
On a big, wide racetrack, however, you can toss it in and hammer the gas. In fact, there's really no other way to drive the thing. Basically it's a drifter's delight, rotating on the brakes like a flawlessly setup racecar and, of course, power oversteer is still just a jab of the throttle away. Understeer is never really part of the equation. As long as you crank in the correct steering angle and keep your foot in it, it's Powerslide City, which is about 50 miles south of Amarillo.
Inside, FRPP added Cobra R seats, which are very comfortable and perfectly hold you in place during those big slides, and two Autometer gauges to the A-pillar, one for boost and one for water temperature. For our taste, the dials are mounted a bit close for comfort, both to the steering wheel and to the driver's face, but they're easy to read. A 10th Anniversary SVT Mustang Cobra shift knob and shift boot are subtle enough to go unnoticed.
The Bottom Line
Tallied up, this Cobra wears $13,908 worth of goodies from the FRPP catalog, which means you and your credit card can build your very own. Everything, from the blower to the brake pads, is just a mouse click away. Just log onto www.fordracingparts.com and go to town.
But before you do, consider this fair warning: The resulting horsepower will screw with your sense of reality and make a mess of your ability to differentiate right and wrong. You'll start driving to work with a decaf latte in one hand and a fistful of opposite lock in the other. You'll think a new set of tires a week is an acceptable expense. You may even begin listening to Phil Collins.
Scary, but we think it's worth the risk.
Seven days later, when we returned the car to Ford, its rear tires looked like drag slicks. They were done. Toast. Useless for anything but a tire swing.
It was a fun seven days.
Returning a car in need of new rubber is generally frowned upon. Manufacturers don't want their cars abused, and they certainly don't want to pay for the tires. In this case, however, it was not only expected, it was encouraged. Returning this Mustang with even one remaining tread block would have been insulting. The guys from Special Vehicle Team (SVT) and Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) would have egged our office and taken us off their Christmas card list.
SVT and FRPP, which are Ford's two in-house speed shops, built the car to demonstrate the awesome performance potential of a 2003 or 2004 SVT Mustang Cobra, and how it can be tapped with a few well-chosen parts from the FRPP catalog. The results are astronomical power numbers, remarkable dynamics and a surprising level of refinement.
Power to Burn
Those well-chosen parts have taken the Cobra's supercharged 4.6-liter V8 from 390 horsepower to 690, and from 390 pound-feet of torque to 620. According to Ford, that equates to 601 hp and 529 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. Suddenly the Viper's 500 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque sound inadequate to mix a margarita.
What does that kind of muscle feel like?
Well, spinning the rear tires isn't really an option, it's an absolute. In first, second and most of third gear, laying into the Mustang's throttle just fries its tires like mozzarella sticks. If you're ready for it, and quick with the steering wheel, it can be a whole bunch of fun. If you're cocky, and lay into it while talking on your cell phone, it'll bite you. It's a car you better respect. One editor said his commute in the Cobra was like driving to work on black ice.
That severe traction problem keeps the Mustang from setting any quarter-mile records. We recorded a best run of 12.8 seconds at 120 mph, and our best 0-60-mph time was 4.7 seconds. We have no doubt it would run in the low 11s with real drag slicks. Impressive when you consider it has ice-cold air conditioning and will idle in traffic all day long, and it made it through a very abusive week without one mechanical problem. Plus it runs perfectly on the 91-octane swill we call gasoline here in California.
Under the stock hood is the same four-valve double-overhead-cam supercharged 4.6-liter V8 the Cobra originally came with. Only now it wears a Ford Racing Whipple twin-screw supercharger making 14 pounds of boost. Ford says the Whipple is more efficient above 6,000 rpm than the stock Roots-type blower, and adds 100 hp on its own.
It works with a K&N air filter, Ford Racing high-flow cylinder heads, high-lift camshafts and a new high-capacity fuel system that includes two high-flow pumps, a larger 90mm mass-air meter and 60-pound injectors. Ford's engineers say a custom calibration of the engine management system is unnecessary to make all these parts harmonize, but they performed one anyway.
The exhaust system starts with Ford Racing "Hi-flow" shorty ceramic-coated headers. They lead to Bassani high-flow catalytic converters and X-pipe, and a Ford Racing Borla cat-back system. The sound is 90-percent V8 rumble, 10-percent blower whine and 100-percent sweet. And it's loud enough to wake Henry Ford himself.
A Hurst shifter with very short throws is the only modification to the Cobra's six-speed transmission, and its independent rear end received a shorter 3.73-to-1 gear set (3.55-to-1 is stock). We were surprised to learn the clutch is stock, but it is, and it handles the power with no problem. It's a bit heavy in traffic, but nothing a real man can't handle.
More Than Just Power
Springs from a 2000 SVT Cobra R lower the ride height, and Cobra R front brakes with Brembo calipers and competition brake pads show through the 18-inch FR500 chrome wheels. The rear brakes also get a set of competition pads.
We found its highway ride shockingly livable, refined even, and its handling surprisingly neutral and easy to control. Body control and balance are excellent, and if you're delicate with the throttle, it generally goes where you want it to.
Still, on a narrow mountain road, it drives like a 2003 Mustang with way too much motor. That means the steering is painfully slow and feels like it's been shot up with Novocain. More importantly it means you can't just toss it into a corner and hammer the gas on the way out. If you do, you'll back it off the road like an early Porsche Turbo. Remember, respect.
On a big, wide racetrack, however, you can toss it in and hammer the gas. In fact, there's really no other way to drive the thing. Basically it's a drifter's delight, rotating on the brakes like a flawlessly setup racecar and, of course, power oversteer is still just a jab of the throttle away. Understeer is never really part of the equation. As long as you crank in the correct steering angle and keep your foot in it, it's Powerslide City, which is about 50 miles south of Amarillo.
Inside, FRPP added Cobra R seats, which are very comfortable and perfectly hold you in place during those big slides, and two Autometer gauges to the A-pillar, one for boost and one for water temperature. For our taste, the dials are mounted a bit close for comfort, both to the steering wheel and to the driver's face, but they're easy to read. A 10th Anniversary SVT Mustang Cobra shift knob and shift boot are subtle enough to go unnoticed.
The Bottom Line
Tallied up, this Cobra wears $13,908 worth of goodies from the FRPP catalog, which means you and your credit card can build your very own. Everything, from the blower to the brake pads, is just a mouse click away. Just log onto www.fordracingparts.com and go to town.
But before you do, consider this fair warning: The resulting horsepower will screw with your sense of reality and make a mess of your ability to differentiate right and wrong. You'll start driving to work with a decaf latte in one hand and a fistful of opposite lock in the other. You'll think a new set of tires a week is an acceptable expense. You may even begin listening to Phil Collins.
Scary, but we think it's worth the risk.
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Add A Comment »
jimbeaux1962 says:
10:24 PM, 10/24/2010
HOW MUCH FOR TOTAL COST LIKE A BEAST LIKE THIS?