The top-dog Mustang of every Y2K kid’s childhood is officially coming back. For the first time since 2004, Ford will have a Mustang Cobra in showrooms, one of the most evocative nameplates ever attached to America’s pony car. While we’ll still have to wait to see the new model in full, Ford’s most recent teaser suggests that this historic revival will be set up for a very different mission than the magnificently malevolent supercharged 2003 to 2004 SVT Cobra. The one affectionately nicknamed Terminator.
See, Ford has stated in a teaser that the Mustang Cobra, set to be revealed in 2027, will be “all-motor” meaning naturally aspirated. So what’s under the hood that may be stronger than the 500-horsepower five-liter V8 already seen in the Mustang Dark Horse?
Well, Ford also claims this thing has a “heart born from racing,” and the current Mustang GT3 race car uses a 5.4-liter V8 co-developed with the legendary rallyists at M-Sport. Plausible? Sure, but not certain. Whatever’s under the hood, it sounds brilliant.
View this post on Instagram
Ford hasn’t shown the full upcoming Mustang Cobra yet so obviously we don’t have pricing, but it’s probably not going to be cheap. When a Dark Horse SC starts at $108,085, the new Mustang Cobra may fall within a similar ballpark, which begs the question: Why wait for the new Mustang Cobra when you could have the wildest Mustang Cobra right now? Of course, I’m talking about the 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R.
First, a little backstory: The SVT Cobra nameplate first appeared on the 1993 Mustang as a run-out special for the Fox Body hatchback. With a juiced-up high-flowing 302 V8 under the hood, beefier internals in the five-speed manual transmission, and a special suspension package, this thing made 30 more horsepower and five more lb.-ft. of torque than a regular GT. If you wanted to go even wilder, the Cobra R added Koni dampers, bigger brakes, revised control arms, extra bracing, five-lug hubs, and more cooling, while stripping out pretty much every creature comfort including the rear seat.
For 1994, the world got a new Mustang and the Cobra was back, with 240 horsepower, re-tuned suspension, bigger brakes, and a bunch of cosmetic touches. The 1995 model was more-or-less carryover, save for one new addition: A new Cobra R. This time, the Cobra R featured a 5.8-liter V8 instead of a 4.9-liter one, which raised output to 300 horsepower. That handily cleared the 275 horsepower the fastest factory Camaros and Trans Ams were cranking out at the time. Obligatory handling and drivetrain mods supported the extra power, while a pared-down interior cut weight where it was needed. The result was an ultra-low production special that first owners needed a competition licence to buy. Think of it as Ford’s way of disincentivizing collectors and flippers.
For 1996, the heart of the Cobra changed. Ford’s long-running pushrod Windsor V8 had been put out to pasture in favor of its new Modular V8 architecture, and the Cobra featured a 4.6-liter variant that was built to flow. The aluminum block was cast by Teksid in Italy before travelling across the Atlantic and being mated with twin-cam aluminum heads. The result was the first-ever quad-cam Mustang, laying down 305 horsepower and setting a blueprint still used by Ford to this day. The year 1996 also saw the introduction of one of the coolest colors of the ’90s: Mystic. This color-shifting Chromaflair hue simply oozed cool, and launched the color-shifting production car era. Wilder still, it used the same paint that was used on the $100 bill, so any paint repairs require VIN-checking and supervision. Often by a government agent. Beyond the appearance of Mystic, the Mustang Cobra continued to be mechanically identical through 1998. Then in 1999, something happened.
No, I’m not talking about New Edge styling, as that’s merely a wrapper for the scandal that took place. When Ford facelifted the fourth-generation Mustang, it claimed that the SVT Cobra put out 320 horsepower. Dyno testing found that wasn’t the case. Excess flashing in the intake manifold casting meant that production examples of the 1999 SVT Cobra were down on power, resulting in a scandal that almost overshadowed the 1999 model’s biggest advancement: independent rear suspension, for the first time in a Mustang. The solution was to cancel the entire 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra production run, produce new abrasive-flow machined intake manifolds for every existing 1999 Mustang SVT Cobra before reflashing each ECU and fitting a new exhaust system to each affected example. It’s in this shadow of shame that Ford rolled out the wildest Mustang Cobra ever.
See, while the regular 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra production run was cancelled, that didn’t mean Ford couldn’t do something crazier. The result was the 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R, an absolute naturally aspirated beast. It started with the cast-iron engine block Ford used for its 5.4-liter engines, then popped on a set of special high-flow heads that would later see service in the 2005 Ford GT. Flat-top pistons, billet connecting rods, tubular headers, a two-piece intake, a high-flow throttle body, and a unique air filter setup resulted in 385 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. of torque. Not massive numbers now, but world-bending stuff in Y2K. The Bassani X-pipe and side-exit exhausts were the perfect cherry on top.
As for the chassis, the 2000 SVT Cobra R gained Bilstein dampers (monotube up front), Eibach springs, beefier anti-roll bars, stiffer bushings, revised geometry, and special BF Goodrich tires. Braking came courtesy of 13-inch discs clamped by monoblock Brembo calipers up front and 11.7-inch discs clamped by single-piston sliding calipers out back, a 21-gallon fuel cell provided fuelling, and a Tremec T-56 six-speed manual transmission put the engine’s brawny output to the ground through a Visteon hydro-mechanical limited-slip rear differential. As with prior Cobra Rs, Ford stripped everything out of this one. No rear seat, no air conditioning, no stereo, and pretty much no sound deadening. You did, however, get a massive rear wing and an enormous front splitter, the latter supplied off the car and fitted with quarter-turn fasteners.
The result was a set of figures that sound impressive even today. When Car And Driver tested an example, it ran from zero to 60 in 4.7 seconds, reached the quarter-mile in 13.2 seconds, pulled 1.02 g on the skidpad, stopped from 70 MPH in 160 feet, and kept pulling to a maximum velocity of 175 MPH. Better yet, the Cobra R wasn’t reported to be spiky, but instead a sweetheart. As the magazine whote:
Handling is dead-solid predictable up to the considerable limits, and when those limits are reached, gentle oversteer suggests you back off a bit, but there is not a hint of tail-happiness. The brakes, as their size and pedigree suggest, are superb, with stunningly little fade even over extended periods of hard use.
With only 300 examples of the 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R made, all in red with a dark interior, rarity was assured from the very start. It’s no surprise that this bonkers special edition spawned countless posters, rip-off wings, and general imitations. In some ways, it was like the O.G. GTD in spirit. It’s still a highly collectable car, but you can pick one up for less than the price of a Dark Horse SC.
Here’s a 2,200-mile example—no, there’s no zero missing there—that sold for $95,000 on Bring A Trailer back in June. On the one hand, that’s silly money for a 26-year-old Mustang. On the other, how many trackday special one-of-300 childhood heroes can you buy for that sort of money? This particular example was said to have been owned by former NASCAR Busch Series driver Richard Mitchell for 22 years, and it’s as tidy as you’d expect a 2,200-mile car to be. Complete with an SVT certificate of authenticity, it’s not as quick as a Dark Horse SC, but it’s much, much cooler.
If you’re fine with a bit more distance under the tires, here’s a 6,000-mile example that sold on Bring A Trailer back in February for $84,000. The 44th 2000 SVT Cobra R ever made. Unsurprisingly, it still looks brand new, and it boasts a clean Carfax and its original window sticker. Oh, and a whole bunch of Cobra R memorabilia.
Can’t wait for an auction? This 2000 SVT Cobra R with 3,140 miles on the clock is up for sale in California for $95,065. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it comes with everything, it’s heavily documented, and it looks to be in absolute showroom shape. As far as a weekend toy goes, it’s just so jaw-dropping. Imagine seeing one of these out in public. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
The 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R isn’t the quickest pony car with the Cobra name. When Ford supercharged the 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra, the result was a 390-horsepower independently-suspended monster that was ready, willing, and able to lay down straight-line beatdowns. However, as cool as the Terminator Cobra may be, it’s not as bonkers as the 2000 SVT Cobra R. So, before you get in line for the upcoming Mustang Cobra, if the style of the regular S650 Mustang isn’t quite doing it for you, why not own the most bonkers Mustang Cobra yet?
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
A very cool car but man, that’s an ugly wing.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the New Edge Mustangs. I was in middle school and high school when these were new. They’re not the fastest Mustangs, and they’re not the best handling Mustangs, but they’ll always be cool.
A New Edge Mach 1 is a dream car for me. Maybe if gas prices ever come down…