Snake eyes: The Ford Mustang SVT Cobra through the years

As some of you guys read my Cobra R post, I got to thinking, what about if I made one on the standard Cobra? Well, here it is. It’s good timing too because a new GT500 is right around the corner and the Cobra was the original Shelby (more or less). I’m not going to waste any more time with an intro, so let’s get on with it

First gen: 1993

To make a Cobra, one doesn’t need a whole lot. Just take a Mustang GT and slap some upgrades on it. But that wasn’t to say that’s a bad thing. The 1993 Ford Cobra was the first in a line that would span 11 years to the end in 2004. Powered by the same 5.0L OHV, 235 HP V8 in the Cobra R, the standard Cobra was the last of the Foxbody, was almost the same as the R. All in, 4993 of these were built (1854 being black, 1784 being the “Vibrant Red” shown above, and 1355 in Teal.)

Gen two: 1994

One year after the launch of the first Cobra, the second gen came with an all new body, and body styles. That’s right, this was the first Cobra to have the roof cut off of it (they all came in red, as Pace car replicas). The 5.0L V8 was modified to now produce 240 HP. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a Tremec T-5 5 speed manual transmission (a 6 speed was not offered until the 2003 Cobras, but it came with the 2000 Cobra R.) Other than that, 17x9 inch wheels were available and the car now had 13 inch front brake rotors. There were 6009 units built (with 1908 red coupes, 1000 red convertibles, 1795 black coupes, 1306 white coupes.)

Gen 2.5: 1995

1995 wasn’t a huge update from the ‘94s. The biggest thing is what’s under the hood. The old 5.0L OHV V8 was going to the bin and was going to get replaced by an all-new, DOHC, 4.6L V8. This engine would power the rest of the Cobras from here on out. Another small update was the addition of a hardtop convertible, of which 499 were built. All together, 4005 coupes were built (with 1447 in red, 1433 in black, and 1125 in white) and 1003 convertibles were built (all of which were in black, along with the 499 hardtops.)

Gen 3: 1999

1999 was the first time since the 1994 models that the Cobra got a new body. Along with a new body, the 4.6L DOHC V8 received 15 extra horsepower from better cylinder heads and a new ignition system. Also brand new for the Mustang is the addition of independent rear suspension. That’s right, for 1999 the Cobra got a multi-link rear suspension setup to hold the rear (while MacPherson struts held up the front). Side note After reading about it, I can’t tell whether the Cobra has a multi-link or control arms. As soon as I can verify, I’ll update this. All together, there were 8095 Cobras built for the 1999 MY (with 4040 being coupes in black, red, white, and green; as well as 4055 convertibles in the same colors)

3.5 Gen: 2001

Not a whole lot changed for the 2001 MY, except now instead of saying “Mustang” on the rear bumper, it says “Cobra” as seen below

2001

Here are the production numbers for 2001 From Ford Performance
Total Produced: 7,251
Total Coupe Produced: 3,867

• Black: 979
• Laser Red: 556
• Silver: 556
• Grey: 514
• White: 373
• Yellow: 347
• Blue: 316
• Performance Red: 226
  Total Convertible Produced: 3,384
  • Black: 942
• Laser Red: 548
• Silver: 431
• Grey: 382
• White: 343
• Yellow: 316
• Blue: 292
• Performance Red: 130

Gen 4: 2003

One of the biggest upgrades to the Cobra since the 4.6L V8 is the addition of an Eaton roots-type supercharger boosting power from 320 to 390 (even though dyno results put it around the 420 mark) and 390 LB-FT (with dyno results coming in at the 380 LB-FT mark). Not only that, but this is the first Cobra to feature a 6 speed manual transmission (a Tremec T-56) as well as new fascias and a hood.

Production numbers From Ford Performance

Total Produced: 13,476
Total Coupe Produced: 8,394

• Black: 2,251
• Blue: 1,052
• Silver Metallic: 992
• Redfire Metallic: 955
• Dark Shadow Grey: 851
• Torch Red: 638
• Oxford White: 621
• Zinc Yellow: 490
• Mineral Grey: 302
• Satin Silver: 242
  Total Convertible Produced: 5,082
• Black: 1.679
• Redfire Metallic: 610
• Torch Red: 582
• Silver Metallic: 548
• Dark Shadow Grey: 446
• Blue: 355
• Zinc Yellow: 319
• Oxford White: 308
• Mineral Grey: 154
• Satin Silver: 81

Gen 4.5: 2004

The only thing that changed for the 2004 MY is the addition of the Mystichrome paint which is very similar to that seen on TVRs.

Total Production numbers From Ford Performance
Total Produced: 5,664
Total Coupe Produced: 3,768

• Black: 820
• Silver Metallic: 551
• Mysichrome: 515
• Redfire Metallic: 509
• Torch Red: 477
• Oxford White: 316
• Screaming Yellow: 299
• Competition Orange: 281
  Total Convertible Produced: 1,896
• Mystichrome: 495
• Black: 392
• Silver Metallic: 266
• Redfire Metallic: 209
• Torch Red: 167
• Screaming Yellow: 167
• Oxford White: 128
• Competition Orange: 72

That’ll wrap things up for this article. Let me know which Cobra is your favorite and whether you like the standard Cobra or the Cobra R more. I’m open to suggestions so shoot at me. Until next time, I will see you all later! Bye!