Ford and the Cobra R

[84_GT350]

I can't believe this. Today I saw a '00 Cobra R on the street for the first time. After picking my jaw up off the ground I got to thinking. What's the deal with these cars? Mustangs have always been the blue collar man's muscle car. So Ford comes along and creates what is argueably the ultimate Mustang...5.4L DOHC engine that puts out an underrated 385hp, road race suspension that reads like a who's who of aftermarket companies, a hard @ss styling edge, and a list of other amenities that's enough to make you drool. So what does Ford do? Slaps a $55K price tag on it and dealerships sell them to the highest bidder for considerably more than that in most cases. That's not blue collar...some might even say it's fairly elitist. Of course, a Porsche owner would never drive one because in his mind it'll never have the same pedigree...but to us it's like a dream car. And in typical Henry Ford fashion you can get it in your choice of colors...just so long as it's red. So what's the deal? Why build this amazing car, limit the production, then offer it at a price which is well out of reach for almost all of the REAL enthusiasts?

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1984 1/2 GT350 (#842 Hatchback w/ T-tops), 302HO, Comp cams Xtreme Energy cam, Carter 625cfm carb, Weiand Stealth intake, MSD distributor, MSD coil, FMS 9mm wires, 1 5/8" MAC unequal shorties, 2 1/2" MAC Prochamber H-pipe, Flowmaster 2 chambers, KYBs, 16"x8" 4 lug Cobra Rs, Falken 245/45ZR16s

[BLOCKER]

It sucks man but ford has obvously been able to sell these cars for that price, its all about supply and demand, besides what is 55 k? come on man it is only money (hehe)

but I agree It is crap man! I think I will stick with my 88 GT for now...

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88 Stang GT Cobra
Every option but leather
10 speaker 440 watt system
Blue/Grey with grey interior
K&N air filter, black outs, & no air

[PGkelly]

IMO, the Cobra R is NOT a mustang. it is it's own thing. and it compete's with the 'vette, not the normal camarobird. the mustang/camaro is the blue-collar sports car. the CObra R is not. it's something else.

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If it ain't broke, make it go faster

AOL: MCVillain45

[Unit 5302]

The Cobra R is a race car. Probably less forgiving than the 427 Cobra's. I think it's a joke and Ford never should have built it the way they did. At 55k you could build a regular Cobra that would look better, beat the crap out of it, and pamper you too.

The Cobra R is a dumb name as well. Why does Ford want to copy the import names? Why not resurrect Mach 1, or Boss?

Here's what I'd like to see.

Boss 4.6L
A DOHC 4.6L putting out 380hp redlining at 8000rpm, mated to a 6spd (that shifts), beefier axles, and some actual amenities and 4.10 gears along with top rubber and revised suspension.

Mach 1
A 5.4L DOHC putting out 450hp redlining at maybe 6500rpm mated to the above, but with 3.73's. Maybe instead of road race suspension, extra wide rubber in back and better launching stuff. I wanna see a low 12sec stang.

[Try Me]

Well boyz, it seems as though we're th eonly three in the world who agree Ford can offer a little extra to the common man.

PGKelly - Of course the Cobra R is a Mustang. There's nothing wrong with evolution when it leads to better stopping, handling and tons of more "go-power" in a car.

$55K US sticker price? That sucks The f*cking thing doesn't even have air conditioning. Come on Ford, you can do better than that!
Bottom line, what makes the Cobra R so good should be offered as a special package in the GT, at a MINIMAL $$$ increase, so that real people can afford them

Sorry for the rant - a goat *** in a big 'Benz totally pissed me off in the market today - so now i don't like rich people.

[97snakedriver]

Originally posted by Unit 5302:
The Cobra R is a race car. Probably less forgiving than the 427 Cobra's. I think it's a joke and Ford never should have built it the way they did. At 55k you could build a regular Cobra that would look better, beat the crap out of it, and pamper you too.

I run stiffer springs then the Cobra R. Its not that bad really.

The Cobra R is a dumb name as well. Why does Ford want to copy the import names? Why not resurrect Mach 1, or Boss?

Its the other way around. The original "R" was the 1967 Shelby Cobra Competition. One of the ways to distinguish a CC from a fake was that it had a 'R' in its serial number in a certain location, so it became known as the "Cobra R".

[red82gt]

Ford just missed with allowing people who were not going to use Cobra R's to compete to buy them. It's a great car, it's purpose is just abused. So many people are telling Ford to aim towards the C5, BMW M3's, and other "sports" cars in terms of handling and refinement, I say give us back a base model without the bells and whistles, just some torque-$19,000 U.S., I'd buy one

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GT-40 heads (ported, polished, + milled), B303 cam, 1.7rr's, JE pistons, Offy intake, Carter AFB 625cfm carb, Flowtech 1 5/8" shortys, Flowtech X-pipe, MAC Flowpath exhaust, MAC pulleys, 373's, subframes, Eibachs+Tokicos, B+M ripper, FMS Clutch, Zoom Quadrant+cable, 17" CSA Ultra rims, 235/45ZR17 Yokohama AVS S4's, MSD 6A ignition+coil, FMS 9mm wires, Carbed, Naturally Aspirated, and Nasty!

[84_GT350]

I agree with you guys. I personally believe that Ford could drop the same engine into a GT, give it a friendlier suspension, all the bells and whistles people love (like...say... A RADIO!), and sell it all for less than the R. What better way to draw attention to the Mustang? Not some limited production racer...a street car that regular folks could afford.

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1984 1/2 GT350 (#842 Hatchback w/ T-tops), 302HO, Comp cams Xtreme Energy cam, Carter 625cfm carb, Weiand Stealth intake, MSD distributor, MSD coil, FMS 9mm wires, 1 5/8" MAC unequal shorties, 2 1/2" MAC Prochamber H-pipe, Flowmaster 2 chambers, KYBs, 16"x8" 4 lug Cobra Rs, Falken 245/45ZR16s

[Mercury]

Yes, the R has its roots in the Shelby R-Models, but maybe ford wanted to show the Import companies what a real "R" car is!

And it doesnt hang with just any Vet. Its made to compete with the ZO-6. And depending on which magazines you read, The Cobra R succedded. Popular Mechanics, it was the ZO-6, MotorTrend it was the Cobra R, and I cant remember Road and Track and Car & Drivers head to head. One of them had the Cobra R edging the Vet, and opposite for the other.

I'd like Ford to Give me a Cobra R for a weekend so I can hunt a ZO-6, and see which magazine is right. Anyone from FORD Corp here?

I'd give up a stereo and AC for that performance and styling. I used my AC once so far, and I prefer the melody of a thumping V8 to any Thumping tune anyday. But then people tell me I'm strange like that.

[Power]

I know this has been said a thousand times and I'll probably get some mild flames for it, but as much as I love Ford, why the hell can't they make that performance with AC and Radio.

I know its not a huge deal but does Ford really have that much trouble coming up with the technology to beat the Z06? I find that hard to believe, which leaves the fact that they choose not to. Any ideas on why??

I would buy the Cobra R over the Z06 anyday just because I'm loyal, but GM guys have a legitamate point when they say that for almost identical performance the corvette is much more comfortable and passenger friendly.

I'm going to go bury myself for about 3 days now....
cya........

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1966 Baby blue Coupe, 289, Manual 3-speed, Edelbrock 650, Flowmaster 3-chambers, and minor upgrades. Interior work includes custom paneling, custom dash dress-up(I refuse to cut anything out of the original), Rewiring most of the electronics, Porsche 911 seats installed soon, and Stroker kit when I get to Texas. November of 2001 I will go back to Dallas.

[69fastback]

I dont have a radio or a/c in my mustang. It is not all that bad. I would never even think of putting those things on my car. I am with mercury on this one. I love the sound of a thumping v8 way more than any song i have ever heard.
I just wish ford would take that 5.4 dohc and put it something people can afford. I would sure love to have a cobra r though

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69 428 cobra jet: tons of mods.
97 f-150 5.4 xlt mark III
BUCKLE UP. SUCK IT IN.
Objects in the mirror are about to disappear...
QUICKLY!!!!!!

[bigwhitecobra]

Just a point of order, the ZO6 was produced after all 300 R's were shipped out to the dealers. The R was never intended to compete with it.

I love the Cobra R, and make no excuses for doing so. I also don't make any excuses for it's down falls, of which it has many. I would love to see a base GT have the 4.6 DOHC, 320hp and I'd even settle for the 5 gear Tremmec.
The Cobra should have the Lightning motor, and a 6 speed, no questions asked. Then you have the Drag Pack Mustangs, a supercharged 3.8 V6 to start with(even the little ponies need some speed!). Then, bring back the GrandDaddy of them all, the Boss 429, with an 8000 redline. Add to that a 6# blower, and there you have it. Oh, and all 'Stangs should have the FR500 front end. It jsut makes so much sense, and don't cost any extra to do.

Sorry about my rant, but such is life. Later.

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The Black Mamba 11.2@124

[Capri306]

Two magic words: L I M I T E D P R O D U C T I O N.

Don't you guys remember the Drag-Paks of the 60's? Power steering cooler, no radio, minimal interior, etc....hey, we should be so lucky to have those Recaro seats in the R's! Okay, enough of my nostalgia rant.

I feel the same way though, guys. Back in the days of the '87-'93 Mustangs, a guy could have a decently powered V8 for a great price. How many times have we said it about our 'Stangs? BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK!!! It doesn't seems to be that way anymore, at least by what I've gathered. Okay the horsepower level on the 4.6Ls have been raised above the 5.0L's, but that's not what we're talking about. That's old hat. What I think we're getting at is the fact there's no new "LX 5.0L". Know what I'm saying? You HAVE TO get a GT to get a V8, and a Cobra to get a DOHC version. What we're looking for is a 6-cylinder car with a V8 already in it, right? Just like the LX's used to be: the poor man's Mustang (not picking on anyone, I have an LX notch myself!). I hope Ford considers what we're saying here, and thinks hard about "re-releasing" a V8-powered (afFORDable) LX.

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Capri306, Moderator, The Mustang Works Online
1979 Mercury Capri, 5.0L -- C4 -- 2.73
1987 Mustang LX Notch

[This message has been edited by Capri306 (edited 05-14-2001).]

[blue00gt]

What pisses me off about the price of the R is the fact that other than the body and the engine, most of the stuff on there is aftermarket that you could put on yourself for a hell of a lot less money. Aftermarket parts = huge savings in R&D.

[dinomite]

Originally posted by Unit 5302:
Mach 1
A 5.4L DOHC putting out 450hp redlining at maybe 6500rpm mated to the above, but with 3.73's. Maybe instead of road race suspension, extra wide rubber in back and better launching stuff. I wanna see a low 12sec stang.

I like the road race setup, but I do agree with you on the power. It should use the 5.4 making more than 400hp/400tq, have a good suspension (coilovers, revised kmember upfront, torque ar--(whoops, too much time with foxes!), revised kmember in back), fat tires all around, say 265+ , good brakes. It'd be great to be able to run 12s at the strip and then drive with porsches at the track. And the thing should not be 55k, its not worth that, like someone above said, you could build up a cobra for less than that.

[97snakedriver]

Originally posted by bigwhitecobra:
The Cobra should have the Lightning motor, and a 6 speed, no questions asked.

I disagree. Ford has a concept car that has just that. The engine is too heavy and large. The dynamics of the car are all screwed up and as a result its only a bit faster. The better options are the FRPP intake and heads on either a 4.6 or 5.0 modular block. No more weight and MORE power then the lightning motor. Ford has this too, and it works extremely well.

The third option (which is available in Australia and probably other places) is the 4.6L Cobra block with lightning pistons and roots blower. That works very well.

[PGkelly]

i disagree with all of you. the mustang needs variety. you should have the V6, and an option of a blower. you should have to get the GT to get the 4.6L SOHC, but you should have options as to what other amanities it gets to keep the price down. the Cobra should have IRS, 4.6L DOHC etc. the Cobra R should be just as it is. and they should throw around some 5.4L DOHC's somewhere too. and a six speed as a regular option. i think it's great. yeah, they should have some super fast production cars, but they shouldn't be regular production. they should be made in small batches, just for the hell of it. a regular production 12 second car just isn't practical, especially with gas prices going the way they are!

as far as pricing goes, they should have the cheap base GT for 18-19k, kinda like it is now, just w/the V8 and no other options. IRS should be an option for it (with some stronger halfshafts and the option of a higher gear ratio). the top-of-the-line cobra R (or Mach 1, whatever) shouldn't be too expensve (it shouldn't break 50k). but it should be rare.

and you should get what you pay for in interior amenities, with the option of deleting them and knocking some money off the sticker price. exclusivity like that isn't a bad thing. it gives us something to wish for. the Cobra R would get old if it stickered for 20K and we saw one every day.

I agree that some crazy fast cars should be made. ut they should not be commonplace. they should be made in small batches of 2000-5000, and they shouldn't be cheap. they should offer the 5.4 SOHC as an option on the GT, and that could be the cheap high-po stang. but 12 second specialties? no. make them? yes. but everyone should have one? no.

[bigwhitecobra]

To counter the weight of the 5.4, the FR500 front end should be used. Come to think of it, the FR500 front end should be used now. The cost of making the change is minimal, or at least no more than it is now, and the handling gets improved 100 fold. I've read all about the SCJ 5.4 and the Comp Prep Cobra, and why these cars aren't being produced is beyond my reasoning.
Of course, as long as we are dreaming, why doesn't Ford produce a budget aluminum block 429 mod motor that screams to 8000rpm and has a torque curve of a '02 Camaro's Heartbeat?(flatline, and about time too)

[Capri306]

PGkelly: put your post and my previous one together, and I think we have a plan.

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Capri306, Moderator, The Mustang Works Online
1979 Mercury Capri, 5.0L -- C4 -- 2.73
1987 Mustang LX Notch

[PGkelly]

capri, now all we need is high-level jobs at fomoco!