[Mustang92]

I'm sure everyone has their own reasons for buying what they did. I personally looked at the LS1 cars as well as Cobra and picked the GT over all of them. At the time no body had even mentioned a IRS to Live axle swap otherwise I would have the Cobra.

Also keep in mind that when I set out for a car I wanted something that would not only look good but would be a good platform for drag racing without having to replace a lot of driveline parts. Plus Chevy does not have much of a following in the way of a racing series which I happen to enjoy doing with NMRA and FFW.

Body: The Ram Air cars do look mean but they are heavy and heavy cars tend to break parts faster. The GT at first was not my favorite but it grew on me the more I saw them and saw potential with the body once the aftermarket opened up.

Interior: The LS1 cars seemed nice inside but the there was the downside of seating position and visibility. I like to be aware of my surrounding and didn't feel like I could in this car. The mustang was better except the seats where not the best but liveable.

Driveline: I spent a lot of time at the track and have plenty of friends that race. The F body rear ends are very weak and don't handle much abuse, there isn't much in the way to strengthen them other than replacement. On the hand they do have a very strong transmission. The Cobra with IRS is what turned me off from the Cobra since it's more of a handling not drag racing type suspension. The GT with live axle hands a good amount of abuse and can be beefed up fairly easily and cheap. The trans in the GT doesn't have the best rep but I'm willing to bet it would hold its own if driven properly and so far it lasted me 69K miles and I just broke a 4th gear shift fork. Not bad for 6K RPM launches on slicks.

Engine: The LS1s have the advantage here but even with the 80RWHP advantage they have to over come the problem of 300 more pounds of wieght and not being able to put down any real tires for traction to save the rear end. Granted with a solid rear end they would be a much more viable option. The GT still better than previous years and the aftermarket is starting to open up. I also have lots of connections to Ford racers and shops that could help me out. The LS1s would leave me starting from scratch.

Price: Most base LS1 cars where in the 25-28K range. Cobras around 28K and GTs 22K. I worked out a great deal and paid 19.8K for my GT that was pretty much the deciding factor.

Bill