At the time, it really didn’t get much cooler than the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R. Ford only ever built 300 Cobra Rs during a one-model-year run in 2000, making them instantly collectible and incredibly rare. If you’ve ever seen one in person, consider yourself very lucky.
Did it look a little boy-racer-ish? Absolutely. But it was also a serious performance car, making 385 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque from its 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8. Considering the fact that Kia now sells an EV6 GT with 576 hp, that’s not a lot of power today. But back in 2000? That was almost as much horsepower as you got in the Ferrari 360 Modena.
And let’s not pretend that hitting 60 mph in the mid-four-second range isn’t quick even by today’s standards. Yes, you can buy cars with sub-two-second zero-to-60 mph times, but stick an average person in the shotgun seat of a Cobra R, and they’ll still be impressed.
Recently, Jalopnik alum Doug DeMuro got his hands on one of these incredibly rare cars, and you better believe he made a video about it that dives into all of the Cobra R’s quirks and features. There’s a good chance you already know about some of them, like the independent rear suspension (a first on a production Mustang), the lack of a rear seat or air conditioner, and the massive rear wing. But unless you’re a serious Cobra R expert, there’s probably a lot you’ll learn from Doug’s latest video.
For example, did you know the Cobra R’s rear bumper came off the V6 Mustang? Or that the front splitter was removable? Or that Ford had to remove a hood support to make room for the massive air intake?
(Edit: When this post was originally published, Bob had wrongly added that it was because the Mustang GT’s bumper said “Mustang GT” instead of “Mustang.” I have removed this incorrect “fact” and am now shaming him in the post for his lack of Mustang knowledge. Get it together, Bob.)
Even better, the car in the video isn’t a loaner from a museum or a private owner. It’s actually for sale now on Doug’s site Cars & Bids. So if you have the cash and you’ve always wanted to own a Cobra R, you actually have the chance to make that dream a reality. Be prepared to pay quite a bit, though, because something tells me this one’s going to be pricey.