Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R 2000

The story

The 2000 Cobra R is a Mustang with everything nonessential thrown out and everything aggressive bolted on. There is no radio, no air conditioning and no back seat. Instead there is a towering rear wing, a chin splitter, side-exit exhausts that flood the cabin with noise, big Brembo front brakes and a 5.4-liter DOHC V8 strengthened with tougher connecting rods, larger valves and a racing oil pan. Ford rated it at 385 hp and 385 lb-ft, figures plenty of owners suspected were on the modest side, and sent the lot through a 6-speed manual.

On a road course it shows a split personality. Under braking it is stable and honest, and in slow, tight corners it lets a driver lean on it without fear of a nasty surprise. In fast sweepers the 1,630 kg (3,590 lb) on an aging platform makes itself felt, the steering feels slow and heavily assisted, and the independent rear can hop when the power lands. None of that dims the attraction. Only 300 were built, and each one is proof that Ford's engineers badly wanted to go racing, flaws and all.