Earlier than the Mustang Shelby GT500 was revived in 2007, Ford despatched its New Edge Mustang Cobra out with a bang. Truly, it was a whine, courtesy of a manufacturing unit Eaton supercharger bolted to the 2003 and 2004 fashions. Arriving over a decade earlier than the infamous supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8, the 2003-2004 Cobras garnered the nickname Terminator as a result of on the time, they beautiful a lot dominated the muscle automotive world when it comes to energy and efficiency.
This latest dyno video from Chris Sullivan on YouTube reminds us why. Terminator Cobras have a fame for making massive energy from massive engine mods, however this one solely options just a few minor bolt-ons. The inventory supercharger remains to be in place, as are the exhaust manifolds, camshafts, and the consumption. Upgrades embrace a pulley swap for the blower, bumping increase strain from 8 to 13 kilos. And the engine breathes via an upgraded manifold-back exhaust system. Although minor, these modifications are sufficient for this 20-year-old Mustang to make 498 horsepower on the wheels.
Factoring in a median driveline lack of 15 %, that is roughly 590 hp on the engine – significantly greater than Ford’s inventory score of 390 hp again within the day. Suffice it to say, it did not take Cobra house owners lengthy to appreciate the supercharged 4.6-liter engine was truly underrated; people from Ford’s outdated SVT crew typically hinted at 425 hp when the Terminator was new, and that is backed up by typical wheel-hp scores of round 370 from fully inventory automobiles.
This explicit Cobra is additional particular. Apart from a really low manufacturing run for 2004 (3,768 have been constructed all whole), solely 299 acquired a coat of Screaming Yellow paint. It was a one-year coloration possibility for the Cobra, although it was additionally avaiable on the SVT Focus. Solely Competitors Orange is rarer for the Terminator Mustangs.
Whereas these automobiles have been identified for large supercharged energy at a time when 300 hp was massive information, all of the New Edge-era Cobras (1999-2004) gained impartial rear suspension, a primary for the enduring pony automotive. This improved the experience high quality and dealing with characteristcs of its getting old fox platform, and would not be seen once more underneath the Mustang till the sixth-generation launch in 2015.
The mix of energy, efficiency, suspension, and rarity have elevated the 2003-2004 Cobras to legit modern-classic standing. Scoring a pleasant, low-mile instance at the moment can simply set you again $50,000.