One of my all-time favorite cars, the 2003-2004 SVT Cobra was a beast. Ford took their excellent DOHC 32 valve 4.6 liter V8 and strapped an Eaton supercharger to it – the result was incredible. Officially rated at 390 HP, the real number was closer to 430 HP. After the over-rated 1999 Cobra, Ford didn’t want to take any chances. Take a look at some numbers real quick:
2004 Cobra Specs
- 390 HP Supercharged 4.6 liter V8
- Six speed manual
- Quarter mile <13 seconds
Perhaps the best thing about the 04 Cobra was the potential. With forged internals, the block was practically bullet-proof. A few simple mods – new pulley, CAI, exhaust, and people were seeing horsepower in the high 500 range. If you were willing to swap of the blower for a more efficient model, 1,000 HP was not unheard of. All on the stock block. Granted, driving lessons aren’t included with that kind of power, so you have to know what you’re doing.
When Ford debuted the Shelby GT500 for 2007, I had mixed feelings. One one hand, HOLY CRAP it’s a bad son of a bitch. 500 HP anything is hard to argue with. On the other hand, that’s one huge, heavy engine, in a heavier car. Real world performance isn’t a whole lot better than the 04 Cobra. The price tag is a cool $8-$10k more though, and there are no real discounts to be found. I’d love to see a return of the regular ol’ SVT Cobra. Unbeatable performance for the money, and a whole lotta bad-ass.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
That car is really THE CAR! The 2004 SVT I mean. Pitty there are none of those beutiful cars here in Bulgaria… Not sure if there is even one in whole Eastern Europe
That’s right – you probably don’t see a lot of our cars over there in Bulgaria. Good to see a fan from way on the other side of the earth though
Why does it say that the 1999 Mustang Cobra was overrated? Seems like a great car to me. Personally and honestly I’m not the smartest person on all car models and what not but I know a decent ammount. I was wondering is there any sure way to tell what year a mustang Cobra is when its between the years 99 and 2004? Most of them all look the same.
Max:
It’s not that I didn’t like the 99 Cobra. It’s that Ford actually over-rated the horsepower from the factory. Ford advertised that the engine made 320 HP, when it actually made quite a few less. While they did issue a recall to fix the situation, it was still a sore spot for years. That’s why they decided to under-rate the 03-04 Cobra, saying that it put out “only” 390 HP, when it actually made more than 400.
what kind of hood is on this car. i have an 04 mustang and am looking for a different hood style.
Nicky,
That’s the stock 2004 Cobra hood.