With all the hullabaloo surrounding the 2003 Cobra and Mach 1 Mustang (which was introduced at the New York Auto Show and raced at the Atlanta Fun Ford Weekend--more on this later), it has become fashionable to overlook what has become the sleeper in Ford's ponycar lineup.
I'm referring, of course, to our old friend the Mustang GT. This is a car that has gotten very little publicity lately and at first glance it is easy to understand why. It's been overshadowed by its two big brothers.
For nearly 18 months, rumors circulated about the "Terminator," a car that became the supercharged 2003 Cobra. The folks at the Blue Oval don't release blown Mustangs for public consumption every day and when it started revealing information to the media last December, it's no shock that as a collective group we've been having a spasm trying to get rides, drag tests, road course evaluations, etc.
Then there is the Mach 1. Unveiled at the Mid America Ford Performance and Shelby meet last June and rumored to be in the works for some time before that, the Mach 1 generated more mail to this office than any previous car, story or event in the history of this magazine. Everybody had an opinion of what it should or shouldn't be, including this motoring scribe.
When I got to sit in the genuine article the night before it was revealed at the New York Auto Show, I instantly fell in love. The Shaker hood, the 17-inch Magnum 500 wheels, the 4-valve engine, the seats ... Except for the Mach 1 stripe down the side, I wouldn't change a thing. OK, maybe I'd make the wheels chrome like the original Magnum 500s, but that's picking nits.
So let's summarize: The Cobra comes with 390 horsepower (at least), a 6-speed transmission, 3.55 gears and is expected to cost just under $35,000, including destination, delivery and federal gas guzzler tax. The Mach 1, which from what we've heard will cost about the same as a Bullitt (or about $27K), will get you a 300-plus horsepower 4-valve 4.6, a solid axle with a special diff and 3.55 gears, a trick cockpit and that intoxicating Shaker hood.
Then there's the GT. You get a scooped hood, but unlike the one on the other two V8 Mustangs, it's strictly for looks. You get a 260-hp, 2-valve 4.6 and 3.27 gears and your choice of a stick or automatic. Price is in the low twenties. Our white 2001 long-term project car--dubbed the Ice Box--ran 13.70 bone-stock, right down to the air silencer. That's a serious performance car, especially one that topped out at $24,380 fully loaded. The only options we didn't get were Bullitt wheels and an automatic transmission. Used '99s are becoming plentiful in the marketplace and at reasonable prices.
Best of all, its potential is fairly high, even in naturally aspirated trim. The usual low-buck bolt-ons (gears, pulleys, MAF, exhaust) work their magic and all '99-up cars are blessed with an excellent set of cylinder heads from the factory. As we saw in our May issue, there are tons more aftermarket parts heading our way pronto. And the benefits of superchargers, turbos and nitrous oxide have been well-documented on these pages.
When your daily driver has 4.88 gears, headers and a high-flow catalytic X-pipe, as does my '97 Cobra daily driver, you tend to forget just how nice the new GT is as delivered from the dealership. The Ice Box was fairly sumptuous when new. The ride was smooth, the seats comfortable (though not really suited to athletic driving) and it cruised at 80 all day long. I hadn't driven anything with less than 3.73s in it on a long-term basis since ... since ... goodness, it's been over a decade. My big-block Mopar had 3.23s in the early '90s, but that was without overdrive.
Later, after we installed the Vortech SQ supercharger, we had a silent killer on our hands. It made 345 horsepower at the rear wheels with stock everything else, including the mufflers. If not for the Cervini Stalker body kit, we'd have been able to sneak up on any foe and punch their lights out before they knew what hit them.
No question about it, the new GT is the best of its breed. This being said, it's going to be hard to resist the Mach 1 come next January. If Paul Svinicki's runs at the Atlanta Fun Ford Weekend are any indication of this car's prowess, they'll be lining up for them at the dealerships. In case you've missed the 8 million postings on the internet, Svinicki ran a best of 12.97 at 105.89 in a 5-speed Mach 1 prototype, with the only deviation from stock being a set of Nitto Drag Radials. Wow. That's right with any 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1 from the heyday of the musclecar era.
"It didn't feel like it wanted to rev as high as a 2001 Cobra, but it had so much more torque," Svinicki recalled of his pass in the new car. "The best part was the Shaker. It really moves around. You can watch it rise out of the hood."If there's a down side, it is that we've heard the Mach 1 may only be a one-year-only model. This is disappointing. The Mach 1 represents the rebirth of an American automotive legend. Just as Ford didn't kill the Cobra after 1993, we think Team Mustang ought to keep the Mach 1 alive long after '03. I guess the only way to make this happen is to vote with our wallets. I'm partial to red myself.