Six-Speed Slaughterfest

They came with shifters in hand, a quick left foot, and more horsepower than five Honda Civics combined. Some brought more than one form of unnatural aspiration, while others simply improved upon what Ford gave them.

The '04 Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords Cobra Shootout (for '03-'04 SVT Mustangs) was a complete success, and we're here to bring you all the juicy, tire-burning tales. The MM&FF staff opted to divide the group into two classes, Production and Modified, which made it simple enough to define the rules.

While we're sure there are plenty of as-fast Cobras on the street, our first rule required all the necessary safety gear for applicable speed/e.t.'s. The second rule, which signified the Production class, required the use of the factory IRS and T56 transmission, while the Mod-ified class (coming next month) was pure, unadult-erated debauchery.

We all thought the Ter-minator Cobra was fantastic because of how easy it was to pump out supercar power from the 281ci mill. What's more impressive is that with a few minor tweaks, the drivetrain can handle all that massive power and propel a not-nearly light machine into nine-second territory.

That's right, nines with the six-speed and IRS. Our winner got it done with a combination of boost and nitrous oxide. A few extra cubes didn't hurt either. Jay Knott of Friendswood, Texas, was far ahead of the rest of the competition, but the fight for the remaining positions was tight, with times ranging from 10.79 to 11.29.

Our Modified class competitors, as you might expect, were a tad faster than their IRS-equipped siblings. But the real story here is street superiority, and we're fairly sure that 141 mph in the quarter-mile can get the job done no matter what town you're from.

1st Place
Jay Knott, Friendswood, TX
9.85/141.43

Having had his share of classic Stangs, Jay grew tired of the resto scene. When he heard Ford was offering the Mustang with a supercharger from the factory, the 35-year-old engineer chose one in Sonic Blue.

Mild bolt-ons progressed to the point where a Kenne Bell unit was installed, and from then on it was all business. "The first pass of the day was the first pass on the new motor," Jay says. "It hasn't been tuned yet so we'll probably add more boost or nitrous to it as we go. I want to go sub-9.50s with the six-speed and IRS. It will never have an automatic!"

2nd Place
Jerry Willett, Laport, TX
10.79/128.49

The Willet '03 Cobra was purchased for Tammie Light, Jerry's wife. And, no, he didn't eventually pirate the Pony from her. "She still drives it every day and takes our three boys out in it," says Jerry, who works for Strictly Performance.

Jerry's day came to an early end, though, after a nitrous backfire took out the intercooler and intake manifold gasket. Still, he ran well enough to place second in this group of insanely fast cars. "I'd like to put a C4, a live axle, and maybe a Kenne Bell or Whipple on it and go nines," Jerry says. It's either that or he's going to be swapping an '03 Cobra motor in an '05 Mustang.