Cobra Too For You

Hordes of Mustang enthusiasts eagerly awaited the '05 SVT Cobra Mustang. It never came--and what a shame, because with refinement, power, and style, SVT Mustangs are like a death sentence to the competition. SVT's latest project, the GT500, is expected to pack 450-plus horsepower and handsome styling, but where does it leave the current Mustang buyer who wants more than just a base GT?

It leaves him with the need for supercharging and slicker styling. Perhaps that's why Power Surge Performance (Port Jefferson Station, New York) took matters into its own hands, by creating its very own Cobra model.

"I wanted to build an '05 Mustang to develop tuning and performance products," says owner Sal Mennella of PSP, "but I also wanted a car that made a statement. My inspiration for the look comes from some unexpected places, too. Everyone is trying to make the car look like an old Shelby or other vintage Mustang models. But I am a very big Mustang II enthusiast and an avid lover of the '76-'78 Cobra II. I feel the '05 lends itself to the Cobra II styling."

Admittedly, when we first heard Power Surge Performance fashioned its Mustang after the dreadfully poor-performing Cobra II, we cringed, but those early opinions changed when we saw the Sonic Blue example. In fact, we quickly realized the only thing hotter would be Farrah Fawcett herself riding shotgun--circa 1978, of course.

The factory blue hue on the '05 was enhanced with spoilers from Classic Design Concepts, and the grille was modified with a piece from Street Scene. PSP then color-coded the sideview mirrors and laid on the Cobra II-style striping. Cobra-clone wheels in bright white were then modified to fit the newer chassis and to set off the white stripes.

"The hoodscoop is a real '76 Cobra II part and it fits the stock hood perfectly," Sal says proudly. "We thought the rear of the car looked too high, so we blackened the back of the decklid between the taillights. I didn't like the '05 factory taillights either, so we blacked out part of the lenses to make them look like ones from the '67-'70 models. When it was done, the rear of the car looked fantastic." We agree.

While we would have never imagined it, the styling cues of the Cobra II fit the '05. With an intercooled Saleen blower pumping air into the Three-Valve, we couldn't wait to exercise the Mustang on Englishtown's quarter-mile, as well as on the MM&FF closed road course.