1998 Cobra Convertible - The Crown Jewel

Lamotta enlisted the help of Al Papitto of Boss 330 Racing to handle the engine assembly. Papitto first punched out all eight cylinder bores an extra 0.020 inch, bringing total displacement to 283 ci. He then filled the bottom end with the stock crankshaft, forged CP pistons, and Manley forged connecting rods, readying the rotating assembly for the blower that would make its way into the car later. After finishing up the short-block with billet oil-pump gears, Papitto spun the engine over on the stand and promptly put on the stock cylinder heads. Crower Stage II cams and cam followers were lowered onto the heads, which feature a Champion short-runner intake manifold squeezed between the intake ports. An Accufab throttle body and FAST air meter handle the induction chores, while a Weldon 2025 fuel pump, an Aeromotive regulator, and 72-pound injectors force the needed fuel into the combustion chambers. The electrical energy needed to fire the NGK plugs comes from an MSD Digital 7 ignition box, coil, distributor, and wires.

Andrew's Cobra wasn't meant to run on a small pair, so a ProCharger F1-R blower pushing up to 23 pounds of boost was plumbed in and hooked up. Cooling the air charge is a job handed to a Precision Turbo PT1500 Next Generation II intercooler that was quietly bolted to the passenger-side footboard.

As if the boost from the blower wasn't enough, Andrew also had a Nitrous Express single-stage wet kit put in. The juice is good for an extra 50 ponies on top of the 685 the motor was already making on nuts alone. What goes in must come out, so eliminating the used air and fuel is a pair of MAC long-tube headers that flow into a custom x pipe system, MagnaFlow mufflers, and a 3-inch exhaust system. The tune that allows the car to rip on the street and strip comes courtesy of Job Spetter, Jr.

All of this power would be for naught if it couldn't get to the rear tires. After wiping out the trans with the new motor not long after he got the car back, Andrew installed one of Performance Automatic's Super Comp AODE transmissions. Residing in the bellhousing is a Performance Automatic 2,400-stall converter, and making the gear changes on the track is easy thanks to the B&M Hammer shifter that now pokes out of the center console. An aluminum driveshaft cuts down on the rotating weight a bit, and the 8.8-inch rearend lives behind the muscular mod motor thanks to upgraded components such as hardened 4.30 gears, Moser 31-spline axles, and a Strange spool.