1993 Ford Mustang Cobra Vortech Supercharger

Thinking outside the Fox" is exactly what Ford was doing in the early 1990s, when even the most ardent admirers agreed the third-generation Mustang was overstaying its welcome despite a dominant position in the shrinking pony car market. In 1991, to polish its performance image and provide a premium Mustang model superior to its GT line, Ford assembled a company-within-the-company similar to its '80s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) program. This group of dedicated employees made up Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE, responsible for developing and building the final products) and the Special Vehicle Team (SVT, created to market, train sales personnel and perform customer-relations chores).

SVT introduced the Lightning pickup, its first enhanced Ford, in February of 1992 as a '93 model. Based on the short-wheelbase chassis of Ford's popular F-150 pickup, the Lightning received a 240-horsepower 351-cid V-8 and the kind of track-tuned suspension upgrades never before seen on production trucks. SVT's flagship, however, was a tuned version of the Mustang packed with many go-fast parts already available through Ford's existing dealer network.

It would be called Cobra, a sacred reference to the world-class sports cars Carroll Shelby had produced and sold through Ford from 1962 to 1967. The original Cobra's market presence had been small - barely 1,000 of the aluminum-bodied roadsters were built during those six years - but its impact on the motorsports world was profound. Chevrolet's Corvettes and Enzo's Ferraris were humiliated by Shelby's lightweight racers.

Always eager to recycle a good name, in 1968 Ford applied Cobra badges to Shelby's Mustang-based GT-350s and GT-500s for the first time, as well as to Ford's hottest engines through 1973. Unfortunately, the company's marketing staff could not resist the temptation to overdo a good thing, which explains why there was a low-performance 1976-78 Cobra II as well as a garish King Cobra in '78. With the 1979 Mustang redesign (hello, Fox!), Ford called certain turbocharged four-cylinder and V8 models Cobras, but this practice was dropped in 1982 with the return of the GT. (The Canadian market received Mustang Cobras from 1984 to '92, ostensibly so Ford could retain ownership of the name, but these cars had no equipment changes from the US GT model.)

SVT made it clear this version of the Cobra was not simply a badge-engineered, dressed-up Mustang, but something truly deserving of the name. For '93, the only year it would be based on the Fox chassis, the Cobra was available as a hatchback with a 235-horsepower version of the 5.0-liter V-8. This 30-horsepower increase over the GT came from new upper and lower intake manifold designs, revised GT40 heads with larger intake and exhaust ports, larger valves and revised rocker arms. Throttle body and mass air sensor size were increased to 70mm and 65mm respectively, for better flow, and a different cam spec was used. The intake manifold was a special two-piece GT-40 design cast from aluminum. 12-percent smaller crank and water pump pulleys - a hot rod trick long used by late-model Mustang modifiers - were fitted to the Cobra. Block and heads were cast iron. Redline for the Cobra V8 was a giddy 6000 rpm, with a fuel shut-off switch putting a damper on an overzealous driver's enthusiasm at 6250 rpm. Magazine tests of the new Cobra reported zero-to-60 times in the sub-six second range, and the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds.

Borg-Warner's T-5 five-speed manual trans-mission was the GT unit, but with phosphate-coated gears and stronger bearings. Postive gear changes came from a short-throw shifter, and 3.08:1 gears rode in the stock 8.8-inch limited-slip differential. Responding to enthusiasts' pleas for better braking control, SVT installed disc brakes at all four corners, a setup not seen on a factory Mustang since 1986, the final year of SVO production. Front rotors measured 10.84 inches and were vented, with single-piston calipers. Rears were also 10.84 inches and vented.

Engineers developed the Cobra's suspension with a philosophy of 'controlled compliance,' which gave a softer ride than Ford's Mustang GT. Front components included modified MacPherson struts, with separate springs on the lower arms, 400/505 pounds per inch variable rate coil springs and a 28.5mm stabilizer bar. Under the rear of the car is a rigid axle, upper and lower trailing arms, two leading hydraulic links, 160 pound per inch constant rate coil springs, shock absorbers and a stabilizer bar. Cobra-unique 17 x 7.5-inch, seven-blade alloy rims wore Goodyear 245/45-17 Eagle uni-directional tires.

Most sporty cars become flashier as the sticker price increases, but not so the new Cobra, whose cosmetic package was fairly conservative. Obviously, Ford had learned a lot since the sad days of the Cobra II, King Cobra and their 'look-at-me' decals. SVT kept the lower grille and bumper from the GT, but with a slightly different opening that featured a galloping pony. Side-mounted ground effects were smooth and contained no "Cobra" identification. The Cobra's rear received the same subtle treatment, mimicking the GT's wide bumper cover, plus a square-shouldered wing and only a pair of stainless steel 2.25-inch exhaust pipes poking out to hint at the car's potential.

Pinstriped taillights gave the new Cobra a link to the SVO. The average car enthusiast would be forgiven for not being able to identify the car as something special.

The GT interior was mostly carried over to the Cobra, the obvious exception being the white-faced instruments that would continue through later SVT models. Cockpit appointments were as plush as any loaded GT, including driver's side airbag, articulated sport seats, Premium Sound, Power Equipment Group, rear window defroster, air conditioning, cruise control, front floor mats and dual illuminated visor mirrors, the only options were leather seating surfaces, four-way power driver's seat, sunroof (after Feb. 1 build date), CD player, California emissions equipment and a high altitude principle use package. Available only in Performance Red, Teal or Black, the 1993 SVT Cobra was clearly the pinnacle of the Fox-bodied Mustang platform. To enhance collectibility, each Cobra starting with the '93 went to its new owner with a signed certificate that documented the car's production number (from SVT) and VIN (from Ford).

Everyone on the planet knew by mid-1993 that the Mustang was scheduled for a major overhaul within months, which led many automotive writers to speculate that Ford produced the one-year-only Fox Cobra to take attention away from General Motors' redesigned '93 Camaros and Firebirds. In spite of their optional 275-horsepower V8s, the GM cars were often overshadowed by the exciting new Cobra Mustang. SVT's goal of selling 5,000 Cobras was all but met by the end of the model year, with 4,993 of its street-spec $18,505 hatchbacks (plus 107 stripped-down, $25,692 R-models) going to new owners.

For reasons known only to himself, one of those '93 Cobra owners got his Vibrant Red hatchback from a Ford dealer in Goldsboro, NC, put 6,000 miles on the odometer, then parked it for several years in a barn. Melvin Skinner, who owns Fastlane Motorsports with his son Caleb, kept hearing about this mysterious 'Cobra in a barn' from a friend of his. Certain the friend was passing along an urban legend, Melvin said he would buy the Cobra if it could be found and the owner was willing to part with it.

In 2000 Melvin made good on his promise. "We went into this local barn shelter," he recalls, "and the dust was so thick on the car that we could not tell if it was red, blue or what color. The car had been sitting in there without a cover for five or six years, so it needed a lot of work to get back to show quality." The hatchback, number 596 of the '93 run, was one of nine red Cobras covered in acrylic enamel (the rest had basecoat/clearcoat treatments), so Melvin and Caleb spent a lot of time wet-sanding to remove just the right thickness of abused paint. The doorjambs were black with dirt.

With the original lustre returned, the Cobra underwent some subtle but powerful enhance-ments in the Fastlane Motorsports garage. "I wanted to make only a few changes that would result in more horsepower," he remembers, "but that could be changed back to stock if the Cobra became too valuable to own as a modified."

His first move was to install a Vortech S-trim supercharger with 3.10-inch pulley and 10-rib belt system. The original Cobra intake was cut and extrude-honed for maximum flow, which was improved by the addition of an Accufab 75mm throttle body. Injectors were upgraded to 42-pound Ford Racing high-impedance units, helped along by a Walbro 255-gph fuel pump. Boxes of aftermarket engine parts for this mostly stock project came from Anderson (a B-31 roller camshaft), Ferrea (valves), Lunati (retainers and springs) and Edelbrock (aluminum heads). To handle the extra pressure of the blower, the 5.0-liter received Felpro composite head gaskets and O-rings. A Fluidyne radiator and Earl's Performance Products hoses raised the hopped-up motor's resistance to overheating. MAC 1-3/4-inch exhaust headers and Flowmaster mufflers keep the hydrocarbons flowing quickly and efficiently away from the engine. Elec-tronic control is mostly stock SVT equipment, save for the Optima battery, Taylor ignition wires and SCT chip.

Melvin considers the stock T-5 adequate for his purposes, but he reinforced the drivetrain with a RAM billet flywheel, SPEC Stage II clutch, Ford Racing driveshaft and 3.73:1 rear axle gears. He bought a set of aftermarket chromed Cobra 17-inch wheels (safely packing away the originals) and installed some Nitto NT555 tires, but retained the factory's four-wheel disc brake components. Lakewood traction bars are the only exterior indication that the Cobra is anything other than a well-maintained original - and even then, only if you squat low enough to see the undercarriage. Custom-built subframe connectors negate the Fox Mustang's one truly serious weakness.

Even though he has more than doubled the '93 Cobra's output, Melvin - who has been drag racing since he could drive - has resisted the temptation to take his rare Mustang to the strip.

"It's a car I put together for fun," he reminds us. "I didn't modify it for extreme performance, and there are a lot of stock parts on there that won't hold up to drag racing. I just like driving it fast and getting it sideways every now and then."

In other words, it sounds to us like Melvin turned the ultimate Fox into a modern Cobra for a fraction of the cost.

Specifications

Melvin Skinner's 1993 Mustang Cobra

Engine

SVT 5.0-liter V8

Engine Modifications

Vortech S-trim supercharger; 3.10 pulley; 10-rib belt; cut and extrude-honed Cobra intake; Accufab 75mm throttle body; Ford Racing 42-pound injectors; Anderson B-31 camshaft; Crane roller lifters; Crane 1.6 roller rocker arms; Ferrea valves; Lunati retainers and springs; Edelbrock aluminum cylinder head; Walbro 255 lph fuel pump; Cartech fuel pressure regulator; MAC 1 3/4" exhaust headers; Flowmaster 2 1/2" mufflers

Engine Management

Ford with SCT chip; tuned by Caleb Skinner at Fastlane Motorsports

Driveline

Stock T-5 five-speed manual transmission; RAM billet flywheel; SPEC clutch and Stage II pressure plate; Ford Racing driveshaft; 3.73:1 Ford Racing axle gears

Numbers

509 RWHP

491 RWTQ

Interior/ Exterior

Melvin Skinner's 1993 Mustang Cobra

Chassis

Stock SVT; custom subframe connectors

Exterior

Stock SVT

Interior

Stock Ford with Autometer boost, water and fuel pressure gauges; 2004 Cobra seats

Suspension

Stock SVT with Lakewood traction bars

Wheels And Tires

Chromed 17 x 8.5" stock style Cobra wheels; Nitto NT555 (245/45-17)

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Fastlane Motorsports in Benson, N.C.