Sometimes a classic car will come along, and it takes a single photo to summarize its life. That appears to be the case with this 1973 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. Not only is the seller the car’s third owner, but he has continued the tradition that the previous two owners had of keeping the vehicle stored away in a dry garage when it is not in use. It seems that he cherishes and protects his pride-and-joy but has made the difficult decision to part with it. The Cobra is located in Shady Spring, West Virginia, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Some respectable bidding action has pushed the price along to $26,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.

With the cover pulled back, what we find is a Black classic. This was 1-of-3 colors available on the 1993 Cobra, and with 1,854 buyers choosing this shade, it was the most popular. The seller purchased the Cobra back in 2017 and has cared for it ever since. A life in warm garages and a mere 33,000 miles on the clock means that the original paint still presents exceptionally well. There are no significant issues or problems and no evidence or mention of rust. The owner admits to a few marks and chips and that these will need to be touched-up if the car is to achieve perfect presentation. Black paint can magnify any problems with panels, but these show no evidence of dings or dents. All of the plastic and distinctive SVT aero components are in excellent order, with none of the paint peeling that afflicted a few of these vehicles. The owner says that the roads in his area are pretty rough, and he has always feared damaging one of the original 17″ alloy wheels. With this thought in mind, he has managed to source a spare set of genuine (not reproduction) wheels. He had these machined and PVD Chrome Coated. These are what the car currently rolls on, but the original wheels and a spare set of center caps are included in the sale. The only other item to consider is the tinted glass, and this appears to be faultless.

As the automotive world rolled through the 1970s and into the 1980s, it seemed that the American high-performance car was dead in the water. If a buyer chose to tick a V8 option on their new pride-and-joy, they usually received a wheezing and asthmatic disappointment. However, salvation was just around the corner, and the 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra showed that the mighty American V8 was back with a vengeance. When the Fox-Body Mustang hit the showrooms for the 1979 model year, the best that a buyer could hope for from the venerable 302ci V8 was 140hp. Point that car at the ¼ mile, and the journey would take 18.7 seconds. The days of the sub-15-second Mustang must have seemed like a distant memory against the bitter reality of the day. However, the motoring world was not about to lay down. Some clever engineers looked at ways to extract more power from these V8s without killing fuel economy and breaking the ever-tightening emission regulations. Part of the solution was electronic fuel injection, which controlled fuel delivery with far greater accuracy than the average carburetor. Engine Management Systems helped, as did advances in metal technology. Ford and SVT brought all of these improvements to the table for the 1993 Cobra, and the 5.0-liter V8 was now pumping out an “official” 235hp. Many well-versed individuals believe that this figure is conservative and that the reality was somewhere closer to (or slightly higher than) 255hp. Remember the days of the sub-15-second Mustang? The SVT Cobra could blitz the journey in 14.5 seconds before running out of breath at 150mph. Ah, the glory days were back! This Cobra appears to be in excellent mechanical condition and comes equipped with the 5-speed manual transmission, Traction-Lok rear end, power steering, and 4-wheel power disc brakes that were all part of this package. The listing indicates that the Ford has 33,400 miles showing on its odometer, and given the documentation included in the sale, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is evidence to back this claim. A few of the factory components have been swapped out for aftermarket parts, but all of the original pieces are included in the sale. The owner doesn’t indicate how well the Cobra runs or drives, but given his attention to detail, I suspect that it performs as well as it did when it was new. Included in the sale are the original Owner’s Manual, Window Sticker, SVT Certificate, along with other documentation and a diecast SVT Cobra model.

The original owner chose to team the Black exterior with Opal Gray leather interior trim. This was a popular choice, with 1,079 buyers selecting this combination. In fact, Opal Gray leather hit the spot with potential buyers because 60% chose this trim versus 40% for the two cloth-trim options that were available. Apart from the slightly sagging door pockets, which are common in these cars, the interior appears to be in excellent condition. There is no visible wear on the seats or other upholstery and no signs of issues with the dash or other plastic trim pieces. The carpet looks spotless, and the owner says that the interior has that distinctive “new car” smell. His attention to detail is impressive because the original CD stereo stopped working. Instead of scrapping it in favor of an aftermarket unit, he located a specialist in Texas who could restore it. In addition to the stereo, the Cobra comes equipped with a driver’s airbag, air conditioning, power windows, a power driver’s seat, power locks, power mirrors, and a leather-wrapped wheel.

This 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra is 1-of-4,993 cars built in that model year. It isn’t perfect, but it is a well-preserved and cherished classic that should offer its new owner years of reliable and enjoyable classic motoring. Values have continued to increase as the Fox-Body Mustangs have become more recognized as the cars that revived the Mustang name and spirit. Across 2020, values increased by a whopping 8%, which means that pristine examples of the SVT Cobra can sell for $60,000. However, $40,000 will generally secure potential buyers an excellent example that would need very little work. I’m not sure whether this one can find its way to that sort of price, but I would be surprised if it did. However, there is always the chance with these eBay auctions that this beauty could sell for less than $30,000. If that happens, then I believe that someone will have secured themselves a bargain buy. With those thoughts in mind, would you consider submitting a bid on this classic?