Some cars, you simply look at and wonder how it ever got so bad. However, that same sentiment sometimes applies to one’s personal life, too, where things unravel over the course of a few years but it can feel like it happened in the blink of an eye. In the case of this 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra listed here on eBay, it was nice enough to deserve a remanufactured engine but has clearly fallen on hard times since. In fact, the seller considers it more of a parts car at this point, which is truly a shame. It has one bid to $2,500 and no reserve.
The 1995 Cobra is an interesting specimen, representing the completely redesigned SN95 generation while retaining a traditional pushrod-style V8. The power output wasn’t all that impressive for what amounted to a limited-production, high-performance car, but it was still respectable: 240 horsepower and 285 lb.-ft. of torque. The elusive Cobra R variant pushed the performance to a more impressive level, but those cars are incredibly hard to find. This project-grade example is the spec we see most Cobras in, just in significantly worse condition than normal.
When you see the interior, you realize that this was likely a truly decent car at one time. The leather, though torn on the driver’s seat, still has lots of depth in color, and the same goes for the dash and steering wheel. The head unit remains the factory cassette deck, showing it was barely altered from stock condition. The passenger seat looks darn near mint, and I suspect the good news here is that this battered Cobra wasn’t parked outside. The driver’s seat could easily be repaired, but if the car is truly a lost cause, it’s likely better to sell it on to an SN95 enthusiast.
The seller does include photos of engine tags that show it to be a remanufactured unit. The question is, was the original engine rebuilt or was a completely new crate motor dropped in? I suspect it’s the former, and even the seller refers to as a rebuild. The bodywork suggests to me that someone embarked on a cosmetic restoration that stalled out, and perhaps the car’s location in Ohio is a clue that rust was an issue. The missing Cobra-spec wheels also points to it being ravaged for parts, and it would look significantly more promising if it rode on a matched set. If there’s catastrophic rust underneath the Mustang, it is likely the end of the road – but it’s certainly worth finding out more before deeming it a parts car.
These were cool cars in their day. Sad to see this one in such a state of deterioration.
Not worth fixing. These SN95’s are still under the radar, as far as desirability. And you can buy a clean one with ok miles for under $10k.
It looks like it should stay forgotten.
I would use it for factory five cobra kit car