Ford knew exactly what was coming as they released their 1993 Mustang line-up. That was an entirely new pony car, to debut for 1994, whose tagline was, “It is what is was, and more.” Things took off from there, and the Mustang still captivates hearts. But knowing what was coming for the 1994 model year didn’t stop the Ford folks from pulling out one massive goody to end the 1979-93 Fox body generation with a ker-bang (Batman style). And what was that? The 1993 SVT Cobra. If this history appeals to you, your chance to be a part of it is staring you in the face in the form of the 1993 SVT Cobra seen here on ebay and available for just under $50Gs. You’ll have to turn up in Puryear, TN to claim it.
One major disappointment: this car has been repainted. The seller tries to make a virtue of this, saying “paint is newer, therefore seemingly flawless.” Thanks, but I’ll take what FoMoCo sprayed on, not the work of a later Picasso. Condition otherwise is decent/used, with mid-80,000 miles registered on the V8 engine backed up by a manual transmission.
What was special about this car, and its siblings? Rarity, for one thing. It was essentially a skunkworks type effort, with the SVT team churning out just under 5,000 of these bad boys, plus another 107 R models, for the 1993 model year. Tech enhancements, for another. The SVT used the Mustang GT’s 302-CID (4.9-liter) engine but upgraded the cylinder heads, intake system, and camshaft for an output of 235hp (which seems like small potatoes in this, the era of the 480hp Mustang GT). The exhaust was also modified for better performance.
The SVT Cobra of this year came in a choice of two reds, black, or teal. I’ve always favored the teal and thought of it as a nicely off-beat color for a factory performance car. This car carries that color mixed with a grey cloth interior. A look at the images suggests a car that has not been hermetically sealed, and with five owners and the cited mileage, it’s no wonder. And that’s where the dilemma comes in. What is this car, in this condition, worth? Interestingly, there’s another 1993 with a listed 81,000 miles liveried in red going for mid-50K money, so perhaps the asking number here of $49,999 is not out of line. There’s also the chance to make an offer. But look at this another way, and perhaps you’ll spend a little more. There are cars with teens-to-twenties mileage and asking numbers twenty to forty thousand dollars higher. What’s your value? This is a tough call, because the asking number here is really appealing, if this is the niche of the collector world you’re in and if perfect originality is not your goal.
Along with the R model, these are peak Fox Body. They have become high-dollar collectibles. More power, cool wheels, a few styling and trim tweaks came together nicely as a farewell model. The teal ones seem to be a bit more desirable; that’s my favorite color for them too. Big bucks for a good, but higher mileage repainted example; is that where the market currently resides?
Nice write up Brian. Forgot about that R model. It was the road course ready racer… but street legal, neat cars they were all barebones liteweight, no radio or a/c, pwr nothing, auxiliary oil cooler, brakes, rad, all the h.d stiff suspension pieces. These ones had all the creature comforts, and most the goodies from the Ford performance parts bin. Plus the great teal paint too.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug and some fox body era Ford fan will snap up this car even at a high price probably.
Nice parts. Is there a complete car somewhere?
The best way to appreciate the SVT Cobra is to drive one. It’s not so much the extra 10 horsepower (advertised — the real number was probably a fair amount higher) as it was the suspension, which had a number of upgrades (long ago, a Ford chassis engineer who worked on the project told me they used mostly off-the shelf Mustang pieces from a variety of models) that turned this into a marvelously responsive Fox chassis.
The “R” version was even better. Depending on desire and skill level, a driver could hang the tail out or just simply hustle it through corners The “R” was quicker, too. Also louder and somewhat rougher: it was, as (I think) Henry Manney who called the earlier R-model Mustang GT 350, a “new, clapped-out old race car.”
I will say repaints — if done well and using the original paint code — don’t bug me as much as they seem to bother Brian and some other BF authors. Most cared-for old cars get a repaint at some point in their lives. It’s a matter of taste…I’ve seen too many “survivors” that screamed for a trip to the paint booth.
In any case, I still have vivid memories of the SVT Cobras I was lucky enough to drive, and if the budget allowed I’d be hot on the trail of one to use as a driver. They’re far too much fun to be relegated to static display.
$50k? No thanks. With that money I can buy a new GT and get an improved model with better handling and engine.
4.9 liters? Let’s go with the well-known 5.0 author.
Seller needs to find a camera that can take pictures from more that 3 feet away.
Seller needs to learn how to take pictures.
Seller needs to learn how to take pictures.
I just don’t get understand it. I owned a ‘94 Indy Pace Car convertible and again…it was a convertible. Just sold an ‘03 true 10th Anniversary Cobra Convertible that was a an absolute beast. Can’t beat that blower whine. Sold it for a ‘14 Shelby GT500 convertible and both would suck the wheels off of this car and leave it stranded on the highway. My Shelby is a dream to drive and amazing power (though I do miss my Cobra). Can’t rationalize why these fetch such high prices. Cool, absolutely. Worth this kind of coin, just don’t see it IMHO.