1999 Mustang Cobra SVT

Mar 06, 1999

WILLOW SPRINGS, Calif. The middle aged gentleman and his wife were driving their 3.8 L Mustang down a main drag of Dearborn, Mich.

At a stoplight, a 1998 SVT Mustang Cobra pulled up beside them with a couple of young men in it.

"Hey, old man," yelled the Cobra driver, "Why don't you try something like this?" and peeled away.

Paul Giltinan just smiled at his wife. Little did the young man know that Giltinan had done more than try something like that he had engineered it.

Because Giltinan is manager of Mustang Vehicle Engineering.

His latest project is the new SVT Mustang Cobra, unveiled to the press at this tight, twisty racetrack near Los Angeles.

Normally, when a car gains 15 horsepower, that's the story.

Not here, because the Cobra now has an independent rear suspension.

This is not only a first for Mustang, but for any pony car and brings the SVT Cobra several steps closer to being a true sports car.

"IRS helps keep both rear tires more firmly and completely in contact with the road, especially on uneven or bumpy surfaces," said Giltinan.

Rear track has been increased by 30 mm, making it equal to the front, which improves both the car's looks and cornering power.

Giltinan adds, "Rearend lift under braking is significantly reduced, which improves both vehicle attitude and control under braking.

"In addition, there's more usable rear suspension travel, which reduces both bottoming out and the suspension's sensitivity to bumps."

In other words, it rides better.

Suspension travel in the SVT Cobra also benefits from the recent changes to all Mustangs, which raised the central floor tunnel by about 25 mm, precisely for this reason. The IRS adds an extra 20 mm on the SVT.

Because the rear suspension works better, it even improves the front end's performance, with better on centre feel and steering response.

The turning circle is also reduced by almost a full metre as a result of mods made to all 1999 Mustangs.

In other words, IRS supplies better ride, handling and braking. What's not to like?

Well, weight is one thing. The IRS weighs about 32 kg more than a solid axle.

But weight savings in other areas netted 23 kg, much in the front end. So weight distribution changes from 57/43 front/rear to 55/45 not a lot, but any time you get closer to 50/50, you have a better balanced car.

And un-sprung weight, bits not supported by the springs, which includes the entire axle and differential in a solid axle car is down by a whopping 57 kg.

The less of this you have, the faster the suspension can react to inputs, and the better it performs.

The upper and lower wishbone control arms, toe control tie rods, anti-roll bar and differential are all preassembled onto a welded tubular steel sub-frame by Bentler Industries in western Michigan and delivered to the Dearborn assembly plant ready for

mating into the body shell.

Two additional bolt holes and weld nuts are required to fit this subassembly. Otherwise, apart from a rerouted exhaust system and relocated ABS sensors, it's no different from

Solid axle 3.8 L V6 or 4.6 L GT Mustangs, which are built on the same line.

A compact, elegant and very effective solution.

What about those 15 extra horsepower?

They arrive courtesy of new cylinder heads for the 4.6 L four-cam 32-valve all-aluminum V8. Redesigned intake ports and combustion chambers improve volumetric efficiency.

Coilonplug ignition eliminates the distributor and provides a hotter spark.

The final numbers are 320 hp at 6000 r.p.m. and 317 lb.-ft. of torque at 4750 r.p.m., up from 305 and 300, respectively on last year's SVT Cobra.

Compared to the 260 horses for the single cam iron block 4.6 L V8 on Mustang GT, you can tell this is a pretty quick car.

Giltinan says he'd beat that teenage kid in his '98 SVT Cobra by about half a second.

In Ford run tests, the car clocks 5.4 seconds in the 096 km/h (60 mph) sprint.

Standard equipment on SVT Cobra is the all-speed traction control system introduced as an option on the '99 Mustang. It's a brake and engine power reduction system tuned not only to stabilize the car under slippery road conditions, but also to satisfy the Mustang owner's need to peel out when the occasion demands.

The exclusive to Mustang Power Start feature assumes that as long as the car is pointing straight ahead, you're all right, so it suppresses the traction control system. If the car starts to slide sideways, it engages to prevent you from embarrassing yourself too much.

If that's still too much of a killjoy for you, there is an off switch.

A larger (11in. diameter versus 10.5) clutch, SVT Cobras are offered only with a five-speed manual transmission, accommodates the added engine torque and also results in a

lighter, shorter travel pedal.

Bake mods that include 13in. Brembo front brake rotors improve stopping efficiency too. ABS is standard.

Consistent with Ford's Special Vehicle Team strategy, the SVT Cobra is almost a Q-ship.

You have to look carefully to spot the external differences from the GT. Well, the power dome hood isn't that subtle. . . .

The front fascia incorporates round fog lamps (you don't have to turn them on, okay?) The trunk lid spoiler is an option (you don't have to order it, okay?)

You don't really need a race track to appreciate SVT Cobra's new suspension. The run out from Pasadena over the fabled Angeles Crest highway, while largely smooth, shows off the car's capabilities.

But Willow Springs is a tricky track, with several off camber corners, downhill decreasing radius bends and a couple of scary high speed sweepers which can catch a clumsy car (or clumsy driver) out.

The SVT Cobra ate it up.

On the track we typically ran with traction control off, but there was only one spot where it got in my way, anyway, a tight, uphill lefthander where a touch of wheel spin was preferable to having all the power taken away.

A racetrack also shows off the engine to its best advantage, since you'll be at or near the redline most of the time.

Like virtually all examples of Ford's modular V8, this one needs revs to do its best work. Catch it under 3500 r.p.m. and you might need a Snickers bar, you'll be waiting a while.

Paul Giltinan admits that a Camaro Z28 with the new Corvette engine will beat the SVT Cobra in a straight line, assuming the track is smooth and sticky enough to get the Chevy's power down.

But in refinement, ride comfort and real world, bumpy road circumstances, the SVT Cobra is undoubtedly superior.

The spoiler mentioned earlier is the only option. You pick coupe ($36,995) or convertible ($40,995), choose the colour and that's it.

Standard equipment includes leather upholstery, six-way power driver's seat, air, power everything, and a Mach 460 AMFM stereo cassette plus CD sound system which, unfortunately, still uses Ford's old teeny weeny pushbutton head unit, since nothing else will apparently fit into Mustang's dashboard.

Tom Scarpello, marketing manager for SVT vehicles, claims you'd have to move to something like a Corvette or BMW M3 to get overall performance that's comparable to an SVT Cobra.

Allowing a marketing guy a certain degree of hyperbole, he's not far off.

Maybe closer to the point, he says the SVT Cobra offers "90 per cent of the car for 60 per cent of the price."

That one's hard to argue.

Freelance journalist Jim Kenzie, among a group of auto writers invited to a test site, prepared this report based on sessions arranged and paid for by the automaker.

You can catch Kenzie each Sunday on Talk 640 Radio at 1 p.m.

Email: jbkenzie@interhop.net

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