Deliverance

How fitting that Ford Motor Co.'s Special Vehicle Team chooses a southern setting to play possum. Until now, the word understated has never been applied to any SVT product. But it's appropriate here.

Still smarting from braggadocio that proved hollow some years back, SVT engineers and publicists purposefully low-ball the horsepower generated by the '03 SVT Mustang Cobra.

With poker faces firmly fixed, they claim to 390 hp at 6,000 rpm, and 390 lb.-ft. (529 Nm) of torque at just 3,500 rpm.

Such deception honors the memories of the crafty moonshine-runners who once owned these Appalachian roads. Consensus among fellow testers is that this Cobra creates thrust in excess of 400 hp (SAE net).

Clearly, the new Cobra remains true to its roots — an in-your-face, over-the-top homage to internal combustion, American-style.

When pressed, SVT insiders admit to the ruse. Better safe than sorry.

Their strategy this time around is to speak softly and carry a big, 6-speed stick.

Hampered by the aged Fox platform, Cobra's shifter placement is out of reach for most homo sapiens. Fortunately, the Cobra's sticker is not.

For $34,750 you can run with Corvette buyers who spent at least $7,000 more. And if you have legs like a kangaroo (a distant possum relation), you stand a good chance of running ahead of the 'Vettes.

In other words, the stiff clutch affords a fairly demanding workout if you have to endure stop-and-go congestion en route to your favorite stretch of open, winding blacktop — this Cobra's natural habitat.

Thanks to steering and suspension refinements, its response to quick wheel inputs is wholly unlike the laziness exhibited by Mustang GT. Stiffer bushings, control arms and an I-shaft machined to tighter tolerances get credit for mitigating the heaviness associated with tossing around a machine of this ilk. Cobra's steering precision more closely resembles that of its stablemate, SVT Focus.

For '03, there are actually two very distinct Cobras. The coupe and convertible offer degrees of “plushness” that are consistent with their applications.

And to handle the powerplant's higher torque output — 73 lb.-ft (99 Nm) more than before — a tubular cross-brace is added to the independent rear suspension.

So, how does SVT boost '03 Cobra to 390 hp from the previous model's mark of 320? Its 4.6L 32-valve V-8 is supercharged.

SPECIFICATIONS