GTP Cool Wall: 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra. Voting Closed

[Jim Prower]

Uh, could you prove that claim? someone? anyone? Dyno sheets, Please? and Bone-stock, SAE methods, at that.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

They consistently made 380-390hp to the rear wheels so 430-450hp is very, very plausible.

 

[homeforsummer]

Cool. It's a sledgehammer and doesn't pretend to be anything but. And it makes a noise.

 

[Prince.M5]

I knew that some says that the car rides great and the power is good.... But it's just that it's still doesn't have the package to attract most people to own the car... The looks isn't good enough and seriously not my liking... Sorry...

So I gave it uncool...

 

[Bones Brigade]

This is a car that can't be judged on the people driving them. Hicks, dudes with mullets, middle class yuppies, all are not cool. But the car is. It's not sub zero but it's definitely way cooler than cool.

 

[JCE]

Now that made me drool. I still like the stock noise, and with a pulley swap, intake and exhaust you can get some serious power out of it for very little money. Spend about $2,000 USD and it just might eat a Ford GT..? And the Terminator is well documented enough at 375-385rwhp. There is no way it was more than 460bhp at the crank, no way in hell. Thats just BS.

The modern GT500 is just a pig too btw, this was the real deal. Handles well in straight line as well as in the corners. The GT500 cannot do both. Oh how I wish I had the money I'd buy one of these and never look back--unless to see each and everyone of my victims.

 

[Lucas]

Sub-Zero here. Awesome looks, performance. I don't need anything else.

 

[Cano]

It's like Fox v1.1

I voted for Sub-Zero, seeing as liquid nitrogen isn't an option. How can you hate a 12 second, production car that cost about $32k new. Complete with at least 390hp AND torque at the wheels, a 6 speed trans, that is well capable of doing 160 at a moments notice. And of course then we add in the fact it's got a V8, roots blower and the sensory overloads that go with that. If you don't like these cars, you're not a man. If you can look at it as a car, and not just some American made hunk of iron, however you stack it, it's got amazing performance for it's price, and looks downright evil while doing it.

And I agree with it being understated, to a point. The second anyone hears it, the cats out of the bag.

You said it better that I possibly could. Indeed it is maybe the best Mustang in history, putting aside the nostalgic 70 Boss 302. And as someone else said, it's one of the three Mustangs I'd HIT HARD.

And, oh, THE NOISSSSSSSSSSSE...

 

[Joey D]

The 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra has been deemed Cool.

 

[DEATHSARTHE]

ROFL liek lulz at ur C5 dood.

The only Mustang worthy of such a monstrous code name. 👍

 

[kingcars]

Uh, could you prove that claim? someone? anyone? Dyno sheets, Please? and Bone-stock, SAE methods, at that.

It's pretty common knowledge in the Mustang world that the 390hp rating the Cobras got was more like WHEEL horsepower instead of flywheel horsepower. I'm not gonna waste much time looking, but here's a vid for ya of a bone stock 03 Cobra puttin down 387rwhp, which figures out to 445hp at the flywheel with a conservative 15% drivetrain loss estimate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Goodp43YA

How this car didn't get 100% Sub Zero votes is beyond me. They sound absolutely evil, the performance is still huge bang for the buck...those engines often see 700whp+ (and a lot more than that in many cases) on the stock short block without major modifications. And like a good throwback to the 60s, they were very underrated from the factory. Not to mention they look MEAN. Anyone who thinks it looks like a regular GT or V6 Mustang has issues.

I dunno about that. Even ignoring how base Mustangs were covered with vents and arches and etc., I don't think any of us living in America haven't seen at least one Mustang owner who decided he would get more attention by pulling the muffler off his V6 Mustang so it "sounds mean."
I've heard Terminator Cobras in real life, and the only audible hint that they are what they are that I could hear is the faint whine of the supercharger at idle.

Any true car guy can EASILY tell the difference between an 03/04 Cobra and a V6 or GT. The front and rear bumpers are the main giveaway, along with the hood and a few other things. As for the sound difference...come ON dude, you mean to tell me that you cant tell the difference between this (V6 with chopped exhaust):



And this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSN4BqRVtAY

Compare the first vid to 0:58-1:07 in the 2nd vid. Really? It's hard for you to tell? And the "only" hint you get that it's a termi is the "faint" S/C whine? ROFL.

 

[JCE]

Ever watched this video?



That's like ~30mph to like ~160mph in less than 20 seconds. I've almost never seen a speedo go that fast that quickly in a car not wearing a Bugatti badge.

 

[DEATHSARTHE]

I bet they don't look like V6 Mustangs when you're chasing them down the highway at 150mph. lol

I think the SVT Cobra was genius, it had the perfect touches. There are warning signs such as the COBRA decal on the rear bumper or the Cobra emblems, or perhaps the gnarly idle of a high performance V8 with a faint whistle of a little something extra. But everything else is a little down played and simple, leaving just enough of that if factor. Ohhhh I love the if factor. If you don't know by then that its a Cobra, it might just be an embarassing misperception... lol

This Cobra plays its part well, very well....

 

[LSX]

How this car didn't get 100% Sub Zero votes is beyond me. They sound absolutely evil, the performance is still huge bang for the buck...those engines often see 700whp+ (and a lot more than that in many cases) on the stock short block without major modifications. And like a good throwback to the 60s, they were very underrated from the factory. Not to mention they look MEAN. Anyone who thinks it looks like a regular GT or V6 Mustang has issues.

I think it's because it wears a Mustang badge, people think horses aren't as cool as bulls. I think also have a hard time looking at a modern American car and being okay with saying wow! Even if we polled the 2010 ZR-1 Corvette, someone or some people would chime in with "It's ugly, shat engineering, seriously uncool it's a muscle car, who needs a 100,000K car that is that fast and nimble UNCOOL!".

IMO the Cobra is subzero if you look at it for what it is, a car that can't be touched price wise for the power output, handling AND reliability for the money. Which was $33,000 new. These cars still sell for above $20,000 USED, 6 years later! I guess cool is alright with me though, GTP is a diverse place with lot's of different opinions and views. Not to mention many a nationality represented that have a bias to their own automobiles. Now I don't always love American people movers, I often do however have a lot of love for our performance cars. IMO I don't think they are ANYTHING to be looked down upon, I don't need special gimmicks to make me want a car, an argument about reliability would hold no water either. I like many different kinds of cars, import or domestic, usually they share the same basic traits though, front engined, rear wheel drive. To me, it's is cool to see people from a different country give their opinions on our cars they will never own, and probably likewise for them. I can live with cool as the rating for the Terminator, it only hurts a little bit that an Integra got the same rating haha.

Edit: I guess it does not hurt too bad though, it shares the same class with the F430, and GTR soo I guess that takes the sting away somewhat.

 

[kingcars]

Ever watched this video?



That's like ~30mph to like ~160mph in less than 20 seconds. I've almost never seen a speedo go that fast that quickly in a car not wearing a Bugatti badge.

Good lord! 👍

*cough cough*

I mean...uh...that sounds just like a V6 Mustang.

I bet they don't look like V6 Mustangs when you're chasing them down the highway at 150mph. lol

I think the SVT Cobra was genius, it had the perfect touches. There are warning signs such as the COBRA decal on the rear bumper or the Cobra emblems, or perhaps the gnarly idle of a high performance V8 with a faint whistle of a little something extra. But everything else is a little down played and simple, leaving just enough of that if factor. Ohhhh I love the if factor. If you don't know by then that its a Cobra, it might just be an embarassing misperception... lol

This Cobra plays its part well, very well....

I agree. It's not over the top "OMG LOOK AT ME, IM A COBRA" but it's not "Meh I'm a baseline V6 with a different engine" either.

I think it's because it wears a Mustang badge, people think horses aren't as cool as bulls. I think also have a hard time looking at a modern American car and being okay with saying wow! Even if we polled the 2010 ZR-1 Corvette, someone or some people would chime in with "It's ugly, shat engineering, seriously uncool it's a muscle car, who needs a 100,000K car that is that fast and nimble UNCOOL!".

IMO the Cobra is subzero if you look at it for what it is, a car that can't be touched price wise for the power output, handling AND reliability for the money. Which was $33,000 new. These cars still sell for above $20,000 USED, 6 years later! I guess cool is alright with me though, GTP is a diverse place with lot's of different opinions and views. Not to mention many a nationality represented that have a bias to their own automobiles. Now I don't always love American people movers, I often do however have a lot of love for our performance cars. IMO I don't think they are ANYTHING to be looked down upon, I don't need special gimmicks to make me want a car, an argument about reliability would hold no water either. I like many different kinds of cars, import or domestic, usually they share the same basic traits though, front engined, rear wheel drive. To me, it's is cool to see people from a different country give their opinions on our cars they will never own, and probably likewise for them. I can live with cool as the rating for the Terminator, it only hurts a little bit that an Integra got the same rating haha.

Edit: I guess it does not hurt too bad though, it shares the same class with the F430, and GTR soo I guess that takes the sting away somewhat.

I agree with you...it was mainly the comments about how people couldn't tell the look or sound difference between a Cobra and a baseline V6 that threw up red flags for me. I mean really? Wow. I'd much rather have people voting that actually know a bit about the car.

Oh and I'm with you on the F/R drivetrain preference; I'm the same way. As for reliability of these cars...definitely not an issue. The short blocks are STOUT, and take tons of abuse.

 

[Joey D]

The car is far from sub-zero in my opinion. I mean I find it cool but just something about a muscle car does not wow me in the slightest. For the money it cost at the time I can think of other vehicles I would rather have and even now with the used prices I can still think of other cars that I'd buy.

I agree with you...it was mainly the comments about how people couldn't tell the look or sound difference between a Cobra and a baseline V6 that threw up red flags for me. I mean really? Wow. I'd much rather have people voting that actually know a bit about the car.

I think most people know something about the car, even in the first post I give you specs concerning the car and it's really not that hard to Google it if you have more interest. The Cool Wall though is not about whether a car is good or not, it's about it's level of coolness which really doesn't have anything to do with performance. If it did have something to do with performance a car like the 57 Chevy would have never been thought of as Sub-Zero.

And in the end I'd rather have people voting who know what the purpose of the cool wall is...but to each is own.

 

[Tornado]

I agree with you...it was mainly the comments about how people couldn't tell the look or sound difference between a Cobra and a baseline V6 that threw up red flags for me. I mean really? Wow. I'd much rather have people voting that actually know a bit about the car.

Hold, what? Back up a bit: I was merely expressing an opinion of how downplayed it was. That doesn't mean I don't know about the car.

 

[kingcars]

Hold, what? Back up a bit: I was merely expressing an opinion of how downplayed it was. That doesn't mean I don't know about the car.

People who know about the car have NO problem picking it out among a crowd of baseline and GT Mustangs, whether by sound or looks. If there's one within a 1 mile radius of me, I spot it ASAP, instantly knowing that it's a Cobra haha. There's nothing wrong with a car that doesn't have a huge spoiler and body kit to say "Hey I'm a special edition!"

 

[Joey D]

People who know about the car have NO problem picking it out among a crowd of baseline and GT Mustangs, whether by sound or looks. If there's one within a 1 mile radius of me, I spot it ASAP, instantly knowing that it's a Cobra haha. There's nothing wrong with a car that doesn't have a huge spoiler and body kit to say "Hey I'm a special edition!"

Unless of course you live in a country that isn't America, where the SVT wasn't sold, let alone many Mustangs. Do you really think someone from the UK is going to really know when you hardly ever see a base Mustang on the road?

Quit being ethnocentric.

 

[Tornado]

People who know about the car have NO problem picking it out among a crowd of baseline and GT Mustangs, whether by sound or looks.

And there was my point. Its a sleeper for those who don't, and that's awesome.

 

[kingcars]

I think most people know something about the car, even in the first post I give you specs concerning the car and it's really not that hard to Google it if you have more interest. The Cool Wall though is not about whether a car is good or not, it's about it's level of coolness which really doesn't have anything to do with performance. If it did have something to do with performance a car like the 57 Chevy would have never been thought of as Sub-Zero.

And in the end I'd rather have people voting who know what the purpose of the cool wall is...but to each is own.

Wow really? Being cool has NOTHING to do with performance? I guess the Veyron is screwed, then. I think that you, sir, have the wrong idea about "cool" cars. There are different ways to be cool. The 57 Chevy just has classic, timeless styling that will be loved for countless generations. That's what makes it cool. But that's not the ONLY thing that can make a car cool. A downplayed looking Mustang putting down almost 400whp STOCK with a supercharged V8, 6 speed manual, and IRS for $33k brand new and can put down much more hp with very little modification...that's cool also.

Also, as mentioned, the released specs (specifically horsepower) aren't accurate. Anyone who DOES know these cars knows that. They were underrated from the factory.

Unless of course you live in a country that isn't America, where the SVT wasn't sold, let alone many Mustangs. Do you really think someone from the UK is going to really know when you hardly ever see a base Mustang on the road?

Quit being ethnocentric.

The same could be said for them - they don't know what the car is, so they just vote "uncool" because it's a *gasp* recently made American car */gasp* and move on. There are plenty of cars that get constantly leghumped here that I never get to see in real life, like Skylines for example. I just don't use that as an excuse to not know what the cars are about and/or capable of.

And there was my point. Its a sleeper for those who don't, and that's awesome.

Well then, I guess I misunderstood you and I apologize. 👍

 

[Joey D]

Wow really? Being cool has NOTHING to do with performance? I think that you, sir, have the wrong idea about "cool" cars. There are different ways to be cool. The 57 Chevy just has classic, timeless styling that will be loved for countless generations. That's what makes it cool. But that's not the ONLY thing that can make a car cool. A downplayed looking Mustang putting down almost 400whp STOCK with a supercharged V8, 6 speed manual, and IRS for $33k brand new...that's cool also.

Also, as mentioned, the released specs (specifically horsepower) aren't accurate. Anyone who DOES know these cars knows that. They were underrated from the factory.

A cool car does not have to be performance oriented. Look at the Classic Mini Cooper voting thread, that car has pretty much no performance to it at all but it's currently going sub-zero.

Look at the results thread, not all the cars deems cool are performance cars and not all the cars deemed uncool are crap boxes.

Just because something is fast does not automatically make it cool. What makes a car cool or uncool is whatever you decide. Some people go for performance, others looks, others the culture surrounding the car. You are not the gatekeeper to what is an what isn't cool, just so you know.

The same could be said for them - they don't know what the car is, so they just vote "uncool" because it's a *gasp* recently made American car */gasp* and move on. There are plenty of cars that get constantly leghumped here that I never get to see in real life, like Skylines. I just don't use that as an excuse to not know what the cars are about and/or capable of.

Making some assumptions there aren't we?

 

[kingcars]

A cool car does not have to be performance oriented. Look at the Classic Mini Cooper voting thread, that car has pretty much no performance to it at all but it's currently going sub-zero.

Learn to read?

There are different ways to be cool. The 57 Chevy just has classic, timeless styling that will be loved for countless generations. That's what makes it cool. But that's not the ONLY thing that can make a car cool.

Look at the results thread, not all the cars deems cool are performance cars and not all the cars deemed uncool are crap boxes.

Just because something is fast does not automatically make it cool. What makes a car cool or uncool is whatever you decide. Some people go for performance, others looks, others the culture surrounding the car. You are not the gatekeeper to what is an what isn't cool, just so you know.

Once again, learn to read. Kthx. And FYI - I'm all for the classic mini and 57 Bel Air being sub zero; that'd be what I would vote for them. They're timeless classics. Though I'm still laughing at "being cool has NOTHING to do with performance." That's funny. I wonder why Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, etc even exist then.

Making some assumptions there aren't we?

Maybe, but I see it happen all the time on forums with lots of Europeans and people from all over the world, and this is no different.

 

[Joey D]

I'm pretty sure you said I have the wrong idea about cool cars when I said being cool has nothing to do with performance.

Wow really? Being cool has NOTHING to do with performance? I guess the Veyron is screwed, then. I think that you, sir, have the wrong idea about "cool" cars.

Maybe you should learn how to convey your ideas better.

Whatever, I'm done and this thread is verging on locking. Vote however you want but respect others for voting the way they did. Case closed on the subject of what makes a car cool. The car itself is still up for debate since, after all that is the point of this thread.

 

[kingcars]

I'm pretty sure you said I have the wrong idea about cool cars when I said being cool has nothing to do with performance.



Maybe you should learn how to convey your ideas better.

Whatever, I'm done and this thread is verging on locking. Vote however you want but respect others for voting the way they did. Case closed.

Maybe you should read the whole post before replying. Even if you woulda just read the next sentence...

There are different ways to be cool.

If I went into a thread about one of your favorite cars and started saying stuff like "dude I can't tell the difference between an R32 Skyline and an 89 Silvia" and voted it uncool I'm sure I'd get the same response...and I would expect it.

 

[Joey D]

A SVT Mustang and a V6 Mustang are still both still Mustangs...and yes they do look quite similar to a lot of people. There is a big difference between and 89 Silva and a R32 Skyline, you can easily tell they are different cars.

 

[kingcars]

A SVT Mustang and a V6 Mustang are still both still Mustangs...and yes they do look quite similar to a lot of people. There is a big difference between and 89 Silva and a R32 Skyline, you can easily tell they are different cars.

I was just using it as a random off-the-top-of-my-head example. Maybe you'd prefer a comparison to the regular Lancer vs the EVO X? Either way, my point remains the same. Sure, there's no astounding differences, but anyone who knows even the slightest bit about them and/or has been around them a couple of times should be able to easily tell the difference.

 

[Joey D]

I don't disagree with the Lancer example, but once again they are both the same car in different clothing. A Silvia and a Skyline are two different cars.

The only thing I see different about the SVT and a GT is the front bumper and the bonnet, both of which could easily be aftermarket parts or even dealer options. Perhaps it sits a bit lower too. They don't look all that different and I can see where someone could make a mistake, even if they knew about cars.

 

[kingcars]

The only thing I see different about the SVT and a GT is the front bumper and the bonnet, both of which could easily be aftermarket parts or even dealer options. Perhaps it sits a bit lower too. They don't look all that different and I can see where someone could make a mistake, even if they knew about cars.

Other differences include the rear bumper, exhaust (which you can't see in the pics), sideskirts, and wheels. And while its still nothing major, the overall attitude of the cars are waaaaaay different (both with the EVO and SVT).

But anyways...my main point is that you shouldn't judge a car unless you understand what it's about. Of course there will be those people who simply don't like it - we all have different tastes. But judging by some posts in here, it seems like many just don't know the car well enough. That's all I was getting at. Have a good day now .

 

[LSX]

WOW nice green Cobra!!!

That white one is just about all I'd ever want, except Sonic Blue or DSG instead of white, with a Blowzilla, and a center console stuffed full of speeding tickets. OR maybe not