Can a 46-Year-Old Rescued Mustang Cobra II Handle N2O and Go Beyond Its Limits?

It also had a 171 cu-in (2.8 liter) V6 option, which wasn't far from the base variant. It could only output 105 hp (106 ps) with 140 lb-ft (190 Nm) of torque.

The catch was its reduced size and weight that, together with some excellent engineering, made it more fuel-efficient. This attracted the crowds, especially in an era in which, not unlike hours, gas prices were going way up.

A year later, in 1975, after the oil crisis began fading away, Ford reintroduced the V8 package that pumped those numbers up to 140 hp (142 ps). In 1976, Ford expanded its offer to customers with the Stallion and Cobra II models. They didn't bring any real-life performance upgrades, but they were much sexier.

You wouldn't call what Dylan discovered as good-looking, but remember that it was lying in the wilderness for 27 years, all defenseless. The Cobra II still rocked a 4-speed manual transmission system and its 302-cu-in (4.9 liter) engine.

This wasn't enough for old Dylan McCool, so he installed a new cam, a 4-barrel carburetor, a dual exhaust system, and a new set of wheels. Still, it wasn't enough. So, like Dr. Frankenstein, he needed new body parts for his revived monster. He was planning to race it in the Kentucky Holey Ford Fest.

The first item on the shopping list was an entire 9" Ford rear axle, but for the "pièce de résistance," he went for a nitrous kit because, ultimately, why not...

But in all seriousness, the N2O isn't for shifting the 17 gears your garden-variety Vin Diesel car has. It's actually brilliant because it saves a lot of money. Otherwise, he would have to fork over for a new engine and everything else that would go with it.

Do you know what else is cheaper? Praying for it not to blow sky high. That's entirely covered by the insurance. Especially when you find a wasp nest under the hood like Mr. McCool did.

And so, the upgrade process began, and after a couple of light but normal setbacks, everything went as smoothly as possible. Sadly, while Dylan and his team worked on the engine, brakes, front axle, and whatnot, nothing was done to the rusting exterior or decaying interior.

It's a shame, to be honest, because it's such a gorgeous piece of motor history, especially when it's shipshape. Still, you can't blame a guy for insufficient funds, especially when he passed inspection to compete in the Holey Ford Fest.

On the practice track, the car wasn't exactly doing as they had hoped. The engine wasn't performing well in second gear. It punched it hard in the 1st gear, but afterward, it kept losing its steam.

But after a bit of tinkering with the nitrous system, this baby started purring and pulling forward like a bat out of hell. In other words, it was ready for the drag race events.

Last year, this old timer pulled 10.8 seconds for the 1/8-mile and 16.7 seconds for the 1/4-mile. Surprisingly enough, during the first run, it performed worse than last year, with 11.8 seconds for the 1/8-mile and 18.8 seconds on the 1/4-mile stretch.

Thankfully, they found the culprits. One was the nitrous wire that came off just before the race and couldn't provide the extra power, but also, the driver missed the 4th gear. It was time to try again.

During the second attempt, he did 10.5 seconds for the 1/8-mile and 16.0 for the 1/4-mile. It was faster than last year, but not by a lot. So, in typical red-blooded American fashion, the driver went for one last time.

In the final run, the old '77 Mustang Cobra II completed the 1/8-mile in 9.8 seconds and the 1/4-mile in 15.1 seconds. It was no Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, but considering the circumstances, team Dylan came out victorious because they beat last year's results, and the Mustang proved more than worthy.

According to Dylan, back in the day, if you ran it straight off the production line, it would have done the quarter-mile in 17.7 seconds, which means they came out with their heads held high. It's a significant improvement. At least performance-wise, if not in the looks department.

The good news is that their job with the 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II isn't done yet because they plan to race again next year. So, if everything goes well, we'll hear more about it in 2024. Well done, old timer... well done.