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Derelict Ford Mustang Cobra II Goes on a Trip and Hits the Strip After 27 Years

Ford’s Mustang II doesn't get a lot of love and attention from classic car aficionados, but Dylan McCool still decided to save this beat-down 302ci Cobra example after seeing it on the side of the road close to home and finding out it has been abandoned for almost three decades. And he’s putting in quite a lot of time and passion because he’s got a lofty target in mind.
Beat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCool 32 photos
Photo: Dylan McCool/YouTube
Beat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCoolBeat-down Ford Mustang Cobra II abandoned 27 years now road trips to the drag strip on Dylan McCool
Just in case you missed the earlier episode from his YouTube channel, Dylan McCool rescued this 27-year abandoned 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II that looks as if it’s been through both World Wars. He didn’t just want to have it as a useless derelict car sitting in his backyard, so he went to work and after some TLC (actually, after a lot of endeavors) he managed to get it running again... up to the garage.

Now it’s time for an update on the progress because he’s not satisfied with just having the Mustang move around (but not stop because no brakes!) and he wants “Sleeping Beauty” to get mobile and perform above and beyond the call of duty.

That is the reason we first catch him surrounded by new parts that apparently cost him more than the actual car, as he was invited by a friend to attend the “Ratty Muscle Cars” event at Jake’s Dragstrip in Moulton, Alabama. As such, the first half of the video is dedicated to all the tinkering needed to get “Farrah” (named after actress Farrah Fawcett) going.

His ultimate goal it to try and road trip for around 150 miles (241 miles) and attempt to beat the 1977 quarter-mile time of around 17.5 seconds. Interesting things go down inside and around the garage, but from the 25:26 mark, we finally get the gas pumping and the flow going after Dylan resolves some of the many problems (which include having no brakes, no trunk floor, a bad gas tank, and fuel system, as well as a shitty exhaust).

One can see from the engine sound check the Mustang Cobra II is much healthier than before—at least internally, if not visually. So, he’s off on the road with his new and cooler side exhaust and rather unbelievably arrives at the event without big incidents. From the 38:15 mark, we’re also treated to no fewer than four (very) unspectacular 1/8-mile runs.

Looking the most derelict among other ratty muscle car competitors, it’s safe to say he wasn’t trying to win any of the races. Instead, he made the calculations and concluded an 11.2-second ET was the one to beat for the eighth-mile runs.

And, after figuring out the tricky way to start a car wreck posing as a 302ci V8 Mustang with a four-speed manual transmission, he nails a 10.87-second result during his last attempt. A sweet-sour victory, though, because from the 50:20 mark, we see the Blue Oval deciding it is about time to retire before actually completing the journey back home.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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