Is This 358-Mile Garage Queen 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra Too Good To Be Driven?

Ford appointed its newly-created division SVT (Special Vehicle Team) to make the fox-body third-generation Mustang a worthy bearer of the galloping stallion, like so many illustrious predecessors. What resulted from the SVT’s first project was introduced to the public at the 1992 Chicago Auto Show. Although the car showcased the team’s Performance, Substance, Exclusivity, and Value hallmarks, the styling wasn’t a landslide breakaway from the Mustang GT variant.

However, (fox)body resemblance aside, the heart was nothing like the regular-production Mustangs. A highly modified 302 CID V8 (4.949 liters, or 4,949 CCs) rated at 235 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque ( 238 PS, 386 Nm). The numbers don’t scream ‘tire fire,’ and the small-block was indeed less impressive in absolute numbers than the most famous 302 ever to come out of Dearborn, the ‘Little’ Boss from 1969-70. However, Larry Shinoda’s creation reported its 290 hp and 290 lb-ft (294 PS, 393 Nm) in SAE’s gross units.

The Cobras stayed true to the performance Fords of the past, with a spiced-up V8, revamped suspension, and a manual transmission. A special note goes to the disc brakes – probably the first stopping-power delivery system from the third-gen Mustang that did its job correctly. The engine was based on the Mustang GT, but heavy improvements did away with the setbacks.

High-performance GT-40 cylinder heads, oversized valves, and a hot camshaft took care of the muscle. At the same time, the Borg-Warner T-5 gearbox – also found in the GTs – got phosphate-coated gears and more robust bearings. SVT devised bespoke aluminum roller-rocker arms for the larger valves and improved the intake ports for easier engine breathing. A special GT-40-derived intake manifold, a 2.5-inch (65-millimeter) throttle body, and 24 lb/hr fuel injectors were the secret ingredients for the 30-hp power increase over the standard high-output engine in the GT.

The five-speed manual transmission was adjusted accordingly, with the first, second, and third-speed gears decreased in size by 10%. Correspondingly, all the cogs inside the go-fast box were hardened, and the clutch was revised with a higher clamping force pressure plate.

Counterintuitively, the Cobra received softer springs all around, a thinner anti-roll on the front, and custom-made shocks and struts. The 17x705-inch wheels were cast separately from directional aluminum for the left and right sides. To that point, the wheels were the largest ever fitted to a factory Mustang, shod with massive 245/45ZR17 Goodyears. With softened suspension and fat rubbers, the Mustang became a better-handling car that would stick to the road instead of hopping and skidding.

One of the 5,100 SVT Cobras is a climate-controlled queen with 358 miles on the clock. That’s 576 kilometers in 30 years, and this is the mileage recorded under the custody of the original owner. Whoever bought the car new didn’t want it for the road but kept it for 28 years before selling it at an auction in October 2021 for a neat $70k.

One year later, in October 2022, the same vehicle changed hands again, this time for $90k, and the new buyer added 1.3 miles (2 kilometers) on its odometer. At its first sale in 2021, the car had 353 (569 km). So, the second owner drove it for about four miles in twelve months, and the third only covered a quarter of that distance with the car going on its power.

Considering the price gain between the last two sales and putting it in relation to the road usage achieved in the same period, we get to a rather odd $3/foot. Gearheadedness is one special addiction, and so far, there has been an utter failure of global proportion in coming up with an antidote.

The car is – you guessed it – again put up for sale, and the current bidding value sits at 52,000 dollars, with five more days left. Apart from the mechanical specs we described earlier, the Vibrant Red Clearcoat over Opal Grey leather Mustang SVT Cobra has the Preferred Equipment Package, 17-inch turbine-style alloy wheels, the rear spoiler, fog lights, a power seat for the driver, and a CD stereo.

The Preferred Equipment Package added air conditioning, power windows, mirrors, and door locks. At last year’s sale, the car still had the original window sticker sticking in the passenger’s window – the document is still available but was taken down at some point. 1993, this low-mileage Ford Mustang SVT Cobra claimed $21,040 from its original proprietor. Adjusted for buying power, this sum roughly equals nearly $45,000 today.