Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
1993, 1995, 2000
The Cobra R was Ford SVT's no-compromise, race-ready Mustang — built in tiny numbers to homologate hardware and sold (originally) only to buyers who could prove a competition license. Each one stripped out the comfort items (air conditioning, radio, rear seat, sound deadening) to save weight and added the serious mechanical upgrades, making it the rawest factory Mustang of its era. There were exactly three Cobra Rs, one per fourth-generation milestone — 1993, 1995, and 2000 — and all three are blue-chip SVT collectibles. Horsepower is SAE net.
1993, 1995, 2000
Overview
The Cobra R was Ford SVT's no-compromise, race-ready Mustang — built in tiny numbers to homologate hardware and sold (originally) only to buyers who could prove a competition license. Each one stripped out the comfort items (air conditioning, radio, rear seat, sound deadening) to save weight and added the serious mechanical upgrades, making it the rawest factory Mustang of its era. There were exactly three Cobra Rs, one per fourth-generation milestone — 1993, 1995, and 2000 — and all three are blue-chip SVT collectibles. Horsepower is SAE net.
Collectibility
The Cobra Rs are blue-chip SVT collectibles on rarity and race-intent purity — the 1993 (107 built) is the scarcest, the 1995 (250, 5.8 pushrod) is the last pushrod Cobra, and the 2000 (300, 5.4 DOHC, T-56) is the most powerful and most coveted. Because they were stripped, hard-driven specials, originality and documentation are everything: verify the VIN, the correct deletes, and the unmodified race hardware before paying the premium these carry. Values are qualitative here by design.
Every production run
Years & eras
| Years | Engine | HP | Production | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 5.0 V8 (GT-40 heads/intake; race-prepped) | 235 | 107 built |
|
| 1995 | 5.8 Windsor pushrod V8 | 300 | 250 built |
|
| 2000 | 5.4 DOHC V8 | 385 | 300 built |
|
1993
The first Cobra R, and the send-off for the Fox-body. Mechanically it shared the new SVT Cobra's 235-hp 5.0 (GT-40 heads and intake) but deleted the A/C, radio, rear seat, and sound deadening for racing, in Vibrant Red only. Just 107 were built — the rarest Cobra R.
1995
The second Cobra R, on the SN95 body and the last hurrah for a pushrod Mustang V8. It swapped in a 5.8 Windsor V8 making 300 hp — the only fourth-generation Cobra R with a pushrod engine — again stripped of A/C and radio and sold to competition buyers. 250 were built.
2000
The wildest of the three, and the wildest factory fourth-generation Mustang. The 2000 Cobra R used a 5.4 DOHC V8 making 385 hp — backed by a Tremec T-56 six-speed (the only Cobra R with six gears) — plus a tall rear wing and a deep front splitter. Coupe only, 300 built, sold to qualified buyers. It was so dominant SVT built no standard Cobra that year.
Worth knowing
Notable
- Exactly three Cobra Rs were built — 1993 (107), 1995 (250), and 2000 (300) — one per fourth-generation milestone.
- Each was a stripped, race-intent homologation special originally sold only to license-holding competition buyers.
- The 1993 car (107 units) is the rarest; the 2000 car (385 hp, T-56 six-speed) is the most extreme.
- All three deleted comfort items (A/C, radio, rear seat) to save weight for the track.
Model years featuring the SVT Cobra R