Authenticity...

[ElectricMachineHead]

Hallo, All.

I'm looking to buy my first sn95.

It's being advertised as a '96 SVT Cobra.

From what i've read in previous posts, there's little/no difference between a Cobra and an SVT Cobra (same car badged differently for different coutries?). So whether the SVT sticker on the car is legitimate, or not, I guess it's not a big deal.

One thing i've noticed is that it has the horizontal tail lights. Wasn't '95 the last year that these were factory fitted? E.G, it doesn't have the original tail lights?

 

[slayr281]

I'd have to see more of it, but that doesn't feel right. Perhaps it's a 95 Cobra, if so, they made a typo. Every 96-98 had tail lights that went up/down.
Let's then assume it's a 95 Cobra. To my recollection, 94-95 Cobras should have said MUSTANG for the rear bumper, different from the GT's which said MUSTANG GT, but many 94-95 Cobras switched to the 96-98 style, which says COBRA. They also had special trunks, as all GT and V6's had a 3rd brake light in the top of the trunk, the 94-95 had a special trunk without a 3rd brake light, because they had a special spoiler where the 3rd brake light was inside of it. It also looks much larger because of it. I'd guess in a cost-saving maneuver, the 96-98 Cobras didn't get that cool wing, and just a normal trunk and GT/V6 spoiler with the SVT badge. They could have swapped the engine intake, but what does the engine look like? I believe the steering wheel should say COBRA on it, instead of the horse.

edit - Also, get the VIN if you can. The 94-95 I believe also share the same as GT, so P42 is a Coupe, and P45 is a Convertible, but the 8th digit should be a giveaway. 4 is for the V6, T is for the regular 215hp v8, and D is the 240hp Cobra. They fixed it in the 96-98 years so that Cobra Conv is P46, and Coupe is P47, and the new 305hp got V for the 8th digit engine type.

 

[ElectricMachineHead]

That's a lot of detailed info, thanks!

I'll post some more pictures, and see what you think.

I'm getting the idea that it is genuine, but some parts have been swapped over...or added. E.G, the Cobra badges?

 

[ElectricMachineHead]

Derp.

I forgot the VIN; 1FALP47V7TF183762

I've tried deciphering and it seems legitimate, but i'm no expert. Obviously.

 

[Potomus Pete]

PREMIUM UNLEADED FUEL ONLY I didnt know that. That stinks for a daily driver.

 

[kiddiccarus]

Just ran the VIN through the database at my shop

• 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 8 Cylinders V 4.6L MFI DOHC

 

[ElectricMachineHead]

Thanks, Icarus.

It IS showing as the 4 valve version, right?

Potomus - I think that's a bit ambiguous. Here in NZ Premium is 98 octane, whereas Unleaded is 91.

Technically, i'm unsure of the finer differences of the fuels vs engine requirements.

The last 8 I had was an '00 XR8 Falcon inj 5L which was meant to be run on Unleaded (not "Premium Unlead"). It felt wrong to be running such an engine on 91 Octane.

 

[Potomus Pete]

Hes got 305 hp Not bad.......See if it goes fast!!!

 

[KRUISR]

Other than the taillights, it looks like a '96 Cobra. By the looks and feedback on the VIN I would say it is a Cobra. Good find.

 

[slayr281]

Yeah, other than the tail lights, the rest checks out, I guess that's an export thing. Looks great, and has the little things like Cobra on the driver wheel airbag. Kinda cool that Ford loves our Cobra so much, the only Ford emblem you'll see is only on the trunk (and duh, parts) with Mustang nowhere to be found. That car is straight up sexy. For badging, my 98 did not have a Cobra in the front grille, but pretty much everybody put a Cobra in there. You've got side amber markers where we don't have them in the states, but the rest of it looks just like mine. Well, and the speedo too, we go to 160, which I guess they didn't feel like making a 260kph one for the what, thousand or so of the Cobra exports? This was right around the time when Ford started trying to save money by sharing parts and keeping things as cheap as could be, although lol, having an 1000hp+ capable aluminum block by Teksid couldn't have been cheap. It looks clean and stock, which is a good thing, and the smiles per mile can't be beat on that thing.

Black Ext, Saddle Leather Interior, you're one of 725, and export probably puts you even more rare -- https://www.carmemories.com/cgi-bin/viewexperience.cgi?experience_id=418

 

[slayr281]

as for Premium Gas, read this for a minute -- https://www.etuners.gr/fuel/ -- tl;dr: in short, America has to be different, so your 98 octane is our 93 octane, your 95 is our 91. Generally speaking, it's added insurance, provided that your car is tuned to utilize it. For instance, if I've got 1000hp and usually run q16 at $20/gallon, running a tank of 87 would probably destroy the motor on the first pass. I believe the Romeo 4.6 4v was decently high compression at 11:1, just like the Coyote, and the Voodoo is 12:1. You might be able to go mid-range on it if you're not going to thrash on it.

Motor-wise, listen for a ticking noise that increases on rev, as I am on my 3rd Cobra motor. Manufacturing cheapness and by running oils too thin, these were notorious for spinning rod bearings.

 

[Mustang5L5]

The taillights are probably due to export regulations, as they require the amber section of the light for the turn signal. Those parts are VERY rare and expensive. The 99-04 export lights (OEM on '01 Cobras) can sell for almost $1k/pair. The fact the amber blinker on the fender was added as well signals it was an export market conversion so they grabbed whatever amber lights were available.

Everything else checks out as a Cobra.

The 96-98 taillights are available in export form if you really want the "correct" lights. Not cheap though. You should be able to easily sell your 94-95 versions for the same, perhaps more since they are harder to find.

 

[ElectricMachineHead]

Thanks, all, for the further replies .

Informative and helpful.

I'm going to look further in to the car (once this virus lockdown is lifted), do a compression test etc.

If all goes well i'll make an offer...if it falls through, there's another manual Cobra up here in Auckland that I may pursue. It's advertised as a '99, but according to the VIN decoder's it's a '98. Probably an honest mistake, and I hope there's nothing else misrepresented on it.

...and yes, i'll be changing those tail lights. The ones you posted, 5L5, look so much better than what's on there...personal preference, I guess.

 

[slayr281]

If all goes well i'll make an offer...if it falls through, there's another manual Cobra up here in Auckland that I may pursue. It's advertised as a '99, but according to the VIN decoder's it's a '98. Probably an honest mistake, and I hope there's nothing else misrepresented on it.

I'm biased, but the 98 Cobra is also a great ride. Plenty of fun to mod as they changed things over like the exhaust and the fuel system halfway through the run.

 

[KRUISR]

'99, but according to the VIN decoder's it's a '98.

'98 and '99 Cobras look totally different. When you say it decodes as a '98 do you mean it was built in '98 which could still be a '99. They would be built from Sept '98 through July '99.

'98 front end will be just like the '96 you were looking at, '99 front like below.