2000 SVT Cobra R

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The Ford Special Vehicle Team’s 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R is the pony car icon taken to the extreme of pure performance. Developed specifically for racing, 300 of these vehicles will be built at Ford’s Dearborn Assembly Plant in March, 2000, and shipped to selected SVT certified dealers.

“This is the fastest, the best-handling Mustang ever. It will set a performance benchmark for the competition,” says John Coletti, Ford Special Vehicle Engineering manager. Cobra R combines high-performance hardware and engineering that go a long way toward making it the best of the breed.”

Tom Scarpello, specialty vehicle marketing manager at Ford, says the 2000 Cobra R is both a race car and a modern icon. “Three hundred people will be able to have a lot of fun in this car, and be very competitive racing it,” Scarpello says. “That’s what Mustang, and Cobra R in particular, is all about. This car elevates the whole idea of Mustang without changing what it’s been for more than 35 years.”

Cobra R equipment includes a 385-horsepower (estimated) 5.4-liter 4-valve DOHC V8 engine from Ford’s modular family, a McLeod aluminum flywheel, a Tremec six-speed manual transmission, 18 x 9.5-inch wheels and tires, Brembo 4-piston aluminum front brake calipers, Eibach racing springs, and a 21-gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell. A rear wing and front splitter provide high-speed aerodynamic stability. The car’s top speed is more than 170 mph.

With lateral acceleration higher than 1.Og on the 100-foot skidpad, Cobra R sets a new benchmark for road-holding in its class. “Everything we’ve done on this car is a notch, or several notches, above anything we’ve done before,” Coletti says. “This 2000 Cobra R pushes the performance envelope far beyond the capabilities of any previous Mustang.” Engine and Drivetrain Producing 385 bhp and 385 lb.-ft. of torque, the Cobra R’s engine shows the performance capabilities of Ford’s overhead-cam modular family, says Coletti.

“One of our goals is to make the Eord modular engine family the performance benchmark of the industry. This application demonstrates its real potential. This engine is street-legal, EPA certified, and very driveable for its high power output.”

For the Cobra R, SVE developed high-flow aluminum cylinder heads, with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. At the bottom, a Canton Racing Products oil pan provides extra oil capacity, reduced windage losses and improved oil control under racing conditions. To cool the synthetic oil used in the Cobra R’s engine, an air-to-oil cooler system is mounted behind the front fascia. The exhaust system consists of short-tube headers leading into a Bassani X-pipe system with catalytic converters, which was chosen to achieve emissions compliance and improved sound quality.

Borla produces the Cobra R’s unique mufflers and side-exit pipes. The side-exit routing is used to provide more clearance at the rear for the 20-gallon fuel cell. To handle the engine’s power, it was necessary to upgrade several components in the drivetrain that were designed for the standard Cobra’s 320 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft. torque output.

The engine is mated to a Tremec T-56 six-speed manual transmission, the first time any Mustang has been equipped with a six-speed gearbox. The transmission provides closer ratios for racing, as well as the robustness necessary for the engine’s torque. It is fitted with a special mounting bracket and reinforcement system for extra strength and stiffness.

The clutch is the 11-inch single plate unit used in the Cobra, which in durability testing proved capable of handling the horsepower and torque of the Cobra R engine. Visteon supplies the Cobra R’s hydro-mechanical differential with speed and torque sensitivity. For racing demands, it provides predictable performance and greatly improved torque transfer capability. Speed sensitivity is achieved with a gerotor pump, which is activated when the half shafts rotate at different speeds.

When this happens, the pump applies hydraulic pressure through a piston to compress the clutch pack, transferring torque to the other wheel. The differentials torque sensitivity provides immediate torque transfer, which is very helpful in maintaining grip during straight-line acceleration. When one wheel spins relative to the other, the differential’s beveled helical gears produce an axial force that tries to separate them and, like the gerotor pump’s action, compresses the clutch pack to transfer torque. The final drive ratio is 3.55:1, compared with the Cobra’s 3.27:1. The rear axle half-shafts are unique to Cobra R. These are induction-hardened GKN units with the strength to perform reliably under the 5.4-liter engine’s higher torque loads. Shaft diameter is unchanged from the Cobra, but the inner splines have 31 teeth instead of 28, the inner tulips are a tripod design, and the right-side shaft is shorter to accommodate the larger differential.

The splitter itself virtually eliminates front-end lift above 100 mph. The splitter/wing combination dramatically increases the car’s aerodynamic stability, and the effects are especially noticeable approaching the car’s top speed of more than 170 mph. The “power dome” hood, also unique to the Cobra R, provides the extra clearance necessary for the engine’s intake

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