Horse Sense: X2C Motorsports...
Horse Sense: X2C Motorsports offers a series of modified Tremec TKOtransmissions designed to run in the 9-second zone and live. The V1.0five-speed is designed for 9.90 vehicles with 1.35 60-foots and 140-mphtrap speeds, while the V2.0 is good for 9.10s at 160 mph. The V2.0R is arace-only five-speed with no Fifth gear to trim rotational mass. It isalso bolstered by a strengthened and girdled case.
The what-ifs with the '03 SVT Cobra began the day the finalized production pictures and details were released to an awaiting public. If everything went the way it looked, the car would be the baddest, meanest, flat-out fastest Mustang ever produced.
Luckily for the Mustang nation, the car made it to production with an amazing number of features never before seen in a Mustang. Its six-speed transmission, IRS, and road-holding suspension would keep the road-course guys happy, while the supercharged 390-horse/390-lb-ft monster motor would keep the straight-line guys busy for a while. What's more, once tuners began looking at the final package SVT was about to release, they started thinking of the possibilities. You see, under that stock Eaton M-112 blower lies the most durable piece of Ford monster mill released on the free world since the 427 side-oiler.
One of the main selling points...
One of the main selling points of the '03 Cobra is that it comes with anengine that experts say will take more than1,000 hp before componentsbegin to fail. It has the best-flowing heads ever installed on a modularengine from the factory, and the 8:1 compression ratio is nice and lowto fight off detonation when the big boost is added. The X2C Motorsportsengineers liked what they saw with this combination and added one oftheir turbocharger systems with a sheetmetal intake. The InnovativeTurbo T-76 pumps 17 psi through the stock intercooler (modified withtank upgrades from X2C) to help the rather simple combination make 737hp with 719 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. The cam covers have neverbeen touched. There are modest fuel system upgrades, 72-lb/hr injectors,and a Diablo computer chip programmed by Sean Ellis. These Cobras justmake life too easy for the Mustang crowd.
Armon Javadi, owner of X2C Motorsports in Woodland Hills, California, was one of those tuners with the vision to see what potential could be released from an already jaw-dropping car. "I purchased this car in early 2003 as our new project vehicle," he says. "We were immediately blown away with it, and we began turning it into a street/drag car."
The crew at X2C installed long-tube headers and a smaller blower pulley. After some custom work on the intercooler (a larger tank), they hit the track with drag radials. The car immediately ran 11.60s, and the team realized they were on borrowed time with the stock IRS. While the IRS will take a beating, at these power levels and--especially--traction levels, it's a serious safety concern if the car were to spit an axle at 100 mph. With the transplanted Ford 8.8-inch unit, Armon switched to slicks. After just a rearend swap, the 10.90s--with trap speeds of more than 124 mph--were no problem.