Vibrant Red never looked so...
Vibrant Red never looked so good! The '93 Cobra was the first project from Ford's SVT group. It offered a refined chassis and brakes, with substantial engine upgrades. Original owner Henry Blau has added subtle refinements throughout his 10 years of ownership to enhance what the factory offered.
Horse Sense: In 1993, Ford built 4,993 Cobras and 107 Cobra R models. Henry's car stickered for $20,050, but he was able to buy it for $18,500 in March 1994, almost a year after its production date.
You never truly realize how much a Ford SVT Cobra has going for it until you take a "regular" 5.0 Mustang and start building it up. You'll add engine parts, some suspension stuff, throw in some big brakes, and-if you're lucky-it'll all work together. With a Cobra, you get all that: killer looks, performance that has been tested by Ford engineers, exclusivity, and a factory warranty.
Henry Blau of Henniker, New Hampshire, knew all this when he strolled into Whitcomb Ford (Panted Post, New York) in March 1994. He was looking for the new-body-style '94 GT, but he found this brand-new '93 Cobra still sitting on the lot. If any of you are familiar with an Upstate New York winter, you can understand why this car, not sold during the summer of 1993, sat all winter. This didn't deter Henry one bit-he wanted the Cobra. Of course, the day he took delivery, there was a storm that dumped 14 inches of snow on the roadways. It took him more than two hours to traverse the 25 miles to his home, and the Cobra made it all the way to the driveway before it got stuck. But it had arrived at its new home. From that arduous start, Henry and his Cobra (and his wife, Daphne) have lived together for 77,000 wonderful miles.
Bone stock (with the addition of a short belt to bypass the power steering and smog pump, and a bag of ice to cool the intake), Henry's Cobra went 13.80s at more than 101 mph at the dragstrip. But he had always loved the Shelby GT-350s, and as such, started fine-tuning what the factory offered with an eye toward the road course. He went to every high-performance driving school and open-track event he could find. As he learned how to maximize his driving effort with better techniques and skills, he also learned where the factory equipment needed to be enhanced. Better tires, shocks, struts, and springs were quickly added, as well as other subtle changes to enhance the effect. The small changes added up to big results, and Henry was soon able to control and interact with the Cobra like never before, making the car do things he imagined only a vintage Shelby could do.
Henry's addiction had led him to all sorts of events and shows. Now 40 years old, he has competed regularly (up to 10 times a year since 1994) at road-race tracks all over the country, including Watkins Glen (short and long tracks), Lime Rock, Road America, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Michigan International Speedway. He's also a member of SAAC, SCOA, and the SVTOA, and he's been able to push his little red Cobra right with the big boys.
So there you have it, the story of a well-built '93 Cobra with only the stuff you need to make a good thing that much better. You can certainly find more modified Cobras, but it will be difficult to find one with 77,000 miles that has seen snow, daily abuse, and has participated in this many racing events. Most of all, you'll be hard-pressed to find one with such a satisfied original owner.