2007 Nitto Tire King of the Street - Battle For The Throne

Eric Chappa

'04 Cobra
Willis, TX
Horsepower: 7
Ride and Drive: 9
Engineering: 10
Drag Race: 7
Fit and Finish: 9
Popular Vote: 10
Total Score: 77.1

We've come to expect automotive greatness from the Dynospeed Racing guys out of Memphis, Tennessee. After all, Mustangs they've built have won Nitto Tire KOTS two years in a row. When we were perusing its latest creation, Eric Chappa's '04 Mystichrome Cobra, all we could do was shake our heads at Dynospeed's Joe and John Beegle and Rick Spurr. The Cobra was Rick's baby, and it's a study in cleanliness. It was almost unfair how nice the car was. Every detail was covered in the Cobra's build. No component was left untouched. Well, except for the body, but what else could you do to the body of a Mystichrome Cobra except make it shine?

Eric purchased the car while he was working at Bagram Air Base in Afganistan--talk about sight unseen. "The car was stock except for a twin-turbo kit," Eric says. He sent the car to Earl Schexnayder for a solid-axle conversion and a 4R70W automatic transmission install. Between the car getting worked on and trips to and from his Willis, Texas, hometown to Afganistan, Eric was seldom able to enjoy the car. However, he still saw areas of improvement, so on the advice of his friend Nick Owens, he sent the car to Dynospeed Racing. That's where the initial turbo kit was removed and a Turbo Horsepower twin 61mm turbocharger system was installed. Eric basically gave the Cobra's reigns to Dynospeed since he was still overseas.

Eric was even overseas when Joe and John asked him about entering the Cobra into the KOTS competition. He said if the guys thought it was worthy to go ahead. Obviously, we would've been stupid not to include Eric's Cobra in the KOTS. The car is the automotive equivalent to a Victoria's Secret model. The Mystichrome paint combined with iForged 18-inch wheels left no secret as to the Cobra's nature; this car was built to turn the head of even the most seasoned Mustang enthusiast.

Proving the Cobra wasn't built just to be a pretty face, it has the personality to match. It features fully operational A/C, probably the best audio system in the competition with a Pioneer AVIC-D3 head unit and a JL Audio amp, a simple gauge arrangement, stock seats, and a painted-to-match Mystichrome B&M Hammer shifter. Eric's Cobra boasts a Dynospeed custom 10-point rollcage, but it benefited from swing-out door bars. An added benefit from the 'cage is that the driver-side halo bar provided the perfect napping place for my head during the Ride and Drive portion.

Speaking of the Ride and Drive, Dynospeed once again hit a home run. Eric's Cobra featured zero driveability problems. It started right up and settled into one of the more robust exhaust tones in the bunch. That's surprising since the car uses twin turbochargers as its main source of power. Turbo cars are usually quiet, but in our notes we mentioned that the Cobra possessed a robust exhaust note.

Nearly everything was perfect on the Ride and Drive. One aspect that kept Eric's Cobra from scoring a perfect 10 in that category was that the 4R70W featured a manual valvebody, a switch for the transmission's overdrive function, and a switch for the lock-up torque converter. Meaning, you wouldn't be able to throw just anyone the keys to Eric's Cobra without any pre-flight instructions.

Yes, I did say "pre-flight." Dynospeed built a Mystichrome bullet capable of making light poles a blur. Under power, you'd better have one hand on the shifter ready for the next gear, and the other on the steering wheel to keep the car straight. The power delivery is linear, but it's so smooth that you don't really get the feeling of speed until you look out the side window at the aforementioned blurry mess. Once you hit triple digits in a few scant seconds, it's time to haul it down, and the stock Cobra brakes do an admirable job of doing so with minimal theatrics. Back at cruising speeds, we once again enjoyed the comfortable cabin. This car truly represents the best of comfort and speed, all in one package.

However, the package wasn't quite strong enough to bring home another Nitto Tire KOTS victory for Dynospeed. They had to settle for Second Place this year. A faulty nitrous box kept the system from engaging, costing the Dynospeed a couple hundred horsepower. Still, Eric's Cobra made 751 corrected horsepower to finish with a 7 in the Horsepower category. Because of the manual valvebody and switches for the overdrive and lock-up, we gave Eric's Cobra a 9 in the Ride and Drive category. Tech Editor Jones must've really liked the Dynospeed car because he gave it a 10 in Engineering while Editor Turner gave it a 9 in Fit and Finish.

For the Drag Race portion, the Dynospeed guys hoped to have a new nitrous box in the car, but they were unable to locate one in time for Saturday morning's drag competition. Even so, with Rick Spurr at the Cobra's wheel, it ran an 11.20 at 140 mph with the Nittos. That gave him a 7 in the Drag Race category. Dynospeed usually brings a posse to Bowling Green from Memphis, so it was no surprise to see they won the Popular Vote, scoring a 10.

In the end, Eric's Cobra had all the bases covered, but the horsepower shortfall is what kept the Dynospeed Racing gang from getting another Nitto Tire KOTS victory. We're sure to see them try again next year.