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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