ran into a '97 Cobra

I was with a buddy in my '86 last night at a stop light at the left turn signal. We were going to get a bite to eat after a movie and were waiting there. Well when the light turns green I hear a loud, deep exhaust roar behind me. I ask my buddy what it looks like behind us and he says, "it kinda looks like a Grand Am." I knew this wasn't the case and couldn't really see it so I was thinking Trans Am, Camaro, or something like that.

Well we turn left out onto the highway and we stop at a light not to far down before it's open highway. The "Grand Am" is behind us with a white truck beside us. Well the light goes green and I get on it and pass the truck. I'm sitting there doing around 40 and the "Grand Am" pulls around and when his front bumper is with my rear one he hits it. I hear this very high pitched, high whinding, roar that seems to echo out of the pipes. I'm thinking I got a SS on me or something.

I look over and get a brief glance as I see this '94-'98 Mustang flash past me with one of the loudest exhaust I've ever heard before. I tried to catch up but it was no use as he was way, way, way ahead of me.

Well I see him pull into a parking lot and he sits there so I pull in to talk to him. His windows are tinted and rolled down a little so all I can see is hair. I'm thinking, great this is going to be some punk kid with his girlfriend and he's going to be an ass. NOPE! It was a guy in his late 40's, with his wife that looked in her mid to late 30's, and their daughter that looked around 5. This is how our conversation went.

Me: Nice car man!
Him: Thanks.
Me: What year is it?
Him: '97 Cobra
Me: It's pretty loud for a 4.6.
Him: Yeah I have a Bassani exhaust on it.
Me: It's pretty loud, you run it any?
Him: Yeah but my best time is a 13.2 @ 120 and that was with my (Eaton or Paxton I can't remember) with the 8 pounds of boost. I had street tires though so my traction sucked. Since then I've done some work and put some 4:30s in the rear, and I'm taking it to the track this weekend hoping to get deep into the 11s with slicks.
Me: Wow, I bet it sucks up the gas, but it's a nice looking stang.
Him: Yeah it does but this thing has been wrecked 3 times, totalled once, I just keep rebuilding it and making it better each time, I love it.
Me: Nice, well it's a bad car dude cya later.

I left what was one of the loudest, meanest sounding snakes I've ever heard. It looked damn good too. It had custom paint job on it with purple around the bottom and black for the hood and top. It also had a thing yellow line separating the black from purple. It also had nice chrome Cobra emblems with some nice Cobra R rims to. I must say it made my night.

Nice, cobras are always good to see.

Bassani can be made pretty loud if he had the "racing mufflers". Thats what i have on my 5.0 and i've gotten some very good compliments on how it sounds from ppl on the street and at the track. However i believe SLP has the loudest/best flowing exhaust on the market now. Well at least for the modular mustangs. Reason being is their "loud mouth" system doesn't use mufflers. They use straight pipe resonators. Kinda like what the SRT4 has for exhaust. Resonator instead of muffler. Makes some kick ass sound, especially on a V8.

nice "race"
oh wait one didn't happen
there is an O/T area oh wait this goes as one too now...

nice "race"
oh wait one didn't happen
there is an O/T area oh wait this goes as one too now...

Even if I had really tried to keep up it wouldn't have been a race. That thing was so fast it'd go better in the "got my ass kicked 9 ways to Sunday" section.

13.2 @ 120? I've never heard of such a thing. Usually cars who trap 120+ trap low 12s high 11s.

13.2 @ 120? I've never heard of such a thing. Usually cars who trap 120+ trap low 12s high 11s.

I can believe it. Of course the people who pull it off can't launch off the line if their life depended on it. Also, like I said, the guy himself told me he ran it on street tires and his traction is really crappy.

Who knows, maybe he was saying that so I wouldn't think it was that fast and try to race him?

Nice, sounds like a badass car.


but this thing has been wrecked 3 times, totalled once, I just keep rebuilding it and making it better each time, I love it.


A truely devoted enthusiast!

13.2 @ 120? I've never heard of such a thing. Usually cars who trap 120+ trap low 12s high 11s.


On street tires? that's very possible. When i run on street tires at the track w/o any track prep. I run high 12's low 13's. When other cars that are running slicks and trap the same mph as me (112mph) they are running low 12's. And as for trapping 120+? That's more like mid-low 11's. With traction i mean.

On street tires? that's very possible. When i run on street tires at the track w/o any track prep. I run high 12's low 13's. When other cars that are running slicks and trap the same mph as me (112mph) they are running low 12's. And as for trapping 120+? That's more like mid-low 11's. With traction i mean.

Yes, but there's a difference between a 112 mph trap and a 120 mph trap. I would at least expect mid 12s from a 120 mph trap. Even an Acura CL-S with MAJOR traction issues, FWD and a 120 mph trap runs low 12s.

Someone who has that much power, I would expect to know at least a little about how to launch the car.

ohh, I love 96-98 cobras, er well all Cobras. Sounds like you had a fun night.

Yeah I ran across a mustang that was pretty nicely decked out. I had been making a run across town and was on the return trip when I noticed this white mustang coming through the on-ramp pretty quick. I did a double take. I immediately noticed the 'Aero-Kit' along with the SVT Cobra Wing (High stack design) and sporting Mach1 badges on the sides. This was something like a 2000-2004 Mustang.

I pulled up behind some traffic (hoping to get another look at the car) when this guy pulls right up next to me.

He's changing out a cd on his stereo, I'm checking out the car like an addict that just caught sight of his next fix.
Me: Nice Car!
Him: Uh thanks (does a quick check on mine), you're isn't too bad either.
Me: Thanks, but it's nowhere near as potent to that thing.
Him: Yeah, it's wild.

We sit at the intersection, I'm kicking myself for leaving my camera at the apartment.

He leaves and just barely gets on the throttle, sounds like hes got it dumping ahead of the rear axle. I can feel the bass rumble in my chest as he drives down 3 blocks and almost gets creamed by some dumbass redneck in a F150 doing 60 in a 40 in 5:00 traffic.

I was suprised the guy actually talked to me. I can't tell you how many guys in Mustangs eminate the Dickhead Frat-Boy Douchebaggery image that seems to be prevalent here in Lubbock with mustang drivers.

i love the black and purple paint scheme...its really unique...good run in with the stang man...hope to hear more stories...