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With all that heavy-duty hardware, we didn't feel the least bit bad repeatedly launching the Cobra in a cloud of tire smoke. (Traction control is on hand to prevent this from happening inadvertently, but it does allow some wheelspin.) SVT engineers estimate that they've chopped a good half-second off the 0-to-60-mph time; we recorded 4.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 109 mph. An electronic nanny steps in at 155 mph.
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We did have a chance to test our five-speed Mach 1 press vehicle on the dragstrip, making a pair of back-to-back passes during a Bradenton (Florida) Motorsports Park test and tune day. Forgetting to turn off the traction control on the first run resulted in a time-killing bog when the rear tires spun on the first-to-second shift, although we were impressed the car still managed a 13.81 at 102.40. With the traction control off on the next pass, the Mach 1 responded with a 13.54 at 103.14. We've heard about other Mach 1s dipping into the 13.20s with more experienced drivers.
When jumping out of the Mach 1 and straight into the '03 SVT Cobra, two things were immediately apparent. The supercharger makes a big difference, especially at low speeds, and the Cobra feels heavy in comparison to the Mach 1. If the Mach 1 is a street brawler, the Cobra is a well-heeled Mafia hit-man--dapper but dangerous.
More food for thought: Rated at 390 hp and 390 ft-lb of torque, the '03 Cobra is the most powerful Mustang ever offered to the public. Unfortunately, our limited time with the Cobra did not coincide with a dragstrip date, so we were unable to obtain quarter-mile times. However, our sister magazine, 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords, ran a string of low 13-second e.t.'s, including a 13.04, with a stock '03 Cobra.
