2003 Ford Mustang Cobra

"So how much horsepower does it have?" he asked, eyes wide and eager. "Three hundred and ninety," we replied. "Wow! And that Michigan tag. Are you from Michigan? I just got here from Ohio."

"No, we live here. The car's straight out of SVT-it belongs to Ford," we grimaced, as his face slowly jelled with incomprehension. Thus it went with the young salesperson at a large Ford retail store.

Reaction was pretty much the same all over. This Sonic Blue king of Cobras got barely a glance from anyone on the road. To them, it was just another Mustang with big tires, the millionth in a sea of Mustangs. And that's not a bad thing, either. An edgy car like this needs anonymity for obvious reasons. Even the cop we whizzed past at 15 over the limit made like it wasn't there. Well, fie on them and chalk one up for the stealth club. A few minutes later we were wailing the wee out of the Cobra, taking 30-mph turns on the snake-like Ortega Highway at nearly twice that speed.

ErgonomicsLike all Mustangs since the first one, the Cobra does not attempt to dazzle you on the inside. It's composed, straightforward, and the controls are easy to access and operate. Everything is right where it should be, a patented arrangement that can be accessed in utter darkness with complete accuracy. Besides the usual engine monitors, the Cobra supplies you with a half-dollar-sized boost gauge for the first time since the turbo four-cylinders of the '80s, but it's so like the other meters that it basically goes unnoticed, especially when you're whipping the engine good. The blower spools up so fast you haven't the time or the inclination to see where the needle's going because you're too busy watching the one on the tachometer bend ferociously to the right.

The Cobra's articulated seats feature an extra-firm bottom, lumbar support, and grippy, adjustable thigh bolsters. These seats are leagues better than, say, the GTs' of the late '90s, and we see no reason you wouldn't be comfortable in them for days at a time. Adjust the tilt steering column to fit, crank up the Mach 460 audio to suit your mood, and go trolling for mincemeat.

Aside from the black-on-white instrument faces, the only flash in the cockpit is the perforated brushed-metal finish plates that accent the foot pedals and the shift-pattern marker on the end of the stick. The Cobra's cozy cockpit is honest and understated, fits the driver well, and works to potential without a frill or geegaw to compromise its mission.

Ride & HandlingThe closest thing to the Cobra in Ford terms is the limited-production 2000 Cobra R, which is not something you'd want as your main source of transportation. While the R handles like the race car that it is and is a cool operator on a smooth-track surface, it does a pretty good job of beating you up on public roads. It's noted for a distinct lack of ride compliance and will shake your guts and make the shoulder harness bite. The Cobra makes a tad more power than the R but is dialed for the street rather than the racetrack so its Bilstein ride is a bit gentler (a relative term here) than say the Hotchkis/Tokico suspension in the HOT ROD '97 Mustang.

In short, the chassis is tuned for high-rate handling as well as straight line bashing, and this largess is due in large part to the independent rear suspension. Changes to the IRS include revised rates for the bushings, mounts, and springs. A new tubular crossbrace is attached to the differential housing and is designed to stabilize the assembly under hard acceleration (high-rpm clutch dumping, flat shifts, other fun), and revised suspension geometry improves roll steer. Though the 600-lb-in springs all around sound hellish for the street, the car rides like it has half that rate going on beneath, due mainly to its relatively high mass. The Cobra Coupe weighs nearly 3,700 pounds, and the heavier, more complex rear suspension and the iron cylinder block account for at least 200 of them.