March 8th, 2021 Chris Phillip

It was pretty clear that the Fox-era Mustangs were hugely successful, both in terms of sales and their image as a halo car for the Ford lineup. Even if a buyer drove off with an Escort, it was likely the Mustang GT 5.0 that lured him or her into the showroom.

With a new-generation car waiting in the wings, Ford's new Special Vehicle Team (SVT) closed out the 1979-93 bodystyle with the ultimate version of that platform. Called the Cobra R (R for Racing), it was a no-holds-barred performance machine, anything that didn't make the car faster was left off. Power steering, windows, door locks, mirrors or seats were not available. Opal Gray cloth buckets from the cheaper LX were used as they were lighter than the GT sport seats. There was no back seat, only a thin sheet of carpeting covered the rear area.

The chassis was significantly beefed up to handle the rigors of racing. Subframe bracing used on convertibles was added, as was a front strut tower brace. Stiff Eibach springs were used at all four corners, along with adjustable Koni shocks and struts. The brakes were upgraded to 13-inch Kelsey-Hayes vented rotors in the front and 10.5-inch vented rotors in the rear. The four-lug wheels were replaced with five-lug 17x8-inch wheels from the upcoming '94 Mustang GT, with black painted centers and chrome lug nuts.

The engine was the same 240-horse 5.0-liter Ford V-8 used in the Cobra. It benefitted from a set of GT40 heads, hotter cam and a freer-flowing intake manifold with larger injectors. The engine was rated at an impressive 240 net horsepower, up from the 205 horse rating for the regular 1993 Mustang 5.0-liter V-8.

Only 107 Cobra Rs were built, with a very short ordering window for dealers to get in on the action. All were Vibrant Red Clearcoat. According to SVT testing, the Cobra R could cover the 0-60 sprint in 5.7 seconds and top out at 140 mph. Many of these rare machines were socked away by investors but a few were successfully raced in the IMSA Firestone Grand Sport and SCCA Wold Challenge Class B Series.

About the photo: Though it might look like a typical Mustang GT to the untrained eye, the 1993 SVT Cobra R was the pinnacle of Fox-platform Mustang development. Only 107 were built before the ordering window closed, making them sought-after collectibles.

Story by Don Keefe