Are convertible Termis bad?

jdant

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That setup is unreal! Looks a lot like what I’m gonna do with my termi vert. What brand/size are those wheels?
Rovos Durban's F:18x9 275/35/18 Nitti NT555 G2's R: 18x10.5 315/30/18 Nitto NT01's.

Here is a link to Sifflers fit system. It's a must on a vert and the jacking rails are soooo nice!
Chassis Stiffening FIT System 1994-2004 SN95 Mustang GT, Bullitt, or Cobra

Here is a pic of the strut tower brace as well from Stifflers
green.jpg
 

03' White Snake

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Lol. It's all what you want and prefer. Can't get enough of the look on peoples faces when my "girly" convertible drags their ass. Even better when it's a bike and they think they had it in the bag.

My car makes 800 hp and has all the necessary mods to back it up. Handles great, rides smooth ect.
 

Goose17

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So i have been looking into buying a cobra for a good while now. And looking at the listings for low mileage termis i have been seeing nothing but convertibles and very few, if any, regular coups. Ideally i want the regular coupe and make it a cobra r clone but unless i want to settle for a higher mileage one or a heavily modded one i may have to buy the convertible instead which brings me to title question

Are convertible termis bad? In terms of handling and its performance impact on the car, i know that general rule of thumb when it comes to convertible versions of cars is that they are heavier and have worst handling and iv tried looking around and i havent seen many people talk about it when it came to the termi

Raeder-
I will probably have a bit of a different perspective Erich. I am a Mustang collector with 4 convertibles and 5 coupes in my garage. I’ve owned 3 Mystichrome Terminator convertibles (still have 1) and I also have a 2000 Cobra R. When someone speaks of “convertibles desirability,” you have to take their perspective into account. First off, this is the Terminator forum that is mostly populated by owners of nicely modded versions vs. low-mile collectible examples. “Modders” normally prefer coupes over verts (in general) because it is more of a racer than a cruiser. In my opinion, verts are hands-down better cars in general for cruising while coupes are better for balls-out performance driving. You’ll hear auctioneers say: “as the top goes down, the price goes up!” This is most certainly the case with the 60s/70s convertible muscle cars. This will also become a reality in the Terminator world as these cars age and become more of a bygone collectible vs a late-model “racer.”

Ok, shifting gears to your 00R clone plan. Some people that own a particular car get their undies in a bunch when someone clones said car. This is not me. I’ve seen some fantastic 2000 Cobra R clones through the years and the owners have put a lot of work into making them awesome. I recognize their efforts and I admire their work since I am fond of the 00R look! Turning a Terminator into a 00R clone would be a cool ass project. Let’s face it, you simply will not get an original R engine. Making your own with the heartbeat of a Terminator would be cool as hell. I have seen 00R clone verts, but I would recommend a coupe for your project. You then need to decide how far down the rabbit hole you will go... the Terminator already has an IRS rear end, but it could use lowering springs that are stiffer to firm up the handling. You can buy a 1-piece front fascia and power dome hood to solve the front end look. You could also get the “V6 rear valance” and “V6 side scoops” to finish off the lower areas. Of course you’ll need the wing as well. The front fascia, hood and wing are all available new in the aftermarket world.

If you opt to go deeper, you could add some sort of side exhaust. I saw one guy that had an exhaust shop make him a custom set that looked good. Next would be Recaro seats. Lastly is the fuel cell and I would not recommend going that route... stick with the 03/04 tank.

When it’s all said and done, consider painting it Performance Red. Then get a pulley/intake/tune and have fun in your boosted R!
 

Erich Raeder

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I think im going to have to explain myself a bit. now ignoring my cobra r comment, I plan on building the car as a casual track day car that can also terminate the streets, cheesy I know, and for that I have taken note on your comments and looking at it now I rather be patient and wait for a good coupe even if it means I have to wait for a another month or 4.

now about my planes for making it a cobra r clone. now to make things clear I love the Cobra R, its wing, the hood, its side exhaust, and THE WING. Its the perfect car in my eyes ever since I was 6 when my uncle would show me videos of it and when I would exclusively play it in a need for speed game. now realistically I will never be able to own one, however I can get the next best thing that being a terminator.
Turning a Terminator into a 00R clone would be a cool ass project. Let’s face it, you simply will not get an original R engine. Making your own with the heartbeat of a Terminator would be cool as hell.
to sum it up what I want is a 00R with the terminator heart. I simply do not care if people think im stupid for it. its what I want and I cant wait to dive into the rabbit hole.

side note from what im getting at I should probably refrain from using the term "termi" here and I probably should of worded the title to say "significantly inferior" instead of "bad"

Raeder-
 

shurur

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It may be just me and I am a 99 NA guy,,,but I wouldn't shy away from a modded Terminator.
Hell the work is done for you, and everything breaks at some point and you will end up tinkering on it anyway, you won't be able to help yourself.
 
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ZYBORG

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I wouldn’t bastardize a 03/04. 00R are nice cars, very low numbers, but 03/04s are bigger legends.

You can definitely get a 00R later on when you become professionally developed. It is most definitely, not an unattainable car.

Id just get a nice Terminator, keep that thing CLEAN and enjoy.

2c.
 
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Goose17

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I wouldn’t bastardize a 03/04. 00R are nice cars, very low numbers, but 03/04s are bigger legends.

You can definitely get a 00R later on when you get more professionally develop. It is most definitely, not an unattainable car.

Id just get a nice Terminator, keep that thing CLEAN and enjoy.

2c.
I disagree with your assessment, slightly. As for Terminators being “bigger legends,” a big part of that is a numbers game. There were 19,140 Terminators and only 300 Cobra Rs. Owning both, I would consider the 00R to be the “top dog” New Edge Mustang. Most have never seen a 2000 Cobra R in person and even today, it remains unobtainable to many. The other big part of the “Terminator legend” is how mod friendly the car is to make good power. There haven’t been too many heavily modded Rs simply because of the few numbers available as well as the modding cost and subsequent value loss when messing with perfection.

I can’t argue with your “keep the Terminator clean” comment since mine is 100% original. As a collector, I’d say mods hurt value. Having said that, you can get a more well-used 03-04 with more extensive mods on the cheap. This would be a good base for creating the 00R clone. If at any point Erich or a future owner wanted to return the car to stock, the hood, front fascia, rear fascia, side scoops and potentially the side exhaust would be easily reversed. If the original trunk lid was drilled for the fin, you would have to fill the holes or replace the lid.

I wouldn’t consider the clone as a permanent change. It could be fun to play with a boosted “R” for awhile.
 

ZYBORG

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I disagree with your assessment, slightly. As for Terminators being “bigger legends,” a big part of that is a numbers game. There were 19,140 Terminators and only 300 Cobra Rs. Owning both, I would consider the 00R to be the “top dog” New Edge Mustang. Most have never seen a 2000 Cobra R in person and even today, it remains unobtainable to many. The other big part of the “Terminator legend” is how mod friendly the car is to make good power. There haven’t been too many heavily modded Rs simply because of the few numbers available as well as the modding cost and subsequent value loss when messing with perfection.

I can’t argue with your “keep the Terminator clean” comment since mine is 100% original. As a collector, I’d say mods hurt value. Having said that, you can get a more well-used 03-04 with more extensive mods on the cheap. This would be a good base for creating the 00R clone. If at any point Erich or a future owner wanted to return the car to stock, the hood, front fascia, rear fascia, side scoops and potentially the side exhaust would be easily reversed. If the original trunk lid was drilled for the fin, you would have to fill the holes or replace the lid.

I wouldn’t consider the clone as a permanent change. It could be fun to play with a boosted “R” for awhile.

No doubt the R is much more rare. It’s rarity is the only reason, it has held its value so well. I guess “perfection” or “legend” will totally be in the eyes of the beholder.

I am a big fan of the R, but to me the 03/04 has had a much bigger impact on the car world. It is the staple of American Muscle, even today.

Like you said, you could take an 03/04 and mod it to look like something IT IS NOT, it could be reversed, no big deal. I guess to me the bigger issue is driving around posing the car as something it is not. Especially when said car is already a badass in its own right.

2c.
 

Goose17

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I am a big fan of the R, but to me the 03/04 has had a much bigger impact on the car world. It is the staple of American Muscle, even today.
I would mostly agree with this... the Terminator began the modern boosted muscle car era. For that, it is a legend! On the flip side, the 00R was the 3rd and final Cobra R. I can see its DNA though in the follow-on GT350 and subsequently in the 2020 GT500.

Both cars are high water marks in Ford’s SVT Cobra history.
 

c6zhombre

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I wouldn’t bastardize a 03/04. 00R are nice cars, very low numbers, but 03/04s are bigger legends.

You can definitely get a 00R later on when you become professionally developed. It is most definitely, not an unattainable car.

Id just get a nice Terminator, keep that thing CLEAN and enjoy.

2c.

I think the terminator is more legendary as well. The bulletproof powerplant cemented its place as #1. The '00 R had a badass NA powerplant.....but it was a one off. The terminator DNA was much more influential to muscle car architecture across many different car makers, not just Ford. Often copied, even to this day 17 years later. And it's not just terminator talk die-hards that think this way

Top 10 SVT Cobras - Mustang Monthly Magazine
 

Venom351R

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You must not be looking very hard. I know of and have seen a lot of coupes I would buy right now if I did not have to wait another 10 months.
 

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