'01 vs '03

[DLV]

After hearing so much about the '03, here are some reasons why I think the '01 is better.
1-Naturally Aspirated vs. Forced Induction
Supercharging is brute force and ignorance, pure and simple. As an aftermarket power adder, it's fine, but for factory? The FR500 had 415 HP N/A built up from the 4.6, so why supercharge? Cheaper? I know it only had 365 lbs. TQ, but 365 from a N/A 5.0, that's engineering.
2-Aluminum vs. Cast Iron
When I had my 2000 GT, I remember being choked about my iron block while F-bodies had all aluminum. The front-rear weight ratio is adversely affected, and even though the '03 might handle better than the '01 due to suspension improvements, the same improvements to the '01 will enable it to outhandle an '03.
3-The Rock vs Triple H
Now this one is a little more subjective, but the '03 looks a little bit too juiced up. Too blocky, not sleek enough, don't care for the Cavalier spoiler, and the lost euro taillights. Does get points for the wider wheels, though. This could be why my '92 5.0 is an LX, not a GT. Hmmm....
4-2001 vs. 2003
Thanks to Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, 2001 will always sound cooler than 2003.
5-Cobra vs. ???
This refers to the cobra on the intake manifold. Cracking the hood to show off the engine wouldn't be complete without it.
Now I'm not saying the '03 is not a kick-ass Cobra, that I wouldn't love to have. I'd just rather have the '01. For the longest time I wanted a blue '98 Cobra (nothing beats the 96-98 hood), but my ship came in for '01, which I also fell for, and I was glad to have the IRS. I'm just not myopic enough to want speed/power above all else. It's important, but not THAT important. Hell, I'm still one day going to sell my 5.0 to buy a teal blue '93 Cobra. And I'll probably drive it stock, if I can find one....
P.S. I've donned my flame suit, so feel free to cut loose.

 

[quick01snake]

Originally posted by DLV
After hearing so much about the '03, here are some reasons why I think the '01 is better.
1-Naturally Aspirated vs. Forced Induction
Supercharging is brute force and ignorance, pure and simple. As an aftermarket power adder, it's fine, but for factory? The FR500 had 415 HP N/A built up from the 4.6, so why supercharge? Cheaper? I know it only had 365 lbs. TQ, but 365 from a N/A 5.0, that's engineering.
2-Aluminum vs. Cast Iron
When I had my 2000 GT, I remember being choked about my iron block while F-bodies had all aluminum. The front-rear weight ratio is adversely affected, and even though the '03 might handle better than the '01 due to suspension improvements, the same improvements to the '01 will enable it to outhandle an '03.
3-The Rock vs Triple H
Now this one is a little more subjective, but the '03 looks a little bit too juiced up. Too blocky, not sleek enough, don't care for the Cavalier spoiler, and the lost euro taillights. Does get points for the wider wheels, though. This could be why my '92 5.0 is an LX, not a GT. Hmmm....
4-2001 vs. 2003
Thanks to Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, 2001 will always sound cooler than 2003.
5-Cobra vs. ???
This refers to the cobra on the intake manifold. Cracking the hood to show off the engine wouldn't be complete without it.
Now I'm not saying the '03 is not a kick-ass Cobra, that I wouldn't love to have. I'd just rather have the '01. For the longest time I wanted a blue '98 Cobra (nothing beats the 96-98 hood), but my ship came in for '01, which I also fell for, and I was glad to have the IRS. I'm just not myopic enough to want speed/power above all else. It's important, but not THAT important. Hell, I'm still one day going to sell my 5.0 to buy a teal blue '93 Cobra. And I'll probably drive it stock, if I can find one....
P.S. I've donned my flame suit, so feel free to cut loose.

i just want that damn 6 speed.....

 

[TIAMAT]

The only reason ford released the 03' cobra is because it will take some of the sting away from mustang fans that they have failed once again to deliver a new model vehicle on time. At this point we should have been talkn' about the DEWlite mustang with the new 5.0L modular. The cobra has a cast iron block because ford is saving money. Everyone knows the aluminum block can handle the power. Has anyone ever s/c a 96-01 cobra? Of course. The car has a cool look to it but the rims IMO are ugly. The wing, vey cool. I think the roush stangs were what ford was looking for in the body dept. I myself would rather have the n/a motor. My ligfhtning is s/c and i like it, but i wish they made it with a high compression n/a motor. Ford will make us all shut up in awe when the 04' comes out. I hope.
J-mart:dw:

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Originally posted by DLV
After hearing so much about the '03, here are some reasons why I think the '01 is better.
1-Naturally Aspirated vs. Forced Induction
Supercharging is brute force and ignorance, pure and simple. As an aftermarket power adder, it's fine, but for factory? The FR500 had 415 HP N/A built up from the 4.6, so why supercharge? Cheaper? I know it only had 365 lbs. TQ, but 365 from a N/A 5.0, that's engineering.

"Injection is nice but I'd rather be blown" :-D

Originally posted by DLV
2-Aluminum vs. Cast Iron
When I had my 2000 GT, I remember being choked about my iron block while F-bodies had all aluminum. The front-rear weight ratio is adversely affected, and even though the '03 might handle better than the '01 due to suspension improvements, the same improvements to the '01 will enable it to outhandle an '03.

Cast iron block is good enough for the 00R, it's good enough for me...

Originally posted by DLV
3-The Rock vs Triple H
Now this one is a little more subjective, but the '03 looks a little bit too juiced up. Too blocky, not sleek enough, don't care for the Cavalier spoiler, and the lost euro taillights. Does get points for the wider wheels, though. This could be why my '92 5.0 is an LX, not a GT. Hmmm....

Wait 'till you see the bulging hood, in person. I didn't like the '99 AT ALL, when it came out...it certainly grew on me.

Originally posted by DLV
4-2001 vs. 2003
Thanks to Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, 2001 will always sound cooler than 2003.

Good point

Originally posted by DLV
5-Cobra vs. ???
This refers to the cobra on the intake manifold. Cracking the hood to show off the engine wouldn't be complete without it.

I, too, asked what happened to the blue snake, but that gigantic supercharger and in-your-face belt guard makes up for it. I hope someone makes an aftermarket black ABS plastic version with a snake embossed into it...

Originally posted by DLV
Now I'm not saying the '03 is not a kick-ass Cobra, that I wouldn't love to have. I'd just rather have the '01. For the longest time I wanted a blue '98 Cobra (nothing beats the 96-98 hood), but my ship came in for '01, which I also fell for, and I was glad to have the IRS.

You have excellent taste :-D. The new hood has its own bulging quality to it, although not the same as the '96-'98. Cross a '01 with a '00R and you've got the '03... Best of both worlds, IMHO

 

[TTAFB_SVT]

Hey jimbo that looks fun let me try.;-)

1-Naturally Aspirated vs. Forced Induction Supercharging is brute force and ignorance, pure and simple. As an aftermarket power adder, it's fine, but for factory? The FR500 had 415 HP N/A built up from the 4.6, so why supercharge? Cheaper? I know it only had 365 lbs. TQ, but 365 from a N/A 5.0, that's engineering.

Power is power and the new cobra makes the most for a recent factory mustang. If it's brute and ignorant then I have some new character traits. If I'm worried that people will say "hey you had to buy it supercharged to beat me" then I'll say "so?" Seems simple. Either that or I'll take it to aricer spot and pop the hood and tell them I did it myself. They'll never know. As for a n/a 400 horse mod motor? Give em 2 years.;-

2-Aluminum vs. Cast Iron When I had my 2000 GT, I remember being choked about my iron block while F-bodies had all aluminum. The front-rear weight ratio is adversely affected, and even though the '03 might handle better than the '01 due to suspension improvements, the same improvements to the '01 will enable it to outhandle an '03.

Like jimbo said,the 00 R has an iron block and it pulls a G. We'll make this work.:coolman:

3-The Rock vs Triple H Now this one is a little more subjective, but the '03 looks a little bit too juiced up. Too blocky, not sleek enough, don't care for the Cavalier spoiler, and the lost euro taillights. Does get points for the wider wheels, though. This could be why my '92 5.0 is an LX, not a GT. Hmmm....

True this one is subjective and I personally think the 03 looks much better and meaner than the 01. The spoiler makes the car look longer but I'd try to have mine with no spoiler. No amount of facias will make the cobra look sleek,it's meant to look bulgy and aggressive. The way it should.

4-2001 vs. 2003 Thanks to Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, 2001 will always sound cooler than 2003

The fact that the 03 is 2 years newer alone will make it sound much cooler.:thumbsup:

5-Cobra vs. ??? This refers to the cobra on the intake manifold. Cracking the hood to show off the engine wouldn't be complete without it. Now I'm not saying the '03 is not a kick-ass Cobra, that I wouldn't love to have. I'd just rather have the '01

I can't disagree here. There should definetly be a cobra some where under the hood. But the immediate sight of a roots blower also has it's "spine shivering" qualities.:uh oh: There will probably be a pully cover available somewhere with a cobra on it. I'd also like to see some "Terminator" badges for the car,screw what's too violent.

You are obviously keeping your 01 so a list of things wrong with the new one is a little bit uneccessary. And for anyone that thinks the new cobra was produced to take the pushed back new platform,not hardly. This cobra was in it's main stages of development before Ford even knew they were going to hold off the new mustang. The 3 main reasons I will probably buy the new cobra are 6 speeds,forged guts and it's newer. In the long run it will save me money. How much are you willing to pay to duct vettes? I'm willing to pay about 35 grand.:-D

As El Prez would say "This is fun." DAMN that was a long post.

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Originally posted by TTAFB_SVT
As El Prez would say "This is fun." DAMN that was a long post.

Long, but fun :-D Well stated.

 

[Black Cobra]

If you go to svt.ford.com and check out the 360 degree, grab a screen shot and zoom in on that Pulley/Belt Cover...it looks like it's got a Cobra on it to me. Perhaps the production covers have a Cobra and the Pre-production ones we've seen so far don't.

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!!!

I knew there would be a snake under the hood, somewhere...:-D

 

[Daniel Moran]

01 vs 03

I was at the Chicago car show in Feb and was kissin close to the 03s. As I recall they had a blue coupe and a red vert Cobra. I don't think the 03 looked as good as the 01. The front bumper and fascia looked kind of bumper car-ish, the hood screamed boy racer, and the rear valence black-painted area looked just like it does on the current Gran Prix...cheap. Also, the rear spoiler is a dud. However I'll admit these cars will be fairly distiguishable from other Cobras. The chief thing that made the 03 click,looks-wise, are the fatter tires and what I thought was a little lower stance. Powertrain wise I think Ford is showing some real balls here and I'm excited for the people getting the 03. I got into the Cobra because I was curious about the DOHC technology. This the Porsche 928 S4 32v V-8 I couldn't afford in the 80's or a ZR-1 Vette for half price...I love it. I equate blowers with a) factory engineers who have run out of ideas b) hard core street racers. Why can't Ford beat Chevy with superior NA tech under the hood?

 

[DLV]

That's exactly what I mean. I loved the fact that the '01 was running with the F-bodies with a liter less displacement, NATURALLY. I will always respect BMW for cranking massive torque per displacement w/out forced induction. That is what engineering is all about. I still like the '03, I just had to say play devil's advocate, and justify the '01. And I've thought for a long time that car companies release the strongest of a current version at the end of it's run to try to get people to not wait for the new model. The '93 Cobra, the '98 Cobra (rated the same but consistently dyno'ing stronger) and now the '03. And if being newer makes the year sound much cooler than I guess a '77 Cobra II sounds much cooler than a '67 GT500...;-)

 

[TTAFB_SVT]

And if being newer makes the year sound much cooler than I guess a '77 Cobra II sounds much cooler than a '67 GT500...

Of course that doesn't apply to older cars. But as I said,you have already decided you don't want to get rid of your 01 so the point is made.

 

[C_Record]

Interesting opinions, but I'm a little confused at some of you guys confusion. If Ford wanted to build something n/a to compete with the Z06, they could have. That goes without saying. Though it's obvious that wasn't the purpose of the '03 Cobra. There's nothing that pisses off a manufacturer more than another introducing a performance car that garners so much publicity(or is all the rave) but provides less performance than those it was apparently built to compete with(especially even slightly less). I think that's what we have here. I'm a lifelong Ford fan/enthusiast, though I'm one who could care less whether any new Mustang can beat a G.M. product right from the factory. Because if I like what I see, I'm going to buy it. And in the case of the '03, I'm buying it because it has the factory installed supercharger, 6-speed and wider wheels(regardless of what the '04/05 is supposed to offer, that's if it's even produced). I believe Ford felt there would be enough Mustang fans out there like me with similar interests or purposes for this car to justify producing it. Though I'll guess we'll see how many are left on the dealer lots once the production run is complete sometime next year

 

[Daniel Moran]

01 vs 03

Speaking of BMWs, isn't the new M3 getting 333 hp out of 198 cubes (naturally aspirated)? That means a 4.6 in the same state of tune would be rated at 470 hp. I think it would have been a more impressive engineering feat had Ford engineers added variable valve timing, more squeeze, and 7500 rpm cams to the mod motor. I hear the next gen Vette mill will have variable valve timing as well as possibly multivalves once again. If so, I bet they leave blowers to the aftermarket crowd and focus on delivering a really cost-effective powerplant to the public (like the LS-1 has been).

 

[Slayer]

Re: 01 vs 03

Originally posted by Daniel Moran
Speaking of BMWs, isn't the new M3 getting 333 hp out of 198 cubes (naturally aspirated)? That means a 4.6 in the same state of tune would be rated at 470 hp. I think it would have been a more impressive engineering feat had Ford engineers added variable valve timing, more squeeze, and 7500 rpm cams to the mod motor.

A lot of people are already b!tching about how expensive the new Cobra is.If you think the S/C costs a lot of money,by the time Ford got through engineering variable valve timing,variable intake runner tuning,and all that other neat BMW electronic wiz-bang stuff,the price of the Cobra would climb right out of sight for the average working man.Lets leave the Mustang blue collar please.You want a Beemer,go buy one,I'll leave all the super tech junk to expensive Euro fighters like the Corvette,Viper,and the GT40.Not to mention the fact that the more you ring out of an engine in a N/A state,the harder it becomes to get more out of it in a modified state,AKA the Honduh S 2000.Those guys hardly get anything more out of those engines in N/A form,and the higher the compression,the less boost friendly the engine becomes.Remember,NOTHING beats factory forced induction,just ask any Supra owner,IF you can catch him.

I hear the next gen Vette mill will have variable valve timing as well as possibly multivalves once again. If so, I bet they leave blowers to the aftermarket crowd and focus on delivering a really cost-effective powerplant to the public (like the LS-1 has been).

Yeah,the 'vette is just SUCH a deal,compared to a Cobra.Like I said before,you want one,go buy one,I dont think anyone here will mind.Corvettes are cool(except for that cheap looking dash),I just can't afford one.The '03 Cobra is already more than I can TRULY afford,but,being a dyed in the wool American muscle car freak,I'll manage somehow.

 

[VintagePorscheG]

Yeah and I bet you told you self your prom date was better too...

LOL.....


:burnout:

 

[Rob03]

Is there by chance a bit of jealously here? For those of you who just bought an 01. I'm at a loss for why you would complain about why Ford put a S/C on the 03. Did you say the same thing when they put a S/C on the Lightning? I think what they did for a platform near the end of it's cycle was extremely generous. They are giving us all of these things wrapped up in a factory warranty. As for why they don't get more HP from a 4.8 than BMW gets from the M3...well...you must be kidding....It would be more like comparing apples to oranges...I think Slayer said it well...

Cheers,

Robert

 

[DLV]

O.K., like I said before, I do like the '03, but I prefer N/A. Especially after berating the imports that without forced induction, they're not contenders. But this brings up my REAL probelm, that the GT-40 is supercharged. :nono: For $100 G's I would definately want N/A. Even the pushrod Viper is more purist. Especially for a world class sports car, this isn't 1988. And the only Turbo Supra's I can't catch in my '92 5.0 (stock vs. stock) are the ones that cost as much as my '01 Cobra almost 10 years ago, and went on to cost as more than the '03 five years ago. I don't expect a car of BMW quality for the price of a Mustang, but there is a WHOLE lot more to BMW quality than just the engine, and that's all I'm really asking for. The Lightning is a truck and therefore a completely different ball game. Not too many Lightning owners are concerned about front vs. rear weight ratio, HP per cubic inch, or redline numbers. Give 'em skin peeling acceleration and tire shredding hook-up and they're happy.

 

[Rob03]

Originally posted by DLV
O.K., like I said before, I do like the '03, but I prefer N/A. Especially after berating the imports that without forced induction, they're not contenders. But this brings up my REAL probelm, that the GT-40 is supercharged. :nono: For $100 G's I would definately want N/A. Even the pushrod Viper is more purist. Especially for a world class sports car, this isn't 1988. And the only Turbo Supra's I can't catch in my '92 5.0 (stock vs. stock) are the ones that cost as much as my '01 Cobra almost 10 years ago, and went on to cost as more than the '03 five years ago. I don't expect a car of BMW quality for the price of a Mustang, but there is a WHOLE lot more to BMW quality than just the engine, and that's all I'm really asking for. The Lightning is a truck and therefore a completely different ball game. Not too many Lightning owners are concerned about front vs. rear weight ratio, HP per cubic inch, or redline numbers. Give 'em skin peeling acceleration and tire shredding hook-up and they're happy.

Hey...you can always MOD it by taking the S/C off...then at least you will have the 6-speed...Then build up from there. Build it like you would want your BMW...have the parts made if necessary..one of the reasons Ford doesn't do that is they don't want to charge you $60 for this car. They want to give you the biggest bang for the buck with a warrantey at a decent price.....If you have a lower priced car...some things will suffer...not the latest tech on engine and drive train...fit and finish...I'm sure if Ford could get $50-60 for the mustang...then maybe they could bring it up to BMW standards.......It actually looks like you just have a problem with S/C's...they have been around for years...check the drag strips...

 

[quick01snake]

Originally posted by Rob03


Hey...you can always MOD it by taking the S/C off...then at least you will have the 6-speed...Then build up from there. Build it like you would want your BMW...have the parts made if necessary..one of the reasons Ford doesn't do that is they don't want to charge you $60 for this car. They want to give you the biggest bang for the buck with a warrantey at a decent price.....If you have a lower priced car...some things will suffer...not the latest tech on engine and drive train...fit and finish...I'm sure if Ford could get $50-60 for the mustang...then maybe they could bring it up to BMW standards.......It actually looks like you just have a problem with S/C's...they have been around for years...check the drag strips...

i'll buy the S/C from you!! LOL

 

[Daniel Moran]

01 vs 03

No jealousy here guys. I think the 03 will be a trick unit all the way and I'm excited to see how it'll do. I got into my 01 last October, well discounted, and at 0.0% apr for 60 months. So I'd rather have my payments. I'm just pondering what SC portends for the next generation Mustang. I used the M3 BMW as an extreme example, but some of that tech (eg variable valve timing) is turning up in Honda grocery getters, for instance. I think a dose of that tech plus more displacement and tuning refinements could have kept the Cobra under 30k. Are iron engine blocks and high-rise hoods the way of the future for Ford performance?