How were our cars viewed when they were new?

[black4vcobra]

I have only had my car for a year and a half now, and we know our cars are overshadowed by the Terminators, but how were the 99/01 Cobras viewed when they were new? In 2001 I was 17 years old and my friends and I worshipped anything that had a V8. I didn't know anyone around my age that had a 4th gen V8 F-body or SN-95 V8 so we were stuck with pickup trucks and a few guys that had Fox body 5.0 or 3rd gen mullet machines.

For those of you who had the New Edge Cobra when it was new, was it considered a real bad ass ride? Did you go around intimidating Civics and Eclipses? Did the panties of young ladies fall off as they saw you drive by? (sorry, couldn't resist that one :banana Was the Cobra seen as a worthy competitor to the Camaro/Firebirds? Was the New Edge Cobra respected more than the 96-98 Cobra?

So many questions, just something I've thought about recently.

 

[brkntrxn]

We bought out 01 vert with 165 miles, so I feel I am qualified to answer your question.

In a nutshell, the 99/01 Cobras were regarded as kick-ass cars when new. During those three years (99,00,01), only two domestic cars outshined them -- the 00R and any version of the Vette.

At 320hp/320tq, the New Edge Cobras were dead on par with the 325hp Camaro SS, Firehawk, Trans Am, etc. In a redlight drag race, real drag race, etc the top of the line GM/Pontiac cars versus a New Edge Cobra was a drivers race. Been there, done that -- several times.

It wasn't until very late 2001 and really not until early 2002 that the general public became aware of the true plans of the Terminator. And even then, the prices had not been set on the Termis, so the leftover 01s were still selling strong because everyone assumed that the "supercharged" car was going to sell in the 40s.


-Kevin

 

[mdrc347]

We bought out 01 vert with 165 miles, so I feel I am qualified to answer your question.

In a nutshell, the 99/01 Cobras were regarded as kick-ass cars when new. During those three years (99,00,01), only two domestic cars outshined them -- the 00R and any version of the Vette.

At 320hp/320tq, the New Edge Cobras were dead on par with the 325hp Camaro SS, Firehawk, Trans Am, etc. In a redlight drag race, real drag race, etc the top of the line GM/Pontiac cars versus a New Edge Cobra was a drivers race. Been there, done that -- several times.

It wasn't until very late 2001 and really not until early 2002 that the general public became aware of the true plans of the Terminator. And even then, the prices had not been set on the Termis, so the leftover 01s were still selling strong because everyone assumed that the "supercharged" car was going to sell in the 40s.


-Kevin

Anyone that doesn't respect the pre 03-04 Cobras is a fool. That is still a bad ass motor is that car, even without a charger. I have a 04 Cobra and still love the other Cobras. I wouldn't feel overshadowed if I were you. Anyone that doesn't respect your cars, has no real knowledge or appreciate for muscle cars of any vintage.

 

[mustangmanjeff]

Yeah since todays tech and alot of fast cars come out of the factory People seem to forget about anything other then saleens 03-04 cobras and modded cars or shelbys,corvettes etc.. So now I get alot of shit talkers that pull up next to me, Had a guy in a bone stock auto vert c5 roll up next to me So I look over, the owner gives me cocky look,so we both take off normal and he trys to gun it so next red light he looks over and says " what does that thing have", wanna run that slow pos mustang, what is that crappy 5.0 200hp "

I was shocked how rude people can be, so I went along with it.


Lets just say @ the next light after I put bus lenghts on his ass he was so pissed he kept asking me what I had in my car, So i told him a flowmaster catback with a hole in the muffler so it sounds cammed HAHAH


I swear alot of cocky vette and import owners.

for fellow mustang guys the worse are the 05+ mustang guys, If I roll up I try to give them thumbs up or talk they are so cocky they act like" oh my mustang is new and its 300hp stock ur 5.0 is crap"

and for import guys the worse are srt4 owners wrx owners every single 1 talks shit or trys to intimidate me or race me gotta love it, every 1 is out to get the mustang guys.

No respect for us 5.0 guys, from cobra owners and anything 99+ alot of them are cocky jerks, They seem to forget the 5.0 is what has kept the mustang selling and 5.0 has best aftermarket, and 5.0's ran the streets in the 80's and 90's My car was 1 of the fastest on the street, I mean the 80's vette had less or same or bearley more hp then 5.0 mustang, and same goes for the poor 99 01 guys, since the 03 cobra came out, every 1 seems to hate on 99-01 cobras, Alot of people I talk to fellow stang owners seem to talk smack about gt's and 99-01 cobras the most.

 

[Solo500]

I think these cars would get a lot more respect if they came with a Cobra bumper stock.

I've had my car for three years and think its an absolute machine. The IRS and all aluminum motor make this car a joy on twisty roads. These cars have always been a diamond in the rough for me. They haven't ever been advertised or shown in any movies so most people don't know about them. None the less, I know exactly what I have.

I beat f-bodies pretty consistently and even some vettes!

 

[pho_phizzat]

I gotta agree with you guys 99/01's should not be over shadowed at all a 281 that puts out over 300hp naturally breathing is somthing that i dont think many companys if any have been able to duplicate, if its a drivers race for a car with 60 + more cubes then thats a amazing motor, and car,

I have shock and awed many people including a few c5 vettes and gto or 2 that didnt think a 4.6 32v could even come close to there gm godness!


Great cars, great styling, and even tho they are 8 or 10 years old they will still lay a whipping on 90% of the cars on the road! Game on

 

[tomustang]

From the start the viewing was poor, a lot of car mags questioned the ford 320hp figure and they were right, and most of the 99's had to get the heads ported

 

[black4vcobra]

From the start the viewing was poor, a lot of car mags questioned the ford 320hp figure and they were right, and most of the 99's had to get the heads ported

I can see you don't own a 99! Actually it was the intake that was defective. That and Ford reflashed the ECU and changed the mufflers. The 320 hp sometimes seemed weak compared to the Fbodies but that is due to the high reving nature of the DOHC architecture. That and the LS1's were underrated.

 

[CobraRed01]

The New Edge Cobra got good reviews when it first came out (after the '99 fix, that is). The real appeal to me was...IRS, aluminum N/A 32V V8, light-weight. Never really wanted an S/C 'cause, frankly, being somewhat enviro-friendly was a plus to me. Compared to the muscle we drove in the '70's the New Edge was all I ever needed...built solid, reasonably quick, handles really well...done deal. Yes, a stock NE is long-in-the-tooth these days and without motor mods we are falling behind, but anyone who knows Mustang history usually has respect for them. Hell, the New Edge Cobra looks much cleaner/better than a Termie any day. Termies look heavy and that's not what I want.

I mentioned on another thread that I felt the New Edge Cobra was "lost potential". I think of the NE Cobra as the epitome of a modern, sophisticated light-weight, handling-oriented Mustang. In 2001 it would have been neat to see Ford go the bigger 5.4/6/2 aluminum N/A route as an extension of the 2000 Cobra R concept, but they went heavier with an iron S/C motor instead. Hey, Terminators are nice, but they ain't svelt. This was really a compromise to keep the big HP people happy. S/C is the best way to get HP out of too few cubes. Keep your eye on the 2012 Mustang GT...with an aluminum 400hp N/A motor and the Track Pack...that will be the true lightweight, handling-oriented descendant of the New Edge Cobra. Then wait till the new BOSS comes out...if it's light and N/A... it may be even better.

 

[chuckstang]

I have only had my car for a year and a half now, and we know our cars are overshadowed by the Terminators, but how were the 99/01 Cobras viewed when they were new? In 2001 I was 17 years old and my friends and I worshipped anything that had a V8. I didn't know anyone around my age that had a 4th gen V8 F-body or SN-95 V8 so we were stuck with pickup trucks and a few guys that had Fox body 5.0 or 3rd gen mullet machines.

For those of you who had the New Edge Cobra when it was new, was it considered a real bad ass ride? Did you go around intimidating Civics and Eclipses? Did the panties of young ladies fall off as they saw you drive by? (sorry, couldn't resist that one :banana Was the Cobra seen as a worthy competitor to the Camaro/Firebirds? Was the New Edge Cobra respected more than the 96-98 Cobra?

So many questions, just something I've thought about recently.

Not well, not well at all. Especially the 99 with its power problems.

But the IRS was a first and makes it very unique and the all aluminum mod motors are fantastic with boost, just swap the interals first lol.

I think the GT500 overshadowed them all

I loved my 99 though, the sound, the feeling of hitting the limiter at 7 grand with 410 gears. Those things were great fun!

I miss mine, dont get me wrong I love my GT500 but I already want the 2011 GT500 with an Al block for that lighter motor up front but still big power.

The 99/01 really dont rank high up there unfortunately for collectibility

 

[chuckstang]

We bought out 01 vert with 165 miles, so I feel I am qualified to answer your question.

In a nutshell, the 99/01 Cobras were regarded as kick-ass cars when new. During those three years (99,00,01), only two domestic cars outshined them -- the 00R and any version of the Vette.

At 320hp/320tq, the New Edge Cobras were dead on par with the 325hp Camaro SS, Firehawk, Trans Am, etc. In a redlight drag race, real drag race, etc the top of the line GM/Pontiac cars versus a New Edge Cobra was a drivers race. Been there, done that -- several times.

It wasn't until very late 2001 and really not until early 2002 that the general public became aware of the true plans of the Terminator. And even then, the prices had not been set on the Termis, so the leftover 01s were still selling strong because everyone assumed that the "supercharged" car was going to sell in the 40s.


-Kevin

LOL what are you smoking, the SS and Firebirds beat us in every single performance category

I still bought the Cobra though, because I like being the underdog and Im a Ford guy but who cares, Ford has been on top since 03 and that aint changing :rockon:

 

[chuckstang]

Yeah since todays tech and alot of fast cars come out of the factory People seem to forget about anything other then saleens 03-04 cobras and modded cars or shelbys,corvettes etc.. So now I get alot of shit talkers that pull up next to me, Had a guy in a bone stock auto vert c5 roll up next to me So I look over, the owner gives me cocky look,so we both take off normal and he trys to gun it so next red light he looks over and says " what does that thing have", wanna run that slow pos mustang, what is that crappy 5.0 200hp "

I was shocked how rude people can be, so I went along with it.


Lets just say @ the next light after I put bus lenghts on his ass he was so pissed he kept asking me what I had in my car, So i told him a flowmaster catback with a hole in the muffler so it sounds cammed HAHAH




I swear alot of cocky vette and import owners.

for fellow mustang guys the worse are the 05+ mustang guys, If I roll up I try to give them thumbs up or talk they are so cocky they act like" oh my mustang is new and its 300hp stock ur 5.0 is crap"

and for import guys the worse are srt4 owners wrx owners every single 1 talks shit or trys to intimidate me or race me gotta love it, every 1 is out to get the mustang guys.

No respect for us 5.0 guys, from cobra owners and anything 99+ alot of them are cocky jerks, They seem to forget the 5.0 is what has kept the mustang selling and 5.0 has best aftermarket, and 5.0's ran the streets in the 80's and 90's My car was 1 of the fastest on the street, I mean the 80's vette had less or same or bearley more hp then 5.0 mustang, and same goes for the poor 99 01 guys, since the 03 cobra came out, every 1 seems to hate on 99-01 cobras, Alot of people I talk to fellow stang owners seem to talk smack about gt's and 99-01 cobras the most.

Well I think he was asking in comparison to the 99/01 Cobra, not a 5.0 GT which I also owned and I agree with you though.

But I get punks in the ol 5.0 GTs and shit that don't show any respect to me, they race me all the dam time and obviously I embarrass them, 511rwhp vs there 195rwhp is obviously not even close.

Honestly it goes the other way to, I give thumbs up to all cool mustangs and no body except other shelby owners give me the thumbs up, I saw *** em all and race them all cause if they aint with you they against you

 

[mustangmanjeff]

Well I think he was asking in comparison to the 99/01 Cobra, not a 5.0 GT which I also owned and I agree with you though.

But I get punks in the ol 5.0 GTs and shit that don't show any respect to me, they race me all the dam time and obviously I embarrass them, 511rwhp vs there 195rwhp is obviously not even close.

Honestly it goes the other way to, I give thumbs up to all cool mustangs and no body except other shelby owners give me the thumbs up, I saw *** em all and race them all cause if they aint with you they against you

Yeah im saying same thing, without the 5.0 mustang they prob would not still be selling mustangs and there might of been no shelby or cobras,and without the 99 or 01 they wouldnt have the 03-04 cobra, 99-01 cobra started the hunt for john colleti to make an even better 01 cobra which was the 03, so people and fellow mustang owners should :beer: but alot of them seem to :lol: @ you if ur in a older mustang, it isnt like are dam gt's or 5.0 or 99-01 cobras are ricers or v6's :shrug: So I love to smoke them cocky guys

I was next to a bone stock 2008 shelby gt the other day, and I kept trying to get next to him and say hi and wave and talk to him and gave him thumbs up and he kept looking over lol @ me and being cocky:nonono: and then he gave me thumbs down after I waved gave him thumbs up I was pissed! hes lucky he didnt try to race his wannabe shelby all it is a reg 05+gt with a intake exaust with shelby badges I would of destroyed the cocky smuck!:bash: I hate that esp when you get it from a fellow mustang guy, I felt as if i was a import or a v6 ricer mustang guy! :shrug:

Esp when my car is a mint mustang esp for a 95, I keep it clean, I get compliments alot of how nice it sounds and looks, I have a laser red 95 5.0 with chrome saleens, its cammed loud as shit and this moron acted like i was in some ricer v6 I lol back @ him @ that point lol

 

[99COBRA2881]

Thats not a fellow mustang guy thats a tool in a mustang. A fellow mustang guy would recognize you for what youre driving and have given a thumbs up back!

 

[COBRA90GT]

I'll post my observation since I purchased my snake new in June of '01. Here's a bit of what I recall around that timeframe (fresh out of college):

The '01s were pretty nice cars overall but some mustang faithful were still "snakebit," from the horsepower recall of the '99 cobras. At least a few mustang enthusiasts were turned off by Ford after the '99 debacle - but many were also looking forward to what the '01 had to offer.

Around that time, you had the debate about how great the LS1s were at the time (and all of the drag race shootouts where the LS1 would take the Cobras, etc). Many would call it a "driver's race."

And, to top it all off, at least around here in Ford Country, people were looking forward to the next Cobras already - the Terminator. This was around mid-2001, mind you. The rumor mill was pumping out lots of interest in a supercharged version of a "new edge" Cobra - much debate about whether to use an iron block or an aluminum block or stick with IRS or swap to solid rear axle.

Even my friend's dad who worked at Ford knew about the supercharged engine coming out - he said I should have waited until the next cobra came out so I could buy "the one with the supercharger." LOL

The one thing that helped some '01s sell were the 0% financing deals that arrived at dealerships soon after 9-11 hit. Many mustang enthusiasts were able to buy their '01 Cobras with 0% financing, so it was quite a deal for them.

The '01 had a solid reputation up until early 2002 rolled around (the Chicago autoshow in Feb of '02, to be exact). Everyone remembers SVT doing the burnout in the '03 Cobra at the auto show in Chicago during its unveiling:

I remember a local dealer receiving the first batch of '03 Cobras around early June 2002 and from that point onward, it's fair to say that many folks lost interest in the new edge cobras. Not a slam, just reality. The 03/04 had so much more to offer over the NA Cobras, and especially after just a couple of tweaks (ie - pulley, exhaust, etc). That's why many people consider the 99/01 to be a bit of a red headed stepchild nowadays IMHO.

I still love my '01, for the record. The '01s were certainly very nice cars when they were released for sale to the public in 2001, but soon after, it was clear that mustang enthusiasts were already looking forward to the next Cobra.

YMMV

 

[CobraRed01]

I was next to a bone stock 2008 shelby gt the other day, and I kept trying to get next to him and say hi and wave and talk to him and gave him thumbs up and he kept looking over lol @ me and being cocky:nonono: and then he gave me thumbs down after I waved gave him thumbs up I was pissed! hes lucky he didnt try to race his wannabe shelby all it is a reg 05+gt with a intake exaust with shelby badges I would of destroyed the cocky smuck!:bash: I hate that esp when you get it from a fellow mustang guy, I felt as if i was a import or a v6 ricer mustang guy! :shrug:

Esp when my car for 95 is mint I get compliments alot of how nice it sounds and looks, I have a laser red 95 5.0 with chrome saleens, its cammed loud as shit and this moron acted like i was in some ricer v6 I lol back @ him @ that point lol

I bet you the puke in the Shelby never owned a Mustang before. I think you probably had him intimidated...really. He thought you were messing with him and he didn't know what to do.

 

[Quadcammer]

During those three years (99,00,01), only two domestic cars outshined them -- the 00R and any version of the Vette.

At 320hp/320tq, the New Edge Cobras were dead on par with the 325hp Camaro SS, Firehawk, Trans Am, etc. In a redlight drag race, real drag race, etc the top of the line GM/Pontiac cars versus a New Edge Cobra was a drivers race.

-Kevin

Kevin,
Lets not forget the viper.

Furthermore, you and I both know that on average, the cobra was getting its ass kicked in a drag race with an ls1 fbody. Not only were they hard to launch and hard to keep from wheelhopping, they had crappy gears and no low end grunt.

a 281 that puts out over 300hp naturally breathing is somthing that i dont think many companys if any have been able to duplicate,
Great cars, great styling, and even tho they are 8 or 10 years old they will still lay a whipping on 90% of the cars on the road! Game on

Good god man, have you been asleep for a couple years? Lets see, Infiniti has a 330bhp V6 thats 3.7L, Toyota has a 4.6 that makes like 360bhp, Hyundai even has a 360bhp 4.6L. Lets not forget the 3.8L in the porsche 911 that makes 380bhp. The list goes on and on.

I'd reduce that 90% number to about 70%.

LOL what are you smoking, the SS and Firebirds beat us in every single performance category

I agree.


I disagree with most in this thread. The 99 was generally considered "ok" when it was new. The motor was nothing special, the handling was nothing special, especially given the thrown together IRS. The interior was a bit nicer, and the body style was pretty good.

Aside from that, the fbodies were faster and handled better.

Basically, the mustang was the classier choice. It was for the kids of fairly wealthy parents, and older guys who were into mustangs and wanted something other than a GT.

The only reason they really garnered much if any attention was the IRS and the new body style.

In stock form, the car was pretty slow, and didn't handle very well at all.

 

[99COBRA2881]

NO ONE ELSE DID THIS IN '99, which is the topic of this post. The engine technology is old school by now in manufacturers eyes.

The infiniti V6 also puts down a dickless 270 ft/lb of torque at 5200 rpm!!! People always get caught up in looking at the HP and not caring about the Tq rating of the engine.

The 3.8L porsche engine is not N/A. We've all seen what happens to the 4.6l when forced induction is added to the equation.

The car responds well to mods and can be made to outhandle any F-body. Most camaro and Ram Air owners envy the amount of aftermarket suspension options there are for the mustangs. In the end the mustang wins!

 

[CobraRed01]

Quad...Yeah, it sure is interesting how all these cars are making some much horsepower now...so many years later. Hard to figure. Same as all the lame comparsions of the New Edge Cobra to the later Terminator and later Mach 1. It's always easy to buy into the next best thing. The New Edge Cobra was better than the last Cobra when it launched... it was faster and handled better. Mission accomplished.

If you don't like Mustangs...just sell yours.

Sometimes New Edge owners... you don't even get respect from your own kind.

 

[brkntrxn]

LOL what are you smoking, the SS and Firebirds beat us in every single performance category

With professional drivers yes. IN the real world at the local drag strips and on the street the 01 Cobra was on par with the SS and Firebird. I know, I was there. I was drag racing our 01 Cobra before it had 1000 miles on it.

Kevin,
Lets not forget the viper.

Damn. Yes, I did forget the Viper. Good catch.

Furthermore, you and I both know that on average, the cobra was getting its ass kicked in a drag race with an ls1 fbody. Not only were they hard to launch and hard to keep from wheelhopping, they had crappy gears and no low end grunt.

I disagree with most in this thread. The 99 was generally considered "ok" when it was new. The motor was nothing special, the handling was nothing special, especially given the thrown together IRS. The interior was a bit nicer, and the body style was pretty good.

Aside from that, the fbodies were faster and handled better.

I slightly disagree with you here, Oliver. It really was a driver's race. I can recall lining up with several F-cars and whoever won was the person that didn't miss a shift or blow away the tires. The big difference was the GM guys could cheaply throw another cam in the car and kick our butts.

Also worth remembering, in 1999 and 2001, nothing else on the road (except a Vette) was in the "affordable V8 car" category with an aluminum V8 and IRS. If I am forgetting something *again*, point it out. I still contend that an IRS Mustang handles better than an F-body (and the almighty Five-Oh with a straight axle) off the car lot.


But, it is all water under the bridge. I had the opportunity to own our 01 Cobra vert AND still daily drive our 91 GT with bolt-ons for several years. The 10 years difference between the two cars was immense. In 99/01, our NE Cobras were a very big jump forward in setting the baseline for Cobra performance and handling.

By all rights the 2011 V6 should almost kick the 99/01s butt. If you don't remember or were too young, the 01 six banger was almost as fast as a bone stock 91 GT. I had a six banger almost show up my GT one day... lol, rude awaking for certain!

I do think a lot of our differing memories are determined by where we lived and what the "scene" was like in that area as well as who we associated with. When we bought our 01, none of our other friends had "muscle cars" as we were right at 30 years old and most of our friends were driving mini-vans, hahahaha. The friends that I did have that ran their cars a lot either had 5.0s or mid-90 F-bodies.