The Ford Mustang has, for many years now, been one of the most well-loved and charismatic muscle cars of them all. Through all of its various generations, the muscle car has been able to keep up with the times and the latest generation for 2024 feels very much like a return to the muscle car glory days of old, with big V8 power still very much at its heart. Ford is clearly not ready to let the Mustang die just yet.

Along the way, there have been plenty of super cool Mustang variants. One of those is the 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R, a car that for many was the peak of the 1990s. This is a car that Doug DeMuro recently explored, and for good reason. The SVT Cobra R was at the time the fastest factory Mustang ever produced, and it did a lot to right the wrongs of the Cobra horsepower controversy that took place in 1999. While it is easy to overlook some Mustang variants, the SVT Cobra R is a car that deserves special focus.

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What Made The CVT Cobra R So Special

At the heart of the Mustang SVT Cobra R was a pretty special engine. This was a 90-degree, DOHC 32- V8 engine. A V8 engine of 5.4-liters and one of the most powerful yet seen in a muscle car. This engine was SVT-developed, and it produces a rather handy 385 hp. That horsepower figure is more than enough, and it brings the 0-60 mph time to just 4.7 seconds, a figure that is easily comparable with a lot of sports cars today in 2022.

Impressively, the 1/4-mile run time of the SVT Cobra R is 13.2 seconds, and the top speed is 170 mph. Again, these are numbers that are perfectly adequate and ones that rival plenty of the current sports cars of the world. Being a true R-model the SVT Cobra R was very lightweight, while it also had some pretty good track-capable brakes for ultimate stopping power. In fact, the brakes on this car are so good that you could stop it from 60 mph in just 127 feet. Not many cars could manage that, which makes that statistic even more impressive.

Keeping Weight Down To The Bare Minimum

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R 2000 Parked
via Ford

Like all the SVT Cobra Rs before it, the 2000 R had track usage in mind. While it was also a road car, this was where the real fun would be had. As such, it came stripped out of pretty much any stock feature that the driver would not need for track use, or any that would add excess weight to the car. Gone are your conventional seats and in are Recaro racing seats, offering comfort and the bonus of not much weight. Remember, this was all in the name of extra performance.

Ford though did a few other modifications to the car to extract as much performance from it as possible. A side-exit dual exhaust was one such modification, while a front air splitter and high-mount rear wing aided in downforce and gave the Cobra superb handling. The stability of the SVT Cobra R was simply outstanding, making it one of the best cars of its time to hurl around a racetrack such as Laguna Seca or Road America. The SVT Cobra R is also one of the rarest of any Mustang variant ever made. Just 300 units were eventually made, all only in the Performance Red Clearcoat paint.

The 2000 SVT Cobra R Was A Dream To Drive

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R 2000 Rear Quarter View
Via Ford

The 2000 SVT Cobra was an absolute joy to drive for all those lucky enough to get behind the wheel of one. No wonder DeMuro was so excited by in his video! This joyous handling was not just down to its aero, but also other features such as its independent rear suspension which was a first on a production Mustang. There are still plenty of sports cars now that the 2000 SVT Cobra R could put to shame, while it also has the power to pull away on the straights.

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A Rare Mustang That Is Highly Sought After

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R 2000 Driving
Via Ford

The 2000 SVT Cobra R is one of those Mustangs that, for some reason, flies under the radar a little bit. It provided the perfect antidote for Ford, after they suffered the scandal of the 1999 SVT Cobra Mustang scandal due to false advertising of that car’s horsepower figures. People though learn to forgive and forget and the 2000 SVT Cobra R went a long way to making people do just that. It is a stunning looking, aggressive and potent track weapon that still holds up pretty well today. It’s a Mustang that we think was the peak of the 1990s, and set Ford up well for the 21st century.

Sources: Doug DeMuro YouTube Channel, Ford