One-owner car with 27,000 original miles. ProCharger supercharger and intercooler, otherwise stock. Heavily documented. Beautiful Mystic Cobra with serious firepower and a great pedigree!
This well maintained and subtly upgraded 1996 Cobra is number 4841 out of 7496 Cobras built in 1996 and number 655 out of those 2000 Mystic Cobras, so it’s pretty exclusive. Showing just 27,019 original miles, the chromatic Mystic paint remains in excellent condition with no repainted areas, so the color shift is consistent from panel to panel, a critical element with color-change paints like this. From certain angles it looks purple, but as you move it shifts to blue, then green, then bronze, then back to purple. Most folks have a blast walking around this car in our showroom, and love it or hate it, it gets a huge amount of attention. It has never seen snow or inclement weather and the number of times this car has been in the rain can probably be counted on two hands. It has always been treated as something special and even after more than 20 years, seeing one of these cars in public is still a treat.
Supportive black leather bucket seats were a nice step up from the more ordinary chairs in the Mustang GT and thanks to quality materials and care, these show modest wear that’s in line with its age and mileage. Cobras received special white-faced gauges (back in 1996, this was really different) and you’ll note the 7000 RPM redline for the four-cam motor. This car, which packs a little something extra under the hood, also has a pair of Auto Meter gauges on the A-pillar to monitor boost and fuel pressure, but we’ll get to that in a moment. The only transmission available was a 5-speed manual, which carries an exclusive leather knob that was another Cobra-only part (this car includes a chrome T-handle knob as well). A/C, power windows and locks, cruise control, and a decent AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo system round out the list of goodies. Everything works like it should without any issues. There’s also a good-sized trunk, making the Cobra a surprisingly practical supercar.
The 4.6 liter four-cam Cobra V8 is every bit as good as its reputation. They were hand-built and the guys who put them together even signed their names on the cam covers, something that the techs over at Aston Martin have been doing for decades. In factory trim, it made a robust 305 horsepower, which in 1996 was a pretty big deal. The numbers don’t tell the whole story, because the cammer feels every bit like a 5.0, although unlike the pushrod motor, this one doesn’t run out of breath after 5000 RPM. With a forged crank and 4-bolt mains, it’s insanely over-built, which is a good thing because this car has been upgraded with a ProCharger supercharger. Neatly tucked into the engine bay between the water neck, the alternator, and the coil packs, the industrial-grade blower pushes 10 pounds of boost into the otherwise stock Cobra motor, and with appropriate fuel and calibration upgrades, cranks out more than 500 horsepower. There’s an intercooler down low that certainly helps and thanks to the deep-breathing 4-valve heads, all that boost makes a huge difference in the way this car moves. On the other hand, thanks to careful tuning, it starts and idles like a stocker, passes all the sniff tests, and generally behaves just the way the factory intended. If not for the intimidating whirr of the blower drive, you’d never know this was a 500-horsepower animal.
Fortunately, the SVT engineers dialed up the Cobra’s suspension and brakes to match. The Cobra’s suspension is actually softer than the GT’s, so it rides nicely, but thanks to slightly recalibrated shocks and larger roll bars, it offers more grip and more confident handling under all conditions. The brakes are the legendary 13-inch PBR units with Cobra insignias that first debuted on the 1993 Cobra R, and even with the supercharger you’ll be hard-pressed to find their limits. Remarkably, this car retains its stock exhaust system, so while it’s ferociously fast, it’s also deceptively quiet, making it an awesome stealth fighter on the street. The stock suspension rides nicely and thanks to the beefy superstructure of the new SN95 platform, the interior is quiet and rattle-free. 17-inch alloy wheels with charcoal inserts were unique to the 1996 Cobra and carry recent 245/45/17 General performance radials that are only the second set of tires this car has ever worn.
Documentation is beyond extensive, including a certificate of authenticity that’s a big part of why these Mystic Cobras were special. There’s a custom touch-up pen that’s obviously unique to the Mystic cars, factory manuals, brochures, and receipts for the supercharger installation. It also includes all the original parts, so if you want to take it back to 100% stock, it won’t be a problem. This is an owner who knew how to properly document his car.
We know not everyone loves the flip-flop paint on the Mystic Cobras, but it certainly makes a statement and attracts attention. And if we had to pick one ‘90s Mustang that would be a future collectable, this would surely be on the short list. Add in the superlative road manners, the insanely powerful engine, and a handsome, restrained look, this is a Mustang that continues to impress. As I said, if you were a Mustang fan in the 1990s, this is the end game. This is your chance, call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
