Vehicle Description
Want a lot of performance for not a lot of money? How about this:
take one custom, tube-frame chassis, wrap it in high-quality
Antiques & Collectibles composite, and plant a 505 horsepower, twin
turbo small block up front to incite whiplash-inducing
acceleration. Priced for less than the cost of building one
yourself, this exclusive Cobra is a car you can keep, drive and
enjoy for years to come. In fact, this one-time prototype is so
well engineered that it appeared in both Hot Rod Magazine and Kit
Car Builder Magazine. And, when you factor in the added convenience
of firing it up and driving it right out of our RK Motors Charlotte
showroom, it becomes the ultimate classic for any enthusiast who
wants a complete, road-ready package!
HISTORY
When Corky Bell set out to build the world's most high tech Cobra,
he assembled a talented cast of gearheads and began what would
eventually be called Project Mongoose. A career engineer turned
SCCA racer, Bell had acquired quite a reputation captaining brands
like Japanese GT Cars, CarTech and the Bell Experimental Group. And
that reputation, perpetuated through vast involvement in many
different facets of automobilia, created plenty of contacts with
top designers and engineers. Work primarily focused on creating
athletic mechanicals that bettered the classic Cobra driving
experience, and creating a cockpit that would actually sell to
someone over average height. Ultimately, the build combined many
high quality aftermarket components with a twin turbo V8, 11 custom
cast parts and a slick Antiques & Collectibles composite body. And
today, decked in a screaming combination of Bright Yellow and
black, the car rolls as a virtually timeless hot rod that looks
like a 10 and drives like an 11!
ENGINE
Tilt the louvered hood and you'll find a professionally built Ford
Windsor block that's been bored and stroked to 385 cubic inches.
Churning 505 rear wheel horsepower into 540 lb./ft. of
pavement-scorching torque, that proven mill wraps an Eagle crank,
Eagle rods, forged JE pistons and a Crower hydraulic cam in a full
array of track-ready ancillaries. Conical air cleaners whip 7.5 psi
of wind through stainless, TIG-welded tubes and proven Garrett T4
turbochargers. Fossils flow from twin Pierburg pumps to 52 lb./hr.
fuel injectors. At the top of the Cast Silver mill, billet throttle
bodies front a custom Bell Experimental Group upper intake and
Trick Flow lower intake. The aforementioned air and fuel make their
way to aluminum Canfield cylinder heads, which hide Crower aluminum
rockers and Crower hydraulic lifters under monochromatic valve
covers. When those heads flood the cylinders, Electromotive TEC3
engine management sequences fire through high quality Electromotive
coil packs. As combustion is sparked, resultant gases are
jettisoned through waterjet-cut, Heliarc-welded headers into
3-inch, Mandrel-bent side pipes that were supplied by Burns
Stainless. That combustion's cooling is provided by a custom Ron
Davis radiator, which stores water in front of quick-spinning
electric puller fans. And high quality componentry, like a MOCAL
oil cooler, a Canton Road Race oil pan and TiAL wastegates, paints
a concise representation of a very skilled, systematic approach to
defining "the world's most high tech Cobra".
DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
The best thing about this high quality, expertly built roadster is
its ability to run circles around almost anything at the track.
Take a look under the car and you'll find a rigid 2-inch
square-tube frame that, in addition to providing 14-15K lb./ft. of
deflection, places 57% of the car's weight over its rear axles.
Numbers like that aren't mere coincidence, as Bell hired Ron Nash,
the whiz formerly associated with Buick, Roush's Merkur program and
Newman & Sharps Nissans, to design Project Mongoose's foundation.
That monocoque-reinforced foundation makes good use of a Porsche
G50/50 5-speed transaxle, which has been reversed, inverted and
mounted between a custom driveshaft, a Porsche limited-slip
differential and a familiar Centerforce clutch pack. Aside from
providing excellent feel, that relatively modern transmission
enables the car to achieve 60 MPH in first gear while being
mild-mannered enough to chase freeway traffic in fifth. That
incredible drivetrain rides on a fully independent suspension,
which is fitted with Heim joints, Aldan coil-over-shocks and
Woodward power rack-and-pinion steering. At the corners of that
suspension, Baer 4-piston calipers clamp big, slotted rotors to
provide consistent, sure-footed stops that are all day strong, all
day long. And power meets the pavement via 17-inch Team III alloys
that spin fresh 245/40 BF Goodrich g-Force T/As in front of 275/40
BF Goodrich g-Force T/As.
INTERIOR
Cobra interiors have always been simple, and one look inside the
Mongoose reveals just how serious the car's aspirations are when it
comes to being track-focused. Chopped Miata buckets stretch tight
leather hides between 5-point Simpson safety harnesses. In front of
those seats, a textured dash founds Racepak Data Systems telemetry
above billet foot pedals that can be adjusted to the height of the
driver in roughly an hour. At the sides of that dash, lightweight
doors frame steel intrusion bars in custom hinges and custom
handles. Below those doors, clean carpet frames direct-mount seat
brackets, which lower the driving position enough to accommodate
operators up to 6'9" tall. That operator stays connected to the
asphalt thanks to a leather-wrapped billet steering wheel and beefy
Bell Experimental Group shifter. And the passengers' cargo stows in
an aluminum-lined trunk that's fitted with an integrated battery
cut-off.
OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION
A couple of component manuals
A copy of the car's feature in Kit Car Builder Magazine
A copy of the car's feature in the April, 2006 edition of Hot Rod
Magazine
With its high quality build, killer small block and track ready
drivetrain, this vivid Cobra wraps an unmatched driving experience
in spectacular good looks. When it comes to replica cars,
craftsmanship is the number one issue; and quality engineering on
both the manufacturer and assembler side is crucial for a product
that can persevere as long as you want to tear up the road. If
you're looking for a reliable, fully sorted thrill machine that's
just as happy on Main Street as it is on the race track, you've
found your next car!
SUMMARY
2005 build conducted by Corky Bell / Prototype for limited
production Mongoose roadsters
Featured in Hot Rod Magazine and Kit Car Builder Magazine
385 cubic inch twin turbocharged Windsor V8 / 505 rear wheel
horsepower
Porsche G50/50 5-speed manual transaxle
Monocoque-reinforced 2-inch square-tube frame
Composite Antiques & Collectibles body / Cockpit fits drivers up to
6'9" tall
Sale includes: Kit Car Builder Magazine feature / Hot Rod Magazine
feature
Fully independent suspension
Woodward power rack-and-pinion steering
Baer 4-wheel disc brakes