- This may be the lowest-mileage 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra.
- Pony car still wears protective tape on both bumpers.
- Its $34,935 MSRP equals about $60,700 in today’s money.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing in the car world, especially when it involves machines that defined a particular moment in time. For some collectors, the real draw is not just the model itself, but finding one preserved almost exactly as it left the factory. Just look at this 2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, which recently sold for almost the MSRP of a brand-new Chevy Corvette ZR1.
While the Mustang SVT Cobra is undoubtedly a cool car, production was far from limited, with upwards of 13,000 examples built for the 2003 model year. So while this particular Cobra cannot claim rarity, it may well be one of the most pristine examples in the United States.
Read: This Mustang Cobra’s Been Hiding Since The 90s And Just Woke Up With 2.5K Miles
Painted in Torch Red Clearcoat, this SVT Cobra has covered just 14 miles (22 km) since new. That’s delivery mileage, and it looks like the car has barely moved since leaving the factory. In fact, it still wears the white protective tape on the front and rear bumpers and the wing mirrors.
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Similarly, the cabin still includes plastic covers on the black and red leather seats, along with the steering wheel. The Carfax is completely clean, which is hardly surprising given the mileage.
After being listed for sale on Bring a Trailer this month, the car ultimately sold for $175,067. That’s a striking figure when you consider the original sticker price was $36,560. Adjusted for inflation, that comes out to roughly $65,400 in today’s money. Not bad for a two-decade-old Mustang. What’s equally remarkable is just how quickly the car’s value has climbed.
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This very same Mustang SVT Cobra was sold on BaT in April 2022 for $85,000. At the time, that looked like serious money for the car. In hindsight, it barely scratched the surface of what collectors were willing to pay, as the latest sale represents an increase of $90,067, or roughly 106 percent, in just three years.
SVT’s Supercharged Mustang Formula
Powering the 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra is a supercharged 4.6-liter DOHC V8 producing 390 hp and 390 lb-ft (529 Nm) of torque. Codenamed “Terminator” by the SVT development team, the engine sends power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
An aluminum driveshaft feeds a 3.55:1 limited-slip differential housed in an aluminum case within a revised independent rear suspension subframe designed to reduce roll steer.
Also: Someone Kept This V8 Ford Taurus SHO in Showroom Condition For 30 Years
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A Car&Driver test back in the day recorded a 0-60 mph run, with rollout, in the mid four-second range, along with a quarter mile of 12.9 seconds at 111 mph. Serious pace for an early-2000s muscle car. Fuel economy was less heroic. The magazine recorded just 13 mpg, though it’s safe to assume fuel economy ranked somewhere between “not important” and “absolutely irrelevant” for most buyers.
Combine that with strong aftermarket tuning potential and it’s easy to see why the supercharged Cobra quickly built such a loyal following.
