A special ‘King Cobra’ version of the Ford Mustang was one of a whole host of customised versions of the muscle car on show in SEMA in Las Vegas.
The King Cobra pays homage to the limited edition Mustang of the same name from 1978. The King Cobra name was used in racing by Shelby before that, and Ford planned to bring the badge to NASCAR in 1970 before a rule change made the car stillborn.
The 2015 King Cobra features a whole host of modifications over a standard V8 Mustang on which it has been based, the tuning work having been done by Ford Racing.
It gets a supercharger to push power to 616bhp, a special 'Drag Pack' for the chassis, a 'Handling Pack' for the suspension, and upgraded brakes. It also gets its own distinctive livery and some special Recaro seats and a short-throw gearlever inside.
The King Cobra has already clocked a 10.97sec quarter mile run at 128mph.
Ford invited several tuners to produce Mustangs for SEMA. Other Mustangs included a gold-themed model produced by Galpin Auto Sports, and a light blue Petty’s Garage-tuned model that will be auctioned for charity.
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Don't think any of those...
Mustang
The demand from France, of all countries, is astonishing for example. A country of beaten up small hatches if there ever was one.
Its partly due to the 50th anniversary of course, but I wonder if it is also due to a dearth of exciting macho cars at a reasonable price - trading more on muscle than technology. A VXR8 is a similar beast of course but it will always be at a disadvantage compared to the Mustang due to the lack of heritage/iconic status the Mustang carries.
As far as the UK is concerned RHD being available is the 'clincher' of course.
Personally, I am delighted to see Fords commitment with this new mode,l and I wish them well with the sales results - albeit we are talking small numbers.
In a sea of lookalike euro boxes bristling with tech we mostly don't need, this is a beacon of old fashioned petrolheaddom...if there can ever be such a terminology!