2004-2007 Mustang Cobras

V-10 for Cobra?I'm looking at buying an '06 or an '07 (depending on when it comes out) Mustang Cobra in the new body style. I've been informed that SVT doesn't plan to release the new Cobra until the '06 model year at the earliest. I'm willing to wait, but I have a couple of questions concerning the new car.

Do you think the first of the new body-style Cobras will be more collectible or valuable than the present-style Cobras? I plan to take good care of mine and not abuse it so I won't have to replace the engine, transmission, or rearend. If that means not driving the car hard, so be it.

What's your opinion on the possibility of SVT being able to place the new Triton V-10 engine in the new Cobra? I've heard stories about SVT placing test engines in current-model Mustangs to see how the engine fits and performs. From what I've read, the engine fits in the current body style and will be nothing like the current Triton V-10 truck engine. I also read that if SVT gets the new engine into the Cobra, it will become the most powerful Mustang ever produced. And that includes the Super Cobra Jet cars from the '60s.Alan A. FaberVia the Internet

I can neither confirm nor deny any information. Just kidding. But that's the usual jive we magazine types often get on new-car information before the model is released, especially on a car as significant as the next Cobra.

I've heard snippets, and I'll address your questions in order. It isn't a good idea to base hopes on any new car being an instant collectible. People do this all the time and often end up disappointed. Do you want a new Cobra? Then buy it and enjoy it. If you want a collectible Mustang, go with a vintage K-code, Boss, or Cobra Jet car instead. A '93 Cobra is something of a collectible now, but bear in mind that car is more than a full decade old. Sure, the new Cobra will be more "valuable," so to speak, than an SN-95 Cobra, but that's because it'll be a brand new car, not a collectible.

A new Triton V-10? You must have better moles than we do inside Ford. I can almost guarantee the new Cobra won't have a V-10. And if the "Boss 351" ultra-cool concept is what you're thinking of as the "new" V-10, forget that too. We featured the car in our June '04 issue ("Boss V-10," page 64) and its V-10 is a totally one-off engine with the same deck height as a 4.6 and four-valve cylinder heads based on '00 Cobra R castings. Sure, that engine would be awesome in the new Cobra, but my guess is that the chances of this 5.8L (351 ci) V-10 seeing a production line are slim to none. Long story short? The new Cobra will have a V-8 engine, not a V-10.

But there's nothing wrong with that. The '03-'04 Cobras are already by far the fastest and most powerful Mustangs ever made. Sorry, all you vintage guys-there isn't a stock Boss, Cobra Jet, or Super Cobra Jet Mustang made that can hang with a factory-supercharged '03-'04 Cobra.

It's likely the new Cobra will be even more spectacular than the '03-'04s in every way, from a technological standpoint at least. And a supercharged V-8 will probably be the configuration used to achieve that objective.

Send your '79-'04 Mustang questions to: Late-Model Corral, 3816 Industry Blvd., Lakeland, FL 33811. E-mail to mustang.monthly@primedia.com with "Late-Model Corral" in the subject line. Please be sure to include your name, city, and state in all letters and e-mails.