Hutting's face can barely contain his grin as he presses a button on the key fob. The clamshell hood opens to reveal another surprise: the first Cobra powered by a V-10 engine. It would've been easy to stuff in a V-8 that paid homage to those great 289s and 427s of Cobras past, but the use of this 6.4-liter V-10 is yet another sign that this concept is not a straight retro piece.
"You've seen [the DOHC V-10] before, in last year's 427 concept and in a Mustang test mule [MT September 2003]. Now we decided to build a real one," says Mays, giving full credit to Ford Powertrain and the V-10's project leader, Kevin Byrd. It's an all-aluminum extension of Ford's modular V-8 engine family, although it shares nothing except cylinder count and V-angle with the 6.8-liter, SOHC Triton truck engine. This one displaces 390 ci and is rated at 605 hp at 6,750 rpm. Wanna talk torque? The V-10 yanks out 501 lb-ft at 5,500 revs.
Just how reliable are these numbers? "We're not really sure," Hutting quietly admits. "The dyno it was being tested on reads to 600 hp. The engine guys pegged it. And the car does great burnouts." The 90-degree powerplant is an odd-fire design, yet requires no balance shaft or offset crank pins to even out second order vibrations. Its 10 individual aluminum intake trumpets are things of beauty, if a bit of a compromise in terms of intake velocity. This particular engine was handbuilt, but represents the third indication (that we know of) that Ford is serious about a big-inch V-10 for performance applications. It's sure worked for Dodge.
Even though the Cobra is a front-engine roadster, it employs a rear-mounted transaxle; as noted, it, and all the suspension bits, are GT production parts. The upper and lower wishbones wear GT part numbers, and the huge, vented Brembo disc brakes should do the job. Only the spring rates have been adjusted to compensate for the front-midship chassis layout and differing weight distribution.
The cockpit is elemental, but comfortable. The seats and steering wheel are leather-trimmed, but the rest of the interior is a study in businesslike brushed aluminum. Those handsome rollover hoops are removable and beneath them lies structure tied into the chassis for maximum rigidity. The gauges aren't as convincing, however. Their look is elegant, but they're small, not so easy to read, and if this is a no-compromise performance car, why isn't there a big, fat tach smack in the middle of the instrument panel? Nav system, cupholders, heated and cooled seats? Nope. Windows, top, even a radio? Wrong car, pal.
What does Shelby think? "I love it. It's right. I've waited 40 years for this, and Ford made it happen. It would have to go through the development process to become a production car, of course, but it's a Cobra. What say we take it out to one ah' them drifting contests this Saturday afternoon?"
Will Ford build it? That's a complex question, but "yes" is a feasible answer, and there are several overriding factors to support this notion. The potential demand is obvious, as demonstrated by the dozens of companies that have built replica Cobras. Considerable buzz still surrounds the car, as well as the Shelby name, more than 35 years after original Cobra production ceased. The new Ford GT was a from-scratch proposition, yet it got the green light.
It's indeed that car that's made this Cobra possible. It lent so much componentry to the project, but more important, the GT's conception and development story helped Ford show everyone-including itself-that it can do this kind of thing. These teams can repeat the process; in fact, it would be easier the second time around, since a lot has been learned, and so much of the chassis, suspension, and transaxle development work has already been done (and paid for).
There's one final reason Ford should-no, must-give us the Cobra: to put the final, iconic punctuation mark on Carroll Shelby's extraordinary life, with a car that's worthy of the name.
Matt Stone is the Executive Editor of Motor Trend magazine, and his work can be seen monthly in that publication. Also check www.motortrend.com