1996 Ford Mustang Cobra Coupe

Vehicle Description

1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra – 65 Original Miles – Black/Saddle – Preservation-Grade Example. There are low-mile collector cars, and then there are automobiles that somehow escaped being used altogether. This extraordinary 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra has traveled just 65 original miles from new. Recently acquired as part of an exceptional private collection of ultra-low-mile automobiles, this Cobra represents something nearly impossible to duplicate today: an essentially unused, remarkably preserved example of one of the most important SVT Mustangs of the 1990s. Finished in Black over Saddle leather, the combination is absolutely striking and beautifully suited to the SN95 Cobra. Production records indicate that only 725 1996 Cobra coupes were produced in the Black/Saddle leather combination. The significance of the 1996 Cobra goes well beyond its appearance. This was the year Ford SVT replaced the previous Cobra's pushrod 5.0-liter V8 with the sophisticated 4.6-liter DOHC 32-valve V8, producing 305 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque and paired exclusively with a 5-speed manual transmission. It represented an entirely new era of Mustang performance and became the foundation for many of Ford's highest-performance Mustangs that followed. With only 65 miles, however, this particular Cobra is less about what it could do and more about what has survived. The car remains extraordinarily original and untouched throughout. The Black paint retains beautiful depth and gloss and has not been professionally detailed, compounded or paint-corrected for sale. In fact, our preparation of the exterior consisted simply of washing the car and blowing it dry. There are some extremely minor marks consistent with nearly 30 years of storage and having a car cover placed on and removed over the years, but we have deliberately resisted the temptation to cosmetically over-prepare such an original automobile. The Saddle leather interior is remarkable. The driver's seat, bolsters, steering wheel, shifter, carpeting, console, door panels and controls display virtually none of the wear normally associated with a three-decade-old Mustang. The original factory audio equipment remains in place, including the premium Mach 460 sound system and remote compact disc player included with the Preferred Equipment Package. Even some of the original period materials remain with the car. Under the hood may be where this Cobra tells its story best. Nothing has been dressed, shined or cosmetically restored. The engine compartment has not been detailed for photographs. What you see is the natural appearance and aging of an exceptionally preserved, approximately 30-year-old automobile with only 65 miles. Factory finishes, components, labels, hardware and the original appearance remain exactly the sort of things serious preservation-minded collectors look for. The underside is equally revealing. Rather than being blasted, painted or cosmetically restored, it remains honest and original, retaining factory finishes, markings and identification pieces throughout. There is minor natural age-related oxidation on some bare-metal components and hardware—as there should be after nearly three decades—but remarkably little evidence of actual road use. Perhaps one of the most compelling pieces of this Cobra's preservation is that it remains on its original BFGoodrich Comp T/A tires. They are an important part of the car's originality and history and will remain with the vehicle. Due to their age and long-term storage, however, they should be considered preservation/display tires and replaced before meaningful road use. After its years in collection storage, we carefully recommissioned the Cobra rather than restoring it. The fuel system was serviced and a new fuel pump installed, the engine oil and transmission fluid were changed, the fluids were serviced, and a new battery was installed. The 4.6-liter DOHC V8 starts and runs beautifully, the 5-speed transmission operates properly, and even the air conditioning blows ice cold. We intentionally stopped there. No engine dressing. No undercarriage refinishing. No paint correction. No attempt to erase 30 years of natural aging from a car whose originality is precisely what makes it special. For perspective, Ford produced thousands of SVT Cobras for 1996. Finding one today isn't particularly difficult. Finding a nice one isn't impossible either. Finding one with 65 original miles is something else entirely. This is not a restored 1996 Cobra. It isn't a high-mile car cosmetically prepared to look young, and it hasn't been modified and subsequently returned to stock. It is a 65-mile Cobra that has simply been allowed to remain a 65-mile Cobra. For the collector who values originality, preservation and the increasingly rare opportunity to see exactly what an important SVT Mustang looked and felt like before decades of use changed it, this is an exceptional automobile. For more info contact Kevin at Mashburn Motors.