Cobra R, prototype, test mule, fox body, GT

Description

1991 Ford Mustang fox body prototype Cobra R test mule for SVT

Left the factory as a fully finished Ford GT, red, 5 spd (see Marti Report)

Never officially sold

Never registered

Never titled

Michigan bureau of vehicle records, Marti Report, NICB, InstaVin and Carfax have no records of ownership, registration, title, recall work, theft, total loss, or warranty service

Car was immediately put into service by the SVT for the purpose of high performance testing for as yet to be named Cobra R.

Predates 3 known Cobra R prototypes of 1992. Those 3 cars were complete and shown to dealers and the press in 1992. This car was a raw test mule used during 1991.

Car was painted metallic teal and stripped to a cobra R configuration. It appears that the car was completely stripped of rubber weather stripping and all other trim prior to teal paint to a level that that subsequent owners wouldn’t have gone to the trouble for. Under hood photo shows emissions sticker and other clips all replaced after teal paint was applied. This strongly indicates that paint was applied by Ford rather than private individuals. The color alone indicates car was being tested as cobra type of car rather than a police or pace car. Rear disc brakes (4 lug) also fitted by Ford.

The car was run for at least a year before the team pulled the motor for “autopsy” and at that point the car was to be destroyed.

The car then made it to North Carolina where Ford supplied a new motorsports engine and various other high-performance parts to a Mr Jeffrey Opal for “development purposes” in his “race program”. (See letter signed by L.H.Morse, Manager-Ford Performance Operations)

Ownership Timeline

1991 to 1992 Ford SVT Michigan

1993 to 1999 a NASCAR related racing program North Carolina

1999 to 2003 private owner #1 North Carolina

2003 to 2016 private owner #2 Maryland

2016 to present private owner #3 Arizona

I have had numerous conversations with private owners one and two. Both are retired from the auto industry. Notably private owner #1 worked with various NASCAR teams. Private owner #1 acquired the car from Mr Opal with the understanding that the car was supposed to have been destroyed rather than sold. None of private owners have made any notable alterations to the car other than the following:

Private Owner # 1 kept cobra wheels and racing seats. Added common front seats, metric wheels

Private Owner # 2 oil change and new battery

Private Owner # 3 removed metric wheels in favor of current wheels, oil change, new battery.

Alterations and modifications

Ford SVT

Removed rear seat, radio, cruise control, firewall VIN tag, buck tag, rear drum brakes

Added metallic teal paint, rear disc brakes, prototype cobra R body trim, bumpers and rear spoiler, GT 40 intake, block off plate for radio, lowered/altered suspension geometry, cobra wheels that were all one direction wheels as Ford had not yet made a right and left side wheel.

SVT kept door tag on original driver side door. No evidence of tag tampering or that the door has been changed. Under paint on front fender remains faint remnants of last digits of VIN confirming the authenticity of VIN/car. Door tag was masked prior to teal paint rather than being removed and reapplied.

“NASCAR related Race Program”

Removed ac, O2 sensor harness, cruise control, cobra R body side trim, air pump, other emission equipment

Added Ford Motorsports engine, intake, long tube headers, elec radiator fan, racing seats and harnesses, shift knob, custom cam, throttle body, custom calibrated mass air sensor, IAB solenoid dated 6-23-92, see photo.

Private Ownership

Use by last 3 owners was for projects that never materialized. The car was thought to have been worth more as a parts donor car than the historic car that it appears to be now. It was stored with very few miles put on it. Car shows 19k but speedo indicates approx 65mph at an actual 40mph, so actual mileage is considerably less. The car is tight and certainly drives like a low mile example of this era Mustang. Motor is sound. Doesn’t smoke or use oil. No leaks. Paint in decent shape. Damage to hood and cowl. Interior fair. No rear seat. Surface rust on under carriage from storage in garage next to Chesapeake bay, MD. No evidence of body repair. Glass is good. Black trim shows fading from AZ sun. Carpet shows sun fade also.

I’ll do what I can to answer any questions or add photos as needed.

No warranty, as is where is.

Buyer responsible for pick up or shipping of vehicle.

$500.00 deposit via pay pal required 48 hours after close of auction.

Balance due via bank wire transfer within 7 days. Transfer may take overnight to clear.

No money orders or cashiers checks.

Car has no title despite “clear” status above. No title was ever issued at any point in the history of the car.

On Jan-17-19 at 09:01:11 PST, seller added the following information:

There has been discussions about whether Ford possessed this car in 1991 and 1992. From conversations with credible previous owners and evidence that exists, the car fell into a private race program sometime in 1992 -1993. See photo of letter dated 6-23-1993. Before that time, changes had been made to the car (teal paint, rear disc brakes, various deletions) to configure it as a Cobra R. This car did not follow the pattern of the subsequent prototypes of 1992. I don’t believe the car was intended to be the show/magazine car.The Marti Report states the the car was sold in April 1991. All the other sources, most notably CarFax, indicate zero owners. The state of Michigan has no record of the car whatsoever, even though the dealer was located in Dearborn. This indicates that someone removed the car from the dealership without an ownership paper trail. The dealer may have notched it as a sale as that helps their numbers. Nonetheless, the only logical entity that could take the car in this way would be Ford itself. The previous owners I’ve talked to understood that the car was to be destroyed by Ford after testing. In the end, this is a car that slipped through the cracks. I believe it is the prototype to the prototypes, but by all means, draw your own conclusions and bid whatever you are comfortable with.
Other points that need to be addressed....
The car has not been crashed nor is it a crash test vehicle
This is not the same car that was the topic of conversation on Stangnet or any other fox body online group in recent years.