20 Years Later - This 2000 SVT Cobra R is Still Highly Desirable - And Available

20 Years Later - This 2000 SVT Cobra R is Still Highly Desirable - And Available
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I may be telling my age a bit here, but the first Mustang I really remember lusting for was the 2000 SVT Cobra R. I spent countless hours pouring over the pages of Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Road & Track, etc. just to absorb every tidbit of information possible about the beastliest of all Modern Mustangs. Friends and family just didn't understand. How could a Mustang with no radio or air conditioning cost over $50,000? We all now know the answer to that.

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This interior screams "I'm all about business".

The 2000 was the last Pony Car to carry the R designation for well over a decade. What it lacking in creature comforts it more than made up for in performance and attitude. SVT Cobra Rs typically came in a single color and configuration. For 2000 that meant red with a massive wing, stripped interior, and a drivetrain that gets any blue blooded Ford fan's heart pumping. Beneath the prodigiously bulging hood lived a unique 5.4L DOHC V8 backed up by a Tremec T-56 6-Speed manual transmission. At 385HP it delivered levels of performance its domestic competitors had no hope of matching.

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One of the defining features of the Cobra R is it's hulking 5.4L V8. Just look at that alternator pulley.

What the 2000 Cobra R bought to the table in guile and performance was only outpaced by its scarcity. Officially, only 300 examples were produced (we're not counting pre-production and test cars). Over the years quite a few have been modified and raced extensively. Another group were stored away still wrapped in shipping plastic as an investment or museum piece. Not many lived a life of daily driver duty. However, one that is somewhere between doesn't come up all that often.

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The styling may have been controversial, but the effects of the the R's wing were undeniable.

Recently, friend of the site and car dealer extraordinaire Morgan Eldridge of Naples Auto Collection let me know that he had a very special Ford gracing his showroom floor. It happened to be a extremely clean 2000 Cobra R with just enough miles on it to keep you from feeling guilty about taking it for a Sunday drive. At just over 4,200 miles on the odometer it appears that the previous owner actually got to enjoy the car a bit, which I consider a good thing. I don't have space for garage art to just hang around.

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This front-end just looks angry. That hood was a popular mod at the time for standard Cobras and Mustangs.

However, owning of the rarest and most uniquely badass modern Mustangs is a different story. Unfortunately for me, I don't have the reasonable asking price of ~$55,000 burning a hole in my pocket. But it you happen to have the scratch on hand, head over to Naples Auto's website to check out all the car's details and a ton more pics. I'm here to tell you that this car looks cherry. The Recaro seats look like they've barely been sat in, and the engine bay is clean enough to eat off of.

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This was the competition's standard view of the 2000 SVT Cobra R.
To me, this car is the best of all worlds. It's clean and rare enough to grab onlookers' attention, while still having been driven enough to keep everything performing properly. While I probably would end up turning it into a garage queen anyway, it's still nice to know that it could be driven a reasonable amount without fear of destroying its current value. Sounds fun to me. Nearly twenty years after her introduction, the 2000 SVT Cobra R still has a level of mystique that few cars can muster. If you're interested in picking one up check out the link to the listing from Naples Auto Collection below:

Naples Auto Collection - 2000 SVT Cobra R Mustang

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These cloth Recaro seats were a hot item back in the day. I have a tricked out leather set in my Lightning.

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The marked the first time a Ford Mustang came factory equipped with a 6-Speed Manual Transmission.

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It's a common misconception, but due to production costs all 2000 Cobra Rs came equipped with power windows. It would have been prohibitively expensive to produce them with manual cranks.

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I wouldn't ticking off a few more miles on this one.
-SID297
 
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Great article, Travis. As much grunt as the '03 Cobra had, this beast was all road business. Much rougher around the edges, meaning you felt the road all of the time. Literally. But man, as much as I loved my '03 Cobra, THIS would be my favored Mustang of all time second to the GT-350. I just love its rough beauty and adrenaline producing nature. A true race car built to drive on the street. I would imagine driving the 2000 'R' would truly make you feel "one with the road".
 
I do love these cars! Remember seeing one very shortly after the owner picked it up. I think he got it 2 days prior to the car show I was at. Still an amazing car.

Either who he is actually selling it. 12k miles for 45k. So yea he actually drove the thing lol
 
I threw it together quickly between projects. Point them out to me and I'll correct them. I just did a quick pass and found quite a few on my own.

I wasn't being an ass, sorry if I was short, I enjoyed the pictures and information you provided. Just needed a quick proof read, as I could tell it was put together quick and just didn't get a read before hitting post. Thanks for taking it well and sorry if I came across as an ass.
 
I wasn't being an ass, sorry if I was short, I enjoyed the pictures and information you provided. Just needed a quick proof read, as I could tell it was put together quick and just didn't get a read before hitting post. Thanks for taking it well and sorry if I came across as an ass.

NP
 
I still remember the joke in the magazines on how John Coletti somehow created the most efficient drive-train in history as many R's were consistently putting almost all that crank rated 385hp to the rear tires.
 
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Bad Ass Stang...a shame most were stored or just posed and never see the TRACK.

Even at 55K it is still good value for such a rare, track focused weapon.
 
I’m going to look at this car when I get down to our place in the Port Charlotte harbor area for my birthday later this month.


Pick your poison.
 

Is it possible to view the car over the weekend even if you don’t plan to buy it? (don’t get me wrong I’d love to buy it) I saw the website states only open to appointments on the weekend. It’s one of my favorite mustangs and I’ve always wanted to see one in person. Some of the cars in the background I’d also like to see if at all possible. I’m only there for the weekend, reason I ask.
Edit: Sorry Sid, I just realized you were the one that said it and not Morgan.

Pick your poison.
 

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