This Like-New 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra is a “Mystic” Unicorn
This time-warp Cobra, with just 800 miles, is as mind-bending as its color-changing factory paint.
There's sometimes great irony in a car's fate. Back in 1996, Ford blew our minds by mothballing the 5.0-liter V-8 and introducing the so-called "Modular" engine family, including the adrenaline injection device that nestled under the hood of the SVT Cobra: a DOHC 4.6-liter V-8 producing a thumping 305 hp. Peakier than its predecessors, the SVT Cobra begged contemporary testers — and, presumably, even strong-willed drivers — to wring it out.
Not this one. It may have tempted its owners, who did not submit. As an inanimate object, it couldn't have hoped to be exercised, although it's easy to anthropomorphize cars and imagine it to be so. Ever since this Cobra rolled off the line, its previous owners have managed to put just 769 miles on its odometer. That's less than the distance from Chicago to New York on the interstate — in one direction.
It's not really the Cobra's fault, is it? We know this model drives well. It's that old bugbear of fun cars: the promise of collectability. This SVT Cobra is one of a limited run of "Mystic" models wearing trick color-shifting paint. One of the most iconic looks of the 1990s, only 2,000 SVT Cobras (and a number of elite cars painted custom) got the treatment.
(photo credit: Hemmings)
