Phoenix, Arizona- Mustang versus Camaro, the decades-long battle, staple of car-magazine covers, source of countless beer-fueled arguments, has at last been decided by history. Chevrolet is pulling the Camaro from the fight, leaving the Mustang as the last car standing in the category it created. But, instead of looking like a punch-drunk boxer at the end of an epic match, the Mustang, particularly in top-spec Cobra trim, is stronger than ever. What better than a vanquished foe to put some wind in the sails? Well, there's a supercharger, for starters.
This summer, the 2003 version of the SVT Mustang Cobra arrives with the Mustang's first-ever factory-supercharged V-8. The blown engine's 390 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque buries the '01 Cobra's 320 horsepower and 317 pound-feet. (There was no '02 model.)
The Eaton blower--similar to the one used in the SVT F-150 Lightning--is the hero of this story, but this was not a simple bolt-on application. The supercharged Cobra reverts to an iron block, which was deemed necessary to handle the higher power output. Like the previous engine, it has a forged steel crankshaft, but the connecting rods and pistons are now also forged. The flywheel, conversely, switches from iron to aluminum for a sizable reduction in both weight and inertia.... Read full article