The 3.8-liter pushrod V-6 with “split-port induction” received new cylinder heads, a freer-breathing intake manifold with two runners for each cylinder, high-tech piston coatings that reduced friction, and new aluminum main and thrust bearings. Improvements were no less extensive for the GT’s 4.6-liter single-cam V-8: bigger valves, reshaped combustion chambers, a new higher-lift longer-duration camshaft, straighter manifold runners for better airflow, and improved crankshaft, conrod, and thrust bearings. A new intake manifold sported large, curved “air trumpets,” exhaust ports were enlarged, and there were tubular headers connected to X-pipes ahead of Borla mufflers and twin side-exit exhausts. Sure enough, a manufacturing glitch had left Cobra intake runners and some exhaust components with internal aluminum residue or “flash” that upset air flow and kept more than 30 horses from showing up. Along with an aluminum differential housing (from the late Lincoln Mark VIII coupe) that had Cobra-specific halfshafts. Heavy-duty halfshafts were specified, along with jumbo Brembo disc brakes clamped by four-piston calipers. Though Ford initially claimed slightly improved rigidity, Pund quoted Giltinan as saying this was virtually unchanged. Road & Track pronounced the fortified V-6 “a respectable performer. It’s not as quick or smooth as the GT, but it’s no slouch.” AutoWeek’s Daniel Pund agreed and applauded all models for a more solid driving feel.
As in prior years, the ’99 SVT Cobras bowed a few months after mainstream models and shared most all their improvements, with ABS and traction control standard. Mustang fans were happy to greet the ’99 Mustang SVT Cobra a few months after the rest of the Mustang lineup debuted. The Mustang team was anxious to recover lost ground and keep fans satisfied with the 2000 lineup. Our team member reported back, “It felt like the wind was going to pick me off the ground and the umbrella survived that! True, there are premium plans that cost 10-15% of the trip cost, but they usually include the expensive upgrades like Cancel For Any Reason insurance coverage. For materials that nap, like velvet and wool, keep a little distance between the garment and the steamer. There was little celebrating in the sales office, however, as model-year volume dropped by nearly a fourth to 133,637 units.
The zipper placement of the main compartment is a little awkward. Amazon has them for $44 and their customers gave it 4.5/5 stars and left excellent reviews for it. Except for styling, which drew mixed reviews, the press gave a hearty thumbs-up to the ’99 Mustangs. That meant the IRS could be installed on the regular Mustang assembly line — and on regular Mustangs post-purchase, though it’s doubtful that happened very often. In a triumph of inventiveness, SVT designed the IRS as a straight bolt-in replacement for the regular solid-axle suspension; all it took was adding two holes with “weld nuts” to the SN95 structure. As the SVT website advised at the time, fixing the ’99s had top priority. But all was not right with the SVT Cobra — performance numbers didn’t match up with what owners and reviewers expected. While the SVT was on hold for 2000, the 2000 Mustang Cobra R was unveiled as a racing-oriented speed machine. SVT treated the twincam 4.6 V-8 to new “tumble-port” cylinder heads and other revisions that extracted an extra 15 horsepower for 320 total, the same as a top-option Chevy Camaro/Pontiac Firebird.
New pad material and a larger master cylinder provided more positive braking feel with less pedal effort. Ford also charged nothing to replace mufflers (found to be too restrictive), recalibrate the engine computer, and substitute a more durable accessory-belt tensioner. Price hikes for the 2000 Ford Mustang were quite modest, just $50 to $150. Though Cobra owners didn’t seem to mind the recall or its inconvenience, the episode was a black eye for Ford and SVT, enough that they decided not to do a 2000 Cobra. Cobra sales were also down but not mortally wounded by the AWOL-horsepower flap, and Cobra convertibles outsold coupes for the first time (4055 vs. Some alarm clocks only tell the time and have an alarm. Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights). You can ask for advice, read reviews of specific packages, or even find tips on negotiating better deals.
