Ok, no matter what we're smokin', these cars are not intended for the same purposes. Comparing them is really an exercize in futility.

Cobra R- The car I'd most like to drive at Laguna Seca. Will kick Viper and Z06 *** on a road course. Absolutely kills the Viper at road racing.

Viper- Car I'd most like to use for big, smoking burnouts, impressing people and drag racing. Awesome drag racer.

Z06, The fastest car I would ever consider as actual transportation. In other words, this is a fully functional vehicle and also the best all around sports car in the world, Period.

 

Sorry, I nearly certain the Z06 and viper would slay the weakling Mustang...

 

Yeah the cobraR might be one bada$$ mustang, but its a mustang. To me the word mustang is not in the same class as the viper or vette. Ford needs to make a two seater sports car like the viper and vette to compete. And if anybody says the new thunderbird, I swear to god I will come threw this internet connection and bitch slap you. J/K.

------------------

She has allot of toys on her.
MAY BABIES STAT'S
Built 5/4/99
# 917 of 4000
Best ET. 13.42 at 100.98
best stock 13.96 at ?
2001 ET: 12.???
When the green light drops, the bullsh*t stops.

 

LOL, the world certainly does look different through blue tinted glasses, eh mr racer?

 

didn't motor trend test all these cars in a comparison and on the 1 mile track I am quite sure the cobra r beat both the aformentioned vehicles... I will double check my sources in a few hours just to verify...

------------------
1998 F150 Nascar Edition
RC, 4.6L, 3.73
Performance Mods ... Superchip, Flowmaster SI/DO Lightning Exhaust
Other Mods ... Sony Explode Reciever and 12 Disc Changer

 

I got the chance to rent a Viper GTS last week when I was in Vegas. www.dreamcarrentals.com I will admit it's an awesome car, but it's VERY cramped (I'm 5'8" 180lbs). It's like sitting in a two door Ford Escort. The performance unbelievable but it's definitely not intended to everyday driving. For the money I would go with the Lightning or Z06.


------------------
1999 F250 LD S/C XLT 4x4
5.4L, 3.73, 4R100 trans.
Flowmaster 40 "DF" series, K&N, Superchip, WMS Velocity Tube, Rancho RSX shocks, Hellwig rear swaybar, Stull billet grille, 2-PIAA Pro80XT's (120W), 2-KC Daylighters (150W), Clear Side Lens Mod w/ 9006 (55W bulbs). 265/70 R17 BFG AT KO's on 17x8 American Racing Atlas rims
Kenwood 7007 CD, Alpine 3342 Signal Processor, Alpine MRV-F353 5Ch. Amp, Pioneer TS-A6865 3-way speakers, MTX Thunderforms. CompuStar alarm/autostart. On the way: Performance Accessories 3" body lift, 33/12.5/17 ProComps, GSP grille guard and more KC's

 

I'm not doubting the two didn't beat the R, but hey I can make a escort smoke a viper with enough money. Its the class of cars, ford doesn't have a real two seater sports car. The mustangs are for the F bodies. not american supercars.

 

All three tested in this months (Feb 2001)Car & Driver.
The Cobra R finished last,

Rex


The Viper in the C&D test was an ACR version,
Anyway the vette stickered at 48K the CobraR stickered at 56K and the Viper was over 80K
Someone else posted the Road Course results where the Cobra R was the slowest of the 3.
In the 1/4 the R tied the vette at 13 flat, but a couple mph slower. The Viper trounced both of them. The only place the Cobra won was a couple of "top gear roll ons"

Overall they picked the Vette Z06 the best by 1 subjective point over the Viper, however the Cobra R was beaten soundly by both.

Don't get me wrong, would love a Cobra R, but if one is looking for the best performance for the buck in a STREET car, ie AC/Radio and etc, hard to beat the Z06. C&D said the Cobra R had a great engine and brakes, looking for a better chassis.


Rex

[This message has been edited by pvteye (edited 01-19-2001).]

 

Are we talking "class of vehicles" as far as prestige or what? I've seen the fit and finish (cough, cough...if that's what you call it) of a Viper. They are getting better, but please...I'd hope for better in an $80k vehicle. The C5 Vette is superior as far as fit and finish goes. An SN95 Mustang Cobra is also better.

I'm not saying a '94+ Cobra is faster or is a better car than a Viper, so don't go ballistic on me. But, if you're talking about more than raw, gut-wrenching, performance (and we are if we're talking daily-driver) then it takes more than a 488 cube engine and a good driveline and some fiberglass body panels.

Not dissing the car...its an outstanding vehicle, for its intended purpose. And so is the '00 Cobra R...which did beat the Z06 and Viper around the road course. The Viper still wins the acceleration test and the Z06 would also be my choice for a 2-seat daily driver of the 3.

But, calling the Cobra R "weak" shows complete ignorance on the subject. Also, it _should_ be considered a 2-seat sports car. That's the reason it was built...no backseat, no stereo, no sound-deadening. It's a "purpose-built" car and is probably the most raw of the 3 (and the one you'd least likely want to drive on the way to work).

If Ford would slap this engine in a REAL production Mustang, it would be awesome. I doubt they'll do it b/c the ordinary Mustangs were not built to compete with Vipers or Vettes, but the F-body which is dead after '02. But, if you don't think the Cobra R is a very capable car for what it was built for....

------------------
'96 Cobra for sale...ONLY 29k miles!

Wes Tarbox
90 LX 5.0 (10.69 @ 134.7)--597rwhp/590rwtq
96 Cobra (12.34 @ 115.8)--392rwhp/433rwtq
99 Lightning (13.20 @ 103.8)--364rwhp/447rwtq
00 Expedition XLT 5.4
http://members.aol.com/Wa2fst/index.html

 

I can't believe how much the Cobra R gets put down, I think it is one bad *** car, and I give Ford a lot of credit for producing a true street legal race car available to buy off the showroom floor. If I had the money I would take it over the other two just for the exclusivity of it. If I had the money to buy a Cobra R I would already have a daily driver.

 

My daily driver is a 1999 Viper GTS with smooth tubes and K&N filter. My alternate is a 2000 Lightning. I've driven vettes, stangs, and porsches ( including a Turbo S). The Viper is more fun and bang for the buck than anything else. It is a totally reliable vehicle. I do not find it cramped and I am 5'9" and 200lbs. One of the comparison pieces used an RT-10 convertible instead of the GTS. This was inappropriate. The GTS shouild have been used. Some of the stats in the other story that did use a GTS would have been much better if the tester knew how to drive the vehicle. The Viper is a torque monster that handles like a go cart. It takes about two or three months to learn how to drive it properly at speed. Quarter mile times of between 11.8 and 12.1 seconds are common with stock GTS's. As for the road course issue, just look who won Daytona 24, Sebring, etc. The Vipers that won were far more stock than the vettes they beat. As for the lightning, except for the incredibly annoying noises that emminate from the front of the vehicle every time I want to turn in a tight radius, the vehicle is great! Even the wife loves it.( No one drives the Viper but me and the Viper tech.)

 

August 2000 motor trend!!! Road course lap times.
Cobra R 1:17.98(lap time) 69.2(avg spd)
Z06 1:19.59 67.8
RT/10 1:21:40 66.4

Any questions???

------------------
1998 F150 Nascar Edition
RC, 4.6L, 3.73
Performance Mods ... Superchip, Flowmaster SI/DO Lightning Exhaust
Other Mods ... Sony Explode Reciever and 12 Disc Changer

 

There we are. Nuff said!

 

You forgot to mention, the testers thought the Mudstain would have been killed if the others were wearing equal tires. And they have radios and air-Conditioning.

For 55K+ the Mudstain Cobbled R is weak...

Face it the stang is out classed.

 

In the little car group im in at school they all trash the R and think that the Z06 is the ----, just because the Z06 can beat the R in the 1/4 mile. I have to remind them that the R is built for road raceing, while the Z06 was built to be a bad --- street car. Which it does well might I add. The R can beat the Z06 on the road course, and the Z06 can beat the R down the 1/4 mile. But I always leave the argument: Which one looks better? R!

The Viper is a whole differant story in my book.

------------------
Thomas 'Lightning Boy' Shelton
SVTPerformance.com
BOARD MODERATOR:
-Dynos, Time slips, and best ETs
-Nitrous/Forced Induction

[This message has been edited by Lightning Boy (edited 01-18-2001).]