We’ve really become addicted to a show called The Appraiser, from one of the best trending car channels right now, Hagerty. It’s got awesome rare classics, an expert, and some insanely high prices. This week, it’s the duel of the Mustangs, as we’ve got a 1993 SVT Cobra Mustang stealing the show from a Shelby GT350 Hertz. Unbelievable!
The GT350H has been with collectors for over a decade. A good one is worth supercar money, so we were surprised an SVT Mustang Cobra can be worth 2/3 of its value. After watching this video with us, you might argue that it’s the perfect storm. However, we suspect this trend to continue, as the newer Mustang generations become the collectibles.
As Colin the appraiser puts it, a Fox-body is the best way to feel like you’re 18 again. And it’s amazing to think this Cobra came out almost 30 years ago. Feels more like 10. It made its debut at the 1992 Chicago Auto Show and was the spearhead of the newly formed SVT (Special Vehicle Team) performance division that gave us so many other performance icons,
So what makes this special? For starters, the engine. The block, crank, and pistons were from a regular Mustang GT. To this, SVT added GT-40 high flow cast iron cylinder heads with big combustion chambers. Intakes, valves, exhaust, cams – many parts were specific to the Cobra.
It’s not as rare as the Cobra R, but they still only made about 5,000 units (that year) of this thing. So having one in perfect condition is pretty cool, since all those parts are going to become rare and hard to find. Even the shocks are special.
What is a wrapper car?
One of the hallmarks of this YouTube show is the term “wrapper car,” and it clearly applies to the 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra. It’s done just 500 miles, has an immaculate interior and perfectly preserved paint. The dealer stickers are in on the window and the radio still hasn’t been turned on.
This darling of Dearborn still only managed to produce 235 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. Road & Track timed the Cobra at 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds and 14.5 seconds over the quarter-mile. It’s pretty rare to want a Mustang because it’s got rare parts rather than because it’s fast or can be easily modified. But they stopped making the Fox Mustangs in 1993, making this the best one you can buy and thus worth $90,000.
So what about that other car? Well, the GT350H was a special promotion between Carroll Shelby, Ford, and Hertz. In 1966, they made 1,001 of these GT350s as part of the “Rent-a-Racer” program. Ken Miles was winning races, and for just $17 a day (about $135 adjusted to inflation) you could sample some of that Shelby magic.
They were almost always black with gold Le Mans style stripes, Hertz’s brand colors. From what we understand, a very few of them were done in Sapphire Blue, Candyapple Red, Ivy Green, and even Wimbledon White. So while this particular GT350H is indeed supposed to be black, the paint it’s got on was indeed used for production. The wheels are correct, and while the tires aren’t, they do try to pay tribute to the original Goodyear Blue streak tires.
Like that K-code Mustang Convertible from last week, the GT350H has the most awesome Ford motor from back then. It’s the 289 CID Cobra V8 making 306 horsepower and 329 lb-ft. So that’s 27 horsepower more than the Fox, but we all know why that is.
Colin is super nitpicky with the Hertz to show his Shelby-appraising skills. In his eyes, the fact that it’s got an upgraded carburetor and a 4-speed manual swap is a bad thing. Even so, he values the car at about $150,000.