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The Iconic Cobra name has returned to New Zealand and Australian motoring, with Ford Performance Vehicles unveiling its new special edition GT Cobra sedan and Cobra ute.
Ford's go-fast arm showed off the Cobra range in a lap of the Mount Panorama circuit before last Sunday's Bathurst 1000 and the 1-2-3 win for the Blue Oval. Production will be limited to 400 sedans and 100 utes.
Thirty years ago, the Ford Falcon XC Hardtop staged the now famous 1-2 victory in the 1977 Bathurst 1000 race, which led to the appearance of the limited-edition Cobra XC Hardtop the following year.
The new range features the same blue racing stripes and coiled snake emblem that Cobra is famous for and is powered by FPV's Boss 5.4-litre quad-cam V8 engine, which produces 302kW (405bhp) and 540Nm of torque.
For trainspotters, 302 was the capacity in cubic inches of Ford's small-block V8 engine and is also exactly double the 151kW output of the 1978 Cobra's 4.9-litre V8 engine.
The GT Cobra has a limited slip differential and is available with either a close ratio six-speed manual transmission or the ZF six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.
FPV's R Spec handling package is fitted as standard to the GT Cobra. The white exterior features blue striping across the bonnet, roof and rear deck lid, and is completed by the Cobra badge on each front bumper and the rear deck lid. The GT Cobra also gets exclusive R Spec badging.
Both variants are fitted with leather seats as standard, with each seat carrying the coiled Cobra snake logo.
The Cobra's Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 245/35ZR tyres are fitted to special 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with white accents and a machined face finish.
FPV programme manager Paul Cook said the objective of the revised Boss engine specification was to increase the peak power and torque in the mid to upper engine speed range, without affecting vehicle exhaust emissions and urban fuel economy.
"Several changes have resulted in the increased performance, including improvements to the volumetric efficiency of the engine above 3750 rpm," said Cook.
"This has been achieved by a new inlet and exhaust camshaft profile to increase inlet valve lift and duration, with changes to the valve and valve spring to accommodate the increased valve lift.
"The compression ratio has been increased from 10.5:1 to 10.8:1, which has improved combustion efficiency through the scavenging of combustion gas."
The engine calibration has been revised to optimise the engine operating conditions with the new components, while improvements have also been made to improve accelerator response. The GT Cobra has been optimised to run on 98 octane.
