JDM Export 1997 Ford Mustang Cobra

JDM Mustang has returned home after some time in the Land of the Rising Sun.

When you’re talking about an All-American car like the Mustang, it’s easy to forget that the car has been exported to other countries at various times. Obviously, different markets have different laws and requirements, so the equipment may change slightly.

These minor differences can be fascinating. Back in the mid-’90s, Ford actually exported Mustang SVT Cobras to Japan. Canada is a major market for used Japanese cars, and that’s where we found this one, on Kijiji.

This JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) model features a few interesting differences that would separate it from a U.S. or Canadian export model. The most obvious difference, of course, is the warning labels and information tags, all of which are in Japanese on this model.

Of further interest is the fact that this Cobra is still left-hand drive. Japanese cars are usually right-hand drive. When SVT built a handful of Cobras for export to Australia in 2002, all of those were right-hand drive. Japan’s import laws are a bit more lax.

Incidentally, Canadian export Cobras had bilingual English and French warning labels, with supplementary maple leaf-themed tags inside the doors, in addition to the ones we’re used to. That’s what we would have seen on an original Canadian-delivered Cobra.

Different nations have different laws outlining the various lighting requirements for vehicles sold there. You’ll notice that this Cobra features additional side markers underneath the Cobra badges on the front fenders.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Mustang Import

The other big difference in lighting is the rare and desirable export taillights, which feature amber lower lenses in each lighting segment. Very rare and highly sought-after, it’s a subtle difference. Instead of looking compromised, the amber sections match the clear reverse light lens, and tie the overall design of the taillight better. No wonder they’re in such high demand.

Another unusual difference is the small fender flares hugging each wheel arch. This seems kind of unusual, especially considering that the tires on the Cobra are actually 10 mm narrower than the GT. If you’ve ever been behind an SN95, the bulbous rear end makes the car look slightly under-footed. We lovingly refer to it here as the car’s “muffin top.” There’s plenty of space in there, so the flares are unnecessary. A good excuse to fit some fatter tires on this car, though!

One last small difference is the license plate mounting brackets. While Japanese plates are close in size to U.S. plates, the bolt hole spacing is different. If you look closely, you can see the unusual rear plate “piggyback” bracket on the trunk.

It’s amazing to imagine this beast bombing around on backroads in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. It’s even more fun to imagine it in our garage.

Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.
When he's not busy working on his Harley-Davidson bike, the vastly experienced writer has covered an array of features, reviews, how-tos, op-eds and news stories for Internet Brands' Auto Group and is also a co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast Cammed & Tubbed.

Check him out on Instagram at: Camvanderhorst.

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