Vintage Road-Racing in a 2002 Mustang Cobra

The Smoking Tire‘s Matt Farah goes vintage racing on the cheap.

When people hear the term “vintage racing,” they tend to conjure up images of wealthy guys living life at speed in priceless race cars. As Matt Farah shows on this The Smoking Tire “One Take,” however, you can go vintage racing on a Spec Miata budget. Farah’s ride in this case is a championship-winning 2002 Ford Mustang Cobra, which the owner bought for the princely sum of $15,000 (or roughly a new Ford Fiesta). The car races with the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) and Matt takes a turn at the SVRA’s event at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

The Mustang raced in the GS class of Grand-Am Cup, which was the predecessor to today’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The car’s owner purchased it on CraigsList, but of course. If you dig around on eBay and RacingJunk.com, you can find cars of this performance caliber for similar money. The Cup/Challenge series features production-based cars, so this particular Cobra carries a dual-overhead-cam Modular V8. Built by Steeda from a body in white, the Mustang uses a 5.0-liter version of the stock Mod engine. To balance competition, the engine was restricted to about 450 horsepower, which was harnessed by a six-speed gearbox.

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Because it’s a Cobra, the Mustang also includes independent rear suspension. Six-piston Wilwood calipers and gigantic rotors work hard to slow the 3,200-pound road racer while Hoosier slicks give good grip. Naturally, the race engine features minimal exhaust restrictions so the 32-valver barks with real authority. Aside from the bizarre encroachment by course safety trucks, Farah enjoys the experience of building a street-based race car. The gearbox proves fantastic, and once the tires warm up, grip abounds.

The SVRA allows a variety of cars with racing provenance. Everything from classic pre-World War II cars to “retired” NASCAR chassis. One upcoming SVRA race at Road America will even be open to Spec Miatas, since the class has existed for decades now.