Fast Panther: 2004 Mercury Marauder

Some cars have a cool back story and others are just plain cool.  I'm not sure what is the backstory behind Mercury's Marauder, but it was a bit more than just a hot rod version of the Mercury Grand Marquis, which was really just a fancified version of the Ford Crown Victoria. Regardless, somehow, some product planner at Mercury in the early 2000s Mercury's managed to convince the normally shortsighted bean counters at Mercury to let them shove the 302 horsepower Ford Mustang Mach 1 DOHC 4-valve engine into the full-sized Panther platform sedan and the rest is tire burning hot rod history.  Find this 2004 Mercury Marauder offered for $6500 with those 22" blingy wheels and, mercifully, $5000 with stock 17" steelies located in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Get 'Em While They're Cheap: 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

Production of Ford's wicked SVT Cobra started in 1993 when the boxy Fox body was still the chassis of choice, but those 1993 models are bloody expensive given their relative rarity and the fanboy entourage surrounding the Fox platform.  However, in 1994 Ford released the SN-95 Mustang SVT Cobra, which was faster and better in almost every category except boxyness, and those are still quite cheap these days.  Find this 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra here on eBay offered for $4,800 buy-it-now located in Fontucky, CA.

Coyote Powered American Iron: 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra

If I know anything about anything it's that road race prepared late model Mustangs are REALLY hot right now.  Insanely hot.  And if you can get an eye-watering $65,000 for an '88 Fox body, I can ONLY imagine what a properly sorted SN-95 Cobra built for American Iron racing series could be worth.  I dunno, a BILLION dollars?  Get yours before they all become unaffordable. Find this 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra here on eBay offered for $16,000 buy-it-now or make-offer.

192MPH & $62k Invested: 1998 Ford Mustang Cobra Racer

The Silver State Classic Challenge is a nutty twice-a-year event where roads are closed and people drive highly modified vehicles at highly modified speeds.  The event website says anyone can race, all you need is a car that can average 95mph or greater...but the truth is that you'll want something that can go at least 190mph and full safety equipment to have a good time.  Like this 1998 Ford Mustang Cobra Racer here on eBay offered for $12,000 buy-it-now located in Sacramento, CA.

Fastest Under $20k: 1965 Factory Five Shelby Cobra Challenge Car

We've always said that you can get an awesome car without spending huge piles of your 401k (which is shedding cash at an alarming rate if you've been following the news recently) and set an arbitrary DT self imposed limit of $20k.  Sure, you could get a well equipped brand new Honda economy car...or you could get one of the most iconic automotive shapes in history with performance that'll match just about anything sub $100k.  Find this 1965 Factory Five Shelby Cobra Challenge Car offered for $19,999 in Long Beach, CA via craigslist. Tip from Erik202.

Mod Max: 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II

The Ford Mustang II doesn't get much respect in the car world, even the Cobra version is a scoffed at by Camero owners and Vespa driver's too...but...and this is a BIG BUT...if you do it right, the end result might be cool enough to embarrass your kids at the school drop off line and attract the right kind of yoga pant wearing mom...if you are into that kinda thing. Don't worry about license plates because this thing will never pass Cali smog with the current engine setup, so just be prepared to run checkpoints like you are the night rider. Find this 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II offered for $6,500 in Camarillo, CA via craigslist.

No Caboodle: Superformance 1967 Cobra Kit

Why pay retail?  Cut out the middleman and pay pennies on the dollar! Seems like everyone is on the lookout for a deal in this new normal of 2% growth.  So, why would you pay millions for a Cobra when you can build one yourself for peanuts? Of course, some adult assembly is required, but what could possibly go wrong?  Find this Superformance 1967 Cobra Kit for sale somewhere in Oregon for $5,000 via craigslist.

Cobra Swapped: 2004 Ford Mustang GT

The fourth generation Mustang (code name SN95) was sold from 1994 through 2004 in two body styles, the early round and later "new edge".  The early cars look funky and completely out of place in the Mustang world (maybe not as out of place as the Mustang II) but the 1999 restyle added some much needed tang to the Mustang style.  Find this 2004 Ford Mustang GT offered here on eBay for $6,950 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Fontana, CA with 1 day to go.

Cobruar or Jagobra: 1965 AC Cobra Replica V12

I always chuckle when I think about how Carroll Shelby spent much of his time suing companies who built Shelby Cobra replica cars when it was AC Cars gorgeous Ace that is being plagiarized by every Tom, Dick, & Harry with the space to make a few welded frame chassis and fiberglass molds. The AC Ace was a British built speed machine, so it only makes sense that you'd build a replica with a properly British Jaguar V12.  Find this 1965 AC Cobra Replica V12 offered for $6,000 in Camarillo, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean S.

Auction Watch: 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra Convertible

Find this 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra Convertible here on eBay bidding for $4,000 with a few hours to go, located in Santee, CA.

Mercstang or Mustedes:1973 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL

Some things are just not done. Considered taboo, blasphemy or bad form, they just break traditionally long held beliefs. If you are not a traditionalist and constrained by old notions all bets are off. Throw off the yoke of convention and watch the old guard yell and scream. Take this to a German car show and you will be politely and efficiently asked to leave; to a Ford Mustang meet up maybe they will let you stay hood up. Find this 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL/Mustang Cobra engine swapped beast on Craigslist in Indianapolis, Indiana with an asking price of $4,500.00 cash preferred. 

Seller Submission: 1986 Ford Mustang SVO

 Ford introduced the SVO version of their Fox body Mustang as sporty alternative to the average pony car, and it did have Koni adjustable shocks, sporty seats, a lightweight turbocharged engine, and 5-speed gearbox...but, it still used the conventional stick-beam live axle out back...but not this one.  Find this 1986 Ford Mustang SVO with Cobra IRS offered for $6,500 in Hood River, OR via craigslist.  Seller submission from KC.

Carroll Shelby Tribute and Car Show 2016

This past weekend of was the 4th Annual Carroll Shelby Tribute and Car Show located at the Shelby International building in Gardena, CA.  If you like Shelby cars, this is a must see event featuring a cornucopia of Shelby Mustangs, Shelby Cobras, Ford GT40s, and even a few Shelby Dodges from the 80s.  As always the event featured a 1PM rev for Carroll (you can hear it on our video below), but this year a Spirit of Competition panel was on stage to discuss Adam Carolla's to-be-released documentary "The 24 Hour War".

Auction Watch: 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 519HP Monster

Take a look at this 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 519HP Monster here on eBay bidding for $9,950 with auction ending on Sunday.

AC Cobra Lookalike: 1956 MG MGA

Back in the day, before the Cobra kit car industry (led by the likes of Factory Five, All Pro Cars, BackDraft Racing -- read a huge list on kitcarlist.com here) flooded the market with AC Ace lookalikes, if you wanted to drive a Cobra, you either had to drop some serious coin on a real one or do some creative bodywork on an MGA....like this 1956 MG MGA faux-bra offered for $5,000 in Santa Margarita, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean.

Cheap Snake: 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II

Ford introduced the Dick Nesbitt designed Mustang II on the subcompact Pinto platform for the 1974 model year and it was a smash hit.  The little rack-and-pinion (a first on a Stang) steered machine sold 385,000 units in its first year of production, which was almost as much as the original '65 Mustang and approx 3 times as many as the outgoing '73 Mustang.  Oddly enough, the Mustang II has almost disappeared from the road and is the butt of jokes/ridicule today...which means that the hot Cobra version costs about as much as a crusher-ready coupe from the previous decade.  Save your money for the honeys...or something.  Find this 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra offered for $4,988 near Spokane, WA via craigslist.  Tip from Gianni.

5k: KITT Meets Cobra: 1963 Triumph TR4 V8

Carroll Shelby may have passed on to the great junkyard in the sky, but that doesn't stop anyone from emulating his winning formula of shoving a domestic V8 in a British sportscar. Even Triumph owners are getting into the action, but this TR4 mixes Shelbyism with a vintage David Hasselhoff vibe. Say what?  Just keep reading. Find this 1963 Triumph TR4 V8 here on eBay currently bidding for $2225 reserve-not-met with 3 days to go, located in Silverdale, WA.

FoMoCollection: A Few '70 Ford Mustang Mach1s, A 61 Falcon & 69 Torino

One of my favorite pastimes is checking out the junk in the background of craigslist listings. Most of the time you can find piles of old metal, sometimes using Kaibeezy's photoshop tips to enhance the images.  The other day, a few tips for some '70 Mustang Fastback Mach 1s came in from BigEgyptian, I immediately became obsessed with the additional cars in the background, which were also for sale.  Let's go through this treasure trove of FordMoCo classics one at a time.  All tips from BigEgyptian, all cars located in Southern Vermont.