Quarter Mile Performance’s Rob Raymer Taps the Potential of the ’03 Cobra.

It is no secret to Ford fans everywhere that the highly publicized and highly sought after 2003 Cobra is the new factory King of the Streets. With 390 HP on tap from the factory, and a sticker under $40k, the Cobra is not only the most bang for your buck in terms of brute power, but an affordable platform for a killer street/strip car. With a new cast Iron 6 bolt main block, Manley rods, and forged pistons the Cobra is ready for whatever you may throw at it. At no point in memorable history has any factory car offered this stout of a foundation for the performance enthusiast.

There have been many out there that have been quick to develop parts for this emerging market and many more will come. Locally based I found a friend whose shop is doing just that. Their past commitments to quality and stellar performance lead me to thoroughly investigate Quarter Mile Performance’s offerings for the new ’03 Cobra. What I found was that owner Rob Raymer had been busily building one of the most amazing strictly bolt on cars I’ve ever seen.

From the factory this is the most powerful Mustang ever released. To really appreciate the performance of QMP’s Cobra or any ’03 for that matter you really should think back to 5-7 years ago.  A ten second EFI/R car was making power relative to what the QMP car makes today. While Renegades of the day were still street driven, most possessed neither the comforts nor manners to be a daily driver.

Also, five years ago high performance and new Mustangs weren’t a combination that fit into the same sentence. Modular engines were about as well received as fuel injection had been in the mid 80’s, and the GT seemed to be plagued by an almost hopeless computer system and little response to mods that most Mustangers had become accustomed to. The Cobra while a stout performer on it’s own from the factory, had a rev range that was usually associated with import cars, and black magic type mysteries like 32 valves and four overhead cams.

Come back to present times and it would seem that the Modular engines are catching up like their fuel injected 5.0 cousins of the mid 80’s did during their infancy. In this present time is where we find QMP’s Rob Raymer doing what he does best, wringing every last bit of performance from a forced induction engine. Raymer has been well known locally and in certain circles for years for his killer Buick Grand Nationals and T-Type Regals. In recent years he’s also tapped the potential of LS1 engines, being one of the nation’s first to turbocharge an LS1 F-body car and presently having developed the nations’ fastest forced induction LS1 F-body. It only made sense that when Ford came up to bat with a supercharged Cobra that Raymer’s shop which was evolving from LS1 Motorsports to Quarter Mile Performance would be on top of getting the most from the Cobra without ever cracking a seal on the engine.

The platform is the same ’03 Cobra that anyone else can purchase from their local Ford SVT dealer. From there the mods are really quite simple. Rob added a lower blower pulley from Metco and an ASP upper pulley, although he is currently changing that pulley over to a South Florida Performance Pulley. The Cobra now regularly sees 12-15 lbs of boost. To help the blower bring in that air at a faster rate he is currently developing a cold air kit at QMP, but for the time being there’s a K&N Filter and adapter plate. The thing that really makes the snake bite though is the exhaust. QMP developed a complete stainless steel exhaust system specifically for the ’03 Cobra. This system includes an X-pipe, mufflers, tailpipes and tips. This is the only true 3” exhaust system for the ’03 currently available (for more details on the system see the upcoming tech article in Race Pages). Raymer and QMP also designed a set of 1 ¾” and 1 5/8” long tube headers for the Cobra. He is using the 1 ¾” headers on the QMP Cobra. The entire exhaust is manufactured through an exclusive contract with Stainless Works and is comprised completely for 304L stainless steel. The exhaust has added over one hundred foot pounds of torque and 60 HP to the Cobra. The most beautiful thing about this system though may be that you can remove the trans without ever loosening one bolt on the exhaust, or moving one pipe.

Inside Rob has added a Pro 5.0 shifter and an Auto Meter Lunar Series boost gauge. The stock clutch quickly protested under the additional strain and so it has been replaced with a unit from Star Performance Engineered Clutches. Other than this the Cobra remains completely stock on the inside. To coordinate the added boost and relieved exhaust Rob has put in a custom tuned Diablo Sport chip. The program for the chip is one that Rob designed specifically and only available through QMP. Some fifty-two dyno pulls and several trips to the track later the end result is an impressive 507 RWHP and 594 RWTQ.

While in previous years owners of Cobras equipped with the independent rear suspension out back have been quick to replace them, QMP’s Cobra still retains the factory unit. Rob has only snapped one axle in testing, and while heavier duty axles are on the way the stock suspension has not given Rob any problems and he currently has no plans to replace the factory IRS.

There are only two downfalls to the '03 Cobra.  The addition of the stronger iron block and the retained weight of the IRS tend to give the Cobra a portly curb weight. The other issue that seems to plague the cars is the rear brakes. They’re too big for a 15” rim, so at the track you’re going to have to run a 16” rim.

At the track with Rob behind the wheel the QMP Cobra has seen a best of 7.07 at 99 MPH in the eighth mile. The numbers are indicative of a 10 second capable quarter mile time, but with most tracks within reasonable driving distance closed until spring, that time slip will have to wait.

So how does it behave? How are the manners of a 500+ HP car on the street. Is it loud? Does it rattle your dental work? Can it sit and idle at a traffic light without drawing the attention of every cop in a five mile radius. Will it overheat in a traffic jam? The answer is simple. The car is polite and quiet, in fact it’s amazingly quiet. Cruising down the highway at 55+ it’s no louder than stock, in fact there is more wind and trans noise than exhaust sound. Amazingly the only real drone from the exhaust comes at around 45 MPH, but you can’t drive a car like this at 45. If you are for some strange reason doomed to drive 45 for prolonged periods of time the drone is gone and forgotten quickly, and when present at 45 it’s not so obnoxious that you can’t carry on a conversation or will suffer from a headache due to prolonged exposure.

Outside the car sounds healthy, but at idle its nothing that would get a second glance at a stoplight. Stand on the loud pedal though and hold on tight. Staying in the throttle and power shifting on street tires proves that all four useable gears are all but useless. The exhaust gives out a healthy but not overly obnoxious angry growl and the blower squeals like you stepped on a stuck pig. Full boost is achieved in less than a heartbeat and the torque will pin you to your seat, while spreading a childlike grin across your face.

On the highway Rob reports a still respectable 22 MPG for average fuel economy, and the car is frequently driven to and from the track for testing. So you may be wondering what’s the price tag for this kind of performance. A high horsepower, livable car that is as suited to be your daily driver as it is to be your weekend drag strip wringer. Consider purchase of a car, depending on your location and your dealer a new Cobra will set you back between $32k and $40k. The total pricetag for the mods QMP has on their car? Grand total about $3,000 retail depending on your needs (i.e. cats for the exhaust), this doesn’t include the cost of installation, you’ll need a lift and a full day for the headers. Consider though that for about $35k and some change total investment you can have a car that will take you comfortably to and from work everyday and beat just about whatever is sitting next to you at the stoplight any night of the week. For more information on QMP’s Cobra, checkout www.ls1motorsports.com/cobrapage.htm .