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ROAD TEST: MUSTANG II/ COBRA II
Snake without fangs
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Squint your eyes. Now, look at the Mustang II/Cobra II and what do you see? That's right - a 1965 Shelby Mustang GT 350, Ford Motor Company has fused the fearsome Cobra name with the GT 350's race-bred paint scheme in an obvious attempt to seduce buyers waway form Pontiac's purposeful-looking Trans Am with a bit of the Shelby legend.
But while the Trans Am stand head and shoulders above all other Firebirds, the Cobra II is littlem ore than just another Mustang. Unbolt the spoilers, hodd scoop and window slates, peel off the body stripes, side stripes and snake insignia, and all you'll be left with is an ordinary Mustang II - even the V8 and heavy-duty suspension are optional.
Any lingering hopes that the Cobra II will perform like its 11-year-old GT 350 look-alike will be dispelled after one short test drive. Open the door and you'll be greeted by accommodations not unlike those found in a T-Bird. Nothing could be further away from the original GT 350's bare-bones, no-back-seat interior than the Mustang's soft, blue vinyl button-tufted seats and thick carpeting. The dash layout, standard on all Mustangs, is about the only part of the interior that will appeal to the enthusiast. It includes a tach and speedometer directly in front of the driver and gauges for amps, fuel level and temperature off to the right of the panel. The gauges are set into the best looking plastic imitation of brushed stainless steel we've ever seen.
Turn the key and you'll instantly forget all about tachs, gauges, late braking and heart-rending acceleration. Then engine fairly purrs - you hardly know its running. Slip the automatic into gear and the 134-hp, 2-barrel 302 V8 will pull the 2900-pound car up to cruising speed with no muss, no fuss and no bother - just like a Mark IV. At highway speeds the wind rustles softly around the windshield posts and you're barely able to hear the single exhaust at all. Punch the throttle and the engine will respond quickly by today's standards - which is to say fairly slowly. Sixty mph will come up in about 9.7 seconds if you don't spin the wheels. (The 2.79 rear gear was not of the limited slip variety and spinning the right rear tire raised 0-60 times to over 10 seconds.) Left to is own devices, the automatic will let the motor wind to 4500 rpm in first gear and 4000 rpm in second. Hold it in second nmanually until 4500 and your 0-80 times will drop by a full second, from 15.5 to 14.5. Find some clear road and the Cobra II will run up to 105 mph. No matter how you slice it, the Cobra II is definitely a snake without fangs.
The ride and handling provided by the "Competition Suspension" option was acceptable by today's standards, but nothing like the IMSA-racer-for-the-street we were hoping for. The Cobra was fairly well controlled over bumps but suffered form a tendency to "float" over freeway undulations. The Cobra cornered flat, and was stable and predictable up to its limit where a moderate amount of understeer would take you wide of your intended path. There was enough power to trick it into a tail-out attitude with a twitch of the wheel and stab at the gas - but this is a maneuver not recommended for novices.
Though the Cobra II was competent at hard cornering, it was very gradual changes in direction that frustrated it the most. When changing lines at highway speeds there was a distinct delay in steering response. Turn the wheel and nothing would happen. Turn it a bit more and the car would change lanes more abruptly than you had intended. It wasn't dangerous, but it was disconcerting - especially because the car tracked well when pointed straight ahead.
Lane changing aside, relaxed cruising is the Cobra II's long suit. The rear seats are only for occasional use by adults because foot room and head room are in short supply, but the font seats are comfortable enough, the interior is quiet enough and the ride is smooth enough to make you forget all the expectations you had for this car the first time you laid eyes on its be-spoilered flanks.
But pull up to a stop light and reality will come crashing in. Crowds of excited little kids materialize like magic, middle-aged couples give you the once over and gaping senior citizens all remind you that you're driving a machine that's all show and no go. Everything form Karmann Ghias to 454 Chevelles blip their throttles at you in attempts to draw you into a race. But if you're smart, you won't get suckerd into a run. They all don't have to know that the Mustang II/Cobra II is a bogus GT 350, a sheep in wolf's clothing, a Mustang with pretentions - but little more. No, the wise Cobra II owner will pick his spots carefully, for there are a bunch of '76 cars that don't look half as racy as the Cobra II capable of blowing its spoilers off.
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