Mustangworld - 93 - 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra Guide Review

SVT COBRA RECOGNITION GUIDE 1993-2000
Book by Thomas A. Shreiner & Peter C. Sessler
Foreword by O.J. Coletti
MW Review by Brian L. & MW

As a 1999 Mustang Cobra owner, I tend to approach anything Mustang or Cobra related with understandable skepticism. But, now that Ford has given me more horses than I think I paid for, and has made my ride as smooth as glass, it’s time to start feeling proud again. With this renewed pride and $19.95 burning a hole in my pocket, I recently ordered Tom Shreiner’s “1993-2000 SVT Cobra Recognition Guide.”.

I didn’t know what to expect. Was it going to be a book with a bunch of pictures and information just reprinted from dealer spec sheets? Was it going to be a picture book with arrows saying “the 1994 Cobra had this instead of that?”

Yes, Mr. Shreiner’s book is that, but it’s a whole lot more. Much much more.

When I received my book, it was wrapped in plastic and I was amazed at its quality and substance (195 full color pages) that I felt guilty opening it. My curiosity got the best of me, and I proceeded to spend my lunch hour at my desk at work flipping the pages.

At first glance, this book is substantially different, and better, than similar books I have seen. For example, inside the back cover is a numbered sticker for each book – mine was 420/5000. Nice touch. Also, I recently received in the mail an errata sheet that is understandable in any first edition of something so technical and varied. Mr. Shreiner promptly (ahem) “fixed” the slight typos, and no class action lawsuits were filed…

The Foreword is written by Ford’s own O.J. Coletti, Chief Engineer of SVE. (If you’re wondering what the heck the difference among SVT, SVE and SVO are, see Chapter 2, entitled “SVO/SVE/SVT Explained” – that’s how complete this book is.) Promising “the best is yet to come,” Coletti chants the familiar mantra of Mustang die-hards, starting with his “first” and continuing up to his pride about the 2000 Cobra R. Guys like Coletti, and their infectious enthusiasm for the world’s favorite pony car, are critical to the Mustang’s future. With waning competition from the F-bodies, Coletti and his cohorts at Ford nonetheless trudge along without batting an eyelash, striving to deliver more to us each time out of the box.

The book is broken into ten chapters, starting with the Mustang’s history and ending with buying and selling strategies for Cobras. It covers everything in between.

For example: Wonder why all 1995 Cobra R’s were white ? They’re white so that the race teams would have a neutral base to apply graphics and details. (p. 90)

Want to see a black 95 Cobra with a 2000 Cobra R engine ? (See page 105.)

Or how about an entire chapter devoted to modifications and performance parts for every Cobra year? That’s in Chapter 8.

However, I think Mr. Shreiner saves the best gems for last – in the Appendices. The Appendices contain perhaps every technical detail relating to Cobra minutiae that the rest of the book didn’t contain. From spec sheets to build sheets to actual correspondence from SVT to owners regarding performance and technical issues, it’s all in the Appendices. (Yes, the infamous “fix” letter is reprinted in its entirety on page 61 (also the appendix includes the instruction sheets for dealers to follow – amazing details)).

So, all in all, Mr. Shreiner’s book is by far, hands down, the best Mustang Cobra book you can imagine. Tracing the history of the Cobra to philosophizing about its future, the SVT Cobra Recognition Guide 1993-2000 is a must have manual, trophy and collector’s item for any serious Mustang enthusiast.

Two greasy thumbs up !

-- Brian, 1999 Mustang Cobra Coupe, Black/Parchment

MW Note: We agree with Brian's review 100%. We absolutely loved the book and anyone with a Cobra or with a general interest in stangs should have one. Remember they are limited edition to only 5000. The book can be purchased at www.svtcobraguide.com.

We also made these available in stock for easy online ordering in the MW Speedshop $19.95 +$3.95 S&H