Minor Mods Help Terminator Cobra Make 498 HP on the Dyno
Underrated from the start, this Terminator Cobra proves that it doesn’t take much to unlock serious power in these cars.
The 2003-2004 Ford Mustang Cobra – otherwise lovingly known by enthusiasts as the Terminator Cobra – is one of the more iconic pony cars produced in recent memory, a fantastic machine that The Blue Oval created in response to its “underpowered” predecessor. With a stock rating of 390 horsepower from its supercharged 4.6-liter V8, the Terminator Cobra is not only a bit underrated from the factory, but also responds incredibly well to modifications. However, this 2004 Mustang Cobra owned by YouTuber Chris Sullivan has only been treated to minor upgrades, and yet, it recently laid down some seriously impressive numbers on the dyno.
In fact, we can count this car’s upgrades on one hand – a free-flowing manifold-back exhaust system, and a new supercharger pulley that ups boost from 8 psi to 12. Otherwise, this car is bone stock, from the Eaton blower to the exhaust manifolds, and yet, it manages to lay down a rather incredible 498 horsepower at the wheels. Assuming a drivetrain loss of around 15 percent, that means this car is generating nearly 600 ponies at the crank, which is quite astounding.
That figure also backs up the widely-held theory that the Terminator Cobra was underrated from the get-go, because it’s hard to believe that this particular car could pick up that much power with a pulley and exhaust. In the past, stock cars have generated close to its OEM crank ratings at the wheels on the dyno, so it’s easy to believe that the Cobra of this generation was actually making over 400 horsepower, not a bit less, as its ratings suggest.
Either way, the Terminator has become a beloved model that has recently started to gain in value, and deservedly so. What some may not realize is that they’re also not terribly abundant, as Ford only built 3,768 of them in 2004, and this particular example is one of only 299 finished in Screaming Yellow, which was only available in this model year and was the second rarest hue behind only Competition Orange. Thus, we certainly don’t blame Sullivan for not wanting to go hog wild on this one – luckily, it doesn’t take much to extract some seriously power.
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