MystiChrome Cobra: A Look Back at One of the Rarest Mustangs Around
Vibrant and venomous, the MystiChrome Terminator is one of our favorite Mustangs of all time.
The flashy, dynamic MystiChrome paint — only ever offered on the 2004 SVT Cobra — is one of our favorite colors ever. Apparently, Car Throttle is a fan, too, since they recently produced a Facebook video about it.
Clocking in at just over a minute long, it’s a decent primer (if you’ll excuse the pun) in what makes the Mystichrome Cobras so special. Along with Screaming Yellow and Competition Orange, it’s among the most sought-after Terminator colors.
Development
Mystichrome paint was developed by DUPont, and then supplied to BASF, the same folks responsible for the paint seen on the 1996 Mystic Cobras. It’s a further evolution of that concept, using ChromaFlair pigment. This pigment contains microscopic aluminum flakes that are specially coated to manipulate the way light reflects and refracts off of the painted surface.
The effect causes the color to shift between four major colors: topaz green, cobalt blue, royal purple, and onyx black. It’s an incredibly high-tech process, and it should come as no surprise that the paint costs five times more than other colors.
Rarity Among Other Cobras
These Cobras are incredibly rare, with just 1,010 produced (515 coupes, 495 convertibles). Ford and BASF keep this special paint under lock and key, perhaps to protect the value of the MystiChrome cars. It could also help prevent the paint from falling into the hands of counterfeiters — not just of MystiChrome Cobras, but money, too. Apparently, counterfeiters have used the technology to produce convincing replicas of the $100 bill.
When repairs are required, a representative must be present, monitoring the paint every step of the way, and only bringing as much as is necessary to complete the repair. The VIN must be verified as an original MystiChrome Cobra, and any unused paint goes back in the can and leaves with the representative back to Ford Motors headquarters in Detroit.
MystiChrome Cobras had a few other interesting features. The seats and steering wheel were also coated with MystiChrome paint and sealed, and the car came standard with chrome versions of the five spoke 17-inch SVT Cobra wheels.
Join the Mustang Source forums now!
