F355 Challenge cant shake a Mustang Cobra...

[RC45]

On a Road Course.

Pagani, thsi one is for you heheh -- Enjoy.

Mustang Cobra vs Ferrari 355 Challenge at TWS - YouTube

Mustang Cobra vs Ferrari 355 Challenge at TWS - YouTube

[acmarttin]

Man that was a nice drive. That Ferrari is crazy loud. Have you ever done a track day at that course RC?

[Carbodiox]

That noise! I could sell my kidney for such a sound..

But F355 driver looks a bit crappy, he runs wide couple of times and brakes to early aswell. It seems to be the reason why Cobra could keep up.

[Mattk]

^Yeah, I think driver skill definitely had a part to play there. Nice vid, though.

[RC45]

Typical responses - not one word that the Cobra is possibly a capable car, just pathetic excuses the Ferrari must be driven by a loser and the Mustang must be driven by Schumacher for that video to be real.

Face it - your entire realities have been shaken to the core - A Mustang kept up with a Ferrari.

Why all the excuses? How often dont we read "even a moron in this eurocar could out handle a genius in that yank tank" etc etc etc.... Are you guys now trying to say that a young college student in a used Mustang is that much more talented than a coniesseur in an F355 Challenge that his uber-skills and the F-Car guys lack of talent are the only reasons the video played out the way it did?

I think not.... just admit that the car is good enough that it can be used to chase down an F355 Challenge car

[ferrari550]

nice video! the 355 or the cobra are not known as track rockets so it is entirely believable. i am a huge ferrari fan but this video looks correct to me

[enzoferrari]

Love the sound of the 355.

[nthfinity]

Originally Posted by ferrari550 nice video! the 355 or the cobra are not known as track rockets so it is entirely believable. i am a huge ferrari fan but this video looks correct to me

The 355 isn't just a 355... its a Challenge car, track prepped to go very fast through the bends, brake well, and come out of the hole nicely

[ferrari550]

Originally Posted by nthfinity The 355 isn't just a 355... its a Challenge car, track prepped to go very fast through the bends, brake well, and come out of the hole nicely

true, you have a very good point. but, do we know if the cobra is stock? it can easily have some mods on it

[RC45]

The Mustang in Question - probably adding a bit to the stock 380bhp, but not reducing the weight much from stock 3660lbs

# 6056 of 8394 Born on 03/17/2003 Mods: Bassani X-Pipe w/ removable cats (cats in right now) Bassani Cat Back Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Sparco Harness Bar Sparco 5pt Cam-Lock Harnesses C&L 95mm MAF C&L Trueflow Inlet Pipe K&N Filter Fluidyne Heat Exchanger LFP Intercooler Tank Canton Coolant Reservoir MM CC Plates SS Brake Lines Sparco Fire Bottle Brake Cooling Ducts (thanks Anthony!) For the track: Corbeau FX1 Seat 17x9 Anthracite FR500s 275/40 Nitto NT01's Brembo Slotted Rotors Hawk Blue Pads I/O Port Video Camera Mount Magnetic #29 Just for looks: Stainless Bumper Inserts Front Grille Snake Medallion Snake Embossed Floor Mats Shorty Antenna Because it's my daily driver: Kenwood 7" in-dash fold out monitor/dvd player Infinity Reference 5 1/4 components up front Infinity Reference 5x7's in the back 10" Kicker L7 sub... removable Kicker 600x1 Sub Amp Kicker 300x4 Amp In the garage, waiting for install: A-piller gauge pod w/ oil temp, water temp & oil pressure Strut Tower Brace, Steeda Sport Springs, Midcontinent Mustangs Crossover Adapter w/ temp sender (thanks Anthony!) For the future: Subframe Conn, IRS Brace, K-Member Brace, 6pt Cage Track Vids... http://www.youtube.com/hiofcrcobra

What makes a 355 a Challenge car - besides just weighing 3000lbs and producing 380bhp stock.

After the unqualified success of Ferrari's 348 Challenge Trophy, a one-make racing series introduced for 1993, few were surprised when an F355-based car was announced in 1995. Customers would once again be able to compete with identical machinery in regional championships, some cars leaving the factory in full Challenge trim whilst others were retro-fitted with the official upgrade kit. Developed by Ferrari's F1 test driver, Nicola Larini, a number of important changes focused on improving safety and performance. The stiffer suspension was tuned for track use and featured solid suspension arm bushes and Teflon anti-sway bar bushes, competition brake pads also being used. Distinctive new Speedline magnesium alloy wheels were shod with slick Pirelli tyres, engines having been sealed to prevent any extra development. Lightweight competition exhausts with just a single outlet pipe freed up a few extra horses, a sintered disc clutch having been the only mechanical change. Relatively few tweaks were made to Pininfarina's original bodywork either, the only tell-tale signs being those Speedline wheels, reinforced tow hooks and electrical kill switches. However, a striking rear aerofoil was introduced from 1997. Perhaps the most far-reaching changes came inside where a roll cage, lightweight sports seats, six-point harnesses and a fire extinguishing system were found. There was also a dash-mounted electrical kill switch, a three-spoke Momo steering wheel and a lightweight battery in a cabin stripped bare of all unnecessary trim. 72 were built new by the factory, 13 of which were right-hand drive while maybe another 100 or so were fitted with Ferrari's after-market pack.

[fordgt84]

^ i heard many svt cobras were making above the quoted hp ratings, i heard some were even pushing around 435 hp stock... the one in the video below produces around 387 rwhp stock apparently

You Tube

You Tube

[graywolf624]

the one in the video below produces around 387 rwhp stock apparently

Not stock but close to stock. Turn up the boost or a tune can get you that.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: " Open tracks say about as much about a car as flipping a coin". We know nothing about the drivers, whether the 355 is pushing it, etc. I can tell you from direct experience unless that mustang costs more then said 355 it's very unlikely with the proper driver it will keep up. The SN95 suspension has several inherent suspension and chasis design flaws.

Kinda like my old camaro track car. it was a step above the sn95 and a great choice for budget racing, but with the same driver the best ones in the world aren't going to be able to keep up with a modified car that was setup right to begin with.

[RC45]

Originally Posted by graywolf624 Not stock but close to stock. Turn up the boost or a tune can get you that. I've said it before and I'll say it again: " Open tracks say about as much about a car as flipping a coin". We know nothing about the drivers, whether the 355 is pushing it, etc. I can tell you from direct experience unless that mustang costs more then said 355 it's very unlikely with the proper driver it will keep up. The SN95 suspension has several inherent suspension and chasis design flaws. Kinda like my old camaro track car. it was a step above the sn95 and a great choice for budget racing, but with the same driver the best ones in the world aren't going to be able to keep up with a modified car that was setup right to begin with.

Actually that video says a lot about the 2 drivers and the 2 cars.

They have a chance for a few laps, without traffic to demonstrate abilities through a variety of turns and straight aways - and a variety of situations.

We see one lap where the Cobra short shifts a few corners early to play with revs and that is the one tme the 355 pulls away - the previous las the F-Car could make no ground on the Cobra.

It is human nature to not want to "cruise" at a trackday - especially in the quicker groups, so I would be more inclined to say that while this was no all-out competition, to simply assume the Ferrari driver must have been cruising and not at least going fast, is very disengenuous in the very least - I doubt his "ego" would allow it.

In fact, I would hazard a guess that the F355 as demonstrated is the kind of car that prefers to be driven at a quick pace, as it won't work very well in "cruise" mode - and the guy wasn't cruising, he was going at a fast pace, and the SVT was able to match that pace

At least give some credit where it's due - this is a demonstratable example of a Cobra in competant hands staying within reach of an F355.

Who knows, maybe the F-Car was out on old tyres trying to test a new chassis setting that wasnt working and the car was rev limited to 6000rpm and couldnt go any faster - but one thing we can be sure of, if the video was in-car in the Ferrari and the Mustang was in front, everyone would be saying how the pathetic poor Rustang Slowbra was holding up the Ferrari - and if anything, the track was clear enough for the F-Car to use its "superior handling" to pull clear on the infield, but it didn't - for what ever reason - superior Ford driver, inferior Tifosi driver, sun spots or bad tyres.

According to popular legend the F-Car should have left the Dorf Rustang for dead - but it didn't.

[madpony]

Mustang seemed very capable(both car and driver). Ferrari guy was just lucky it wasn't a camaro Nice little horse race though.

[pagani]

Originally Posted by ferrari550 nice video! the 355 or the cobra are not known as track rockets so it is entirely believable. i am a huge ferrari fan but this video looks correct to me

The cobra r is very good and capable car/decent trackcar
That ferrari got his ass kicked by a ford
And that ferrari made more sound that it had power.