Second Coming

The Silverslayer Isn’t Justin Tolbert’s First Cobra.

- Michael Johnson

The 2003- 2004 Cobra, code named Terminator, is the Mustang that changed everything. It was the car all of us asked for and more. Mustang enthusiasts wanted a factory supercharged option with a six-speed transmission. Not sure if we asked for an independent rear suspension, but Ford and SVT set out to build a world beater. Therefore, the 2003 Cobra featured an IRS. The car known as SVT’s John Coletti’s baby was born, and we finally had a supercharged, six-speed, IRS-equipped Mustang from the factory. All was right with the world.

Because of its standard features, the 2003 Cobra was probably the first Mustang to come with so much fanfare that people were willing to pay a premium to own one. These days, with vehicles like the most recent GT350 and GT350R, we’ve become used to paying premiums for our favorite Mustang, but the 2003 Cobra is the one that started it all.

For Rural Hall, North Carolina’s Justin Tolbert, he waited until the second year of Terminator production to get his hands on one. “I bought my first 2004 Cobra in February of 2005,” Tolbert says. The initial excitement over the new Terminator had worn off to the point where there were some leftover 2004s. That’s how he found his, as a leftover.

However, leftover or not, he was instantly hooked. “I raced that car for four years until I was caught street racing in November of 2008,” says Tolbert. Authorities seized the Cobra, and Tolbert lost his license. “I was devastated.”