2003 Cobra Puts Down 884 Horsepower Through An Auto

When your engine serves you an oil milkshake, you have two choices pour it out and start over or mix in some new flavor and rebuild. Jon Pavia opted not just to rebuild but to make his 2003 Cobra stronger and faster. We detailed his revamped engine in two stories here (Part 1 and Part 2), and his new combo recently hit the Dynojet at VMP Performance with some impressive results.

“Previously, I ran my car with the stock iron block, Manley platinum pistons and 9.5:1 compression. I built that engine myself as well and it ran great for several years. I pushed that engine extremely hard at multiple NMRA events,” he said. “That engine made 608 horsepower through a 4R70W auto with an unlocked converter and 725 horsepower with a 100 shot. Then, one day I drained the oil to do an oil change and it was nothing but a milkshake. I knew the engine had to come out and after further investigation; the cylinder wall between number 3 and number 4 was cracked all the way to the mains.”

As a refresher, we detailed the first and second parts of that build Jon picked up one of the storied early modular aluminum blocks. Cast in Italy by Teksid, these 1999-earlier blocks are noted for holding up to big power, while saving weight versus the monolithic iron block Terminators were born with.

“I built the engine myself and it’s been a ‘work in progress’ for the last year and a half. It’s a Teksid block with my stock ’03 Cobra crank, Manley H-beams and a set of Gibtec billet pistons,” Jon explained. “The pistons I chose put me right at 10.5:1 compression. The heads were previously ported from the last engine so this time I sent them to Total Engine Airflow for a complete overhaul (new intake/exhaust valves, springs, exhaust seats, guides). A set of custom grind Bullet cams spec’d by Todd Warren topped off the engine.”

As you can see in the video above, Jon recently rocked the rollers on the Dynojet at VMP Performance to the tune of 754 rear-wheel horsepower on just boost. With a 100-shot of nitrous on to, his VMP TVS-supercharged Terminator put down 884 to the tires. Now, he hopes to put that power to work at the drag strip.

“Previously, the car went 9.29 in the quarter mile with a 1.26 60-foot on UPR suspension and Viking coilovers,” Jon added. “With the added horsepower, a TH400 trans and full line of UPR/Viking suspension, my goal is to run in the eights and set the record for the fastest ’03-’04 Cobra with a TVS.”

With that huge jump in performance and cooler weather heading to Florida where he is based, we’d say Jon has a good shot at reaching his goal in the near future.