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2000 Ford Mustang GT: Cobra R "Clone"

photos and text by Steve Wingate

I met Whit Capps on www.bamamafia.com, a local rallying point for Mustang enthusiasts in and around the Birmingham, Alabama area.  The unusual thing about The Bama Mafia is that although they originated as a group of friends from www.stangnet.com, they welcome muscle car owners from all marques.

I'm kind of isolated up here in Jasper, which is about 35 miles NW of the big city.  When I found out that Whit also lived in Jasper, I checked out his profile and found a link to his car on Car Domain.  I took one look and said "Holy $#%@!  That's a Cobra R!"  I quickly discovered, however, that his Mustang is in fact a Cobra R "clone."  But let me tell you... clone or not, I knew I just had to shoot this car!

Whit and I arranged to meet on a sunny Sunday afternoon at a local industrial park.  My son Isaac was with me just like with all of my photo shoots, only this time I didn't tell him what we were going to be shooting.  You see Isaac is a certified Ford fancier, and his favorite Ford of all is the Mustang Cobra R.  When Whit pulled into the parking lot, I heard a loud CLANG as Isaac's jaw slapped the tarmac.  I walked up to Whit's car and we had a brief discussion as to where to put the car for the best possible photos.  As Whit pulled away, I turned around and was mightily embarrassed to see Isaac genuflecting openly on the asphalt.

I just had to break it to him and tell him that it wasn't a real Cobra R, but a clone.  When I told him this and he stopped for a moment to digest this new information.  Finally he said: "Who cares?"  and continued with his frantic bowing and scraping.  Who cares indeed.  It looks just like a Cobra R, it sounds really good, and that's enough for us.

I knew Whit and his Mustang were going to make a good feature for Modern Muscle when he got out of the car and began wiping a small spot on the front of the car with a cloth.  "I hit a bug on the way over."  He said, and wiped another spot.  "Well, maybe two."  You can tell that Whit has put painstaking effort into his pride and joy.  Just look at this list of mods and keep in mind that this car started life as a Mustang GT.

Whit brought his son Alex with him, and I was pleased to see that he shared Whit's enthusiasm.  The two talked endlessly about the Bama Mafia, their Mustang, and the various people they knew with cool cars that I could photograph for Modern Muscle.  I could also see in Alex's eyes that he fully expects to be behind the wheel of Dad's Mustang when he turns sixteen.  Ah, it warms the heart to know there's a younger generation that appreciates good ol' V8 muscle!

Whit, thanks for spending part of your Sunday afternoon watching me lay on the ground around your car, and thanks for not calling the police on my son for stalking.

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