Naja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes and consists of 21 generally accepted species; the most recognized and prevalent of these is commonly known as the Cobra which range throughout Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeastern Asia, Indonesia and, in this case, the streets of Sacramento, California.

This unique Mustang custom is offered by a family of enthusiasts that has been dedicated to the musclecar genre with a strong appreciation for the ‘60s era of cars which the family has enjoyed whether driving or showing their fine collection. At a point in time when the wife was without her own car; all involved decided that since she liked the design of the famous Eleanor Mustang, this trend of style would be applied to the building of her car.

This has resulted in the creation of the “Black Mamba.” This exciting machine has been recognized with numerous awards and a large succession of magazine articles and magazine cover appearances. These are many in instance, and include Hot Rod and American Muscle, Good Guys Gazette and Popular Hot Rodding to name but a few. The Mamba is also associated with the fine products of the Meguiar’s car care line, and it has spent a great deal of time being displayed in association with Meguiar’s. The car has received a great deal of attention from this fabulous relationship and has been privileged with invitations from Meguiar’s to attend many venues that include Good Guys events, the National Street Rod Association, NASCAR races and other nationally recognized events on the main stage, allowing for maximum exposure.

The project was conceived and accomplished by a professional group of specialists that shared the common goal of satisfying their client’s vision, while building the car to specifications that would be viewed as staying within the original Shelby era and the period school of thought. The use of the very best of components was never in question, and the stunning results of blending all of these elements together are easily in evidence no matter what detail is being examined.

The car is based around a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback that was located in Southern California, being driven by an 18-year-old high school senior that was reluctantly selling the Mustang to help finance his college education. After tearing the car down and discovering all of its nuances, it was decided to put an Art Morrison musclecar Max-G frame under the car and build around it. The Morrison facility CAD-engineered the frame while considering engine specifications, tire and wheel size, front and rear suspension components and braking requirements.

The frame is mandrel-bent 2x4 steel with passages for the side exhaust and driveshaft which allow for a low center of gravity and ride height, and with the Air Ride Technologies suspension system, the car is capable of dropping to a ground clearance of less than two-inches. The Air Ride Technologies Ride Pro system components have been concealed in the trunk area and control the ride height all around using a Thomas compressor with a three-gallon tank and four-way solenoids.

Tom Lucas, at FE Specialties (and a friend of the owner), was instructed to build a powerplant that while unique, was also an engine that he would do for himself if this were his car. Since he is an aficionado of the Cobra, he decided to go back to Carroll Shelby's roots and built an aluminum 427 V-8 that would produce over 700 horsepower, enough to keep the owner’s wife happy and the rest of her family in the rear view mirror. All of the best components and faultless engineering went into this build, including the use of a dry sump oiling system and having an additional 250 horsepower on tap with NOS direct-port injection.

Once the Mustang body was removed from the unibody, it was placed on the Max-G frame, and Ron Pepper of Pepper Fabrications handled the formidable task of fabricating and welding all of the sheetmetal into a finely-blended unit. This included the floors, trunk, firewall, wheel wells and the inner and outer fender panels as well as the engine mounts, transmission cross member, rollbar and radiator support.

Morrison's steel tubular control arms provide precise steering control along with an AGR power-assisted modified Mustang II rack-and-pinion system. The braking is courtesy of Wilwood SL6 calipers with billet 13-inch vented rotors and controlled by Wilwood's aluminum triple master cylinder pedal assembly containing a balance bar to accurately set brake pedal bias. The rear end is a Ford nine-inch housing with a triangulated four-bar air suspension containing a Strange Engineering 3.73:1 posi-traction third member with 35-spline induction hardened axles. The Black Mamba rides on American Racing Shelby Cobra 427 polished wheels. Up front is 17- x 8-inch wheels, with a 4.75-inch backspacing, and 17-x 9.5-inch, with a 5.75-inch backspacing on the rear and mounted on BFGoodrich G-Force KDWS T/A tires.

Once the body and associated sheetmetal were secured to the frame, the bodywork began. This included fitting and fiberglassing the Eleanor body kit, the side exhaust and the side pillar gas cap. Leaving the best for last, special design and fabrication was executed to allow the carbon fiber hood to pivot open from the passenger side while hiding all of the hardware beneath the inner fender panels. This clean, uncluttered application is truly a work of hot rod art. Massaging the body to meet exacting specifications required hundreds of man hours to complete, but was well worth the effort since the PPG black would reveal the smallest blemish or miscue. The painting duties were handled by Rodd White and Troy Costa and the crew at Gold River Auto Body in Rancho Cordova, California. Being perfectionists and wanting everything flawless is in evidence throughout.

The interior has been accomplished by the work of Rene Cornejo and Ben Lizardo of Acme Tops and Tunes. The original dash has been fitted with Classic Instruments billet Shelby signature 200-mph gauges and brushed aluminum panels. The upper and lower consoles contain additional AutoMeter Phantom gauges, an Eclipse head unit controlling the Boston Acoustics amplifiers and speakers, Electric Life window switches and door locks, the Air Ride Technologies airbag control module and the all-important nitrous arming switch. The classic Moto-Lita woodgrain steering wheel tops off the Flaming River polished stainless steel tilt column and complements the Shelby signature series leather seats.

Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a McCloud aluminum flywheel which supports a 12-inch clutch cover assembly and a Tilton hydraulic throw-out bearing with a Lakewood bell housing keeping everything under wraps. A Tremec 600 TKO close-ratio five-speed handles the gears with a final overdrive ratio of 0.68 to make highway travel allowable.

Engine cooling is easily handled by a custom made aluminum radiator from American Pastimes and includes two 12-inch puller fans, while cabin heating and air conditioning is provided by Vintage Air. The air conditioning compressor, alternator and power steering pump are all part of Billet Specialties Tru-Trac serpentine system.

Although this may be hard to contemplate, this is a short write-up when one considers all of the special features that this car has on-board, along with the many accolades that this car can claim on its resume. For a complete breakdown of all aspects of the Black Mamba, please view this owner-created website for the full story: 1968 Ford Mustang "Black Mamba"