Happy 19th Birthday, Mystichromers!
This blog post is exclusive to The Mystichrome Cobra Authority.
It is hard to imagine, realize, understand, and fathom nineteen years of devotion to one automobile. Only a diehard automotive enthusiast can respect this bond between man and machine, but being the original owner of a special-edition vehicle and continuing to maintain this ownership through life’s ups and downs is more like a marriage and an exercise in perserverance. Through this perspective, I salute all who have perservered with longtime ownership and maintenance of a vehicle, be it a Mystichrome Cobra or another collectible vehicle.
January 14, 2004, was a cold, windy, snowy day in Dearborn, Michigan, with a recorded daytime high of only 25°F, not taking into account the inevitably cruel windchill. This day in January nineteen years ago was just another wintry Wednesday as a particular Mystichrome Cobra convertible, number 969 of the eventual 1,010 total build, was born on this day as it passed through final assembly at Dearborn Assembly Plant. Under gray skies blanketing the earth in white, Mystichrome Cobra #969 was destined for sunnier skies and a warmer climate out West, as it was without a doubt released days later to leave behind its frigid birthplace and begin its joyous journey to California, where it was eventually purchased by yours truly.
For those who are not automotive enthusiasts, it is hard to understand why anyone would want to celebrate a car’s 19th birthday, much less to own the same car for the better part of two decades. In this age of throwaway products, cars are treated as such, only to be abused for 100,000 miles and then traded in or sold for a newer model, but as any proud owner of a Mystichrome Cobra can relate, these cars are special. They are worth being celebrated and cherished. To this day, they remain unlike anything that has been produced since by any automaker. The Mystichrome Cobra is a historically significant car in the Mustang’s illustrious story as well as in Ford Motor Company’s long-running canon of noteworthy vehicles, and it will undoubtedly and unquestionably be a much desired vehicle when it achieves classic-car status.
In the above photo, my obvious pride of ownership is beaming from my face and smile as I posed next to my new Mystichrome Cobra. Even though this photo is from nearly 20 years ago, I still feel the same way about my car to this day. Back then, I already knew and understood my Cobra’s special status. To this day, nothing has changed. Every time I take Mystichrome Cobra #969 for a spin, I’m still smiling like my younger self, beaming with the same unexplainable pride of ownership. You just have to own a Mystichrome Cobra to understand.
In wishing my Mystichrome convertible a happy 19th birthday, I also extend the same birthday wishes to the other 1,009 Mystichrome Cobras out there, some of which have already sadly and undoubtedly met a horrible fate in this imperfect human world, but to those surviving examples, here’s to yet another year closer to becoming a classic. To all of you proud owners out there, may your Mystichrome Cobras continue to run well in 2023 and continue to make you smile.
