Official Mystichrome Cobra
Press Releases
Mystichrome Appearance Package
Adds Colorful Flair to ’04 Cobra
The Original Press Release by SVT
To help Ford celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Mustang during 2004, the Special Vehicle Team has developed a limited-edition MystiChrome Appearance Package for the SVT Mustang Cobra. Although SVT pioneered the use of color-shifting paint on a production car with its 1996 Mystic Cobra, the MystiChrome Appearance Package takes that technology a step further for 2004 and beyond.
Not only does the exterior color of SVT’s new MystiChrome Cobra change from topaz green to cobalt blue to royal purple and finally to onyx black as the viewing angle changes, the color-shifting theme is now carried over to the interior as well. Matching MystiChrome leather trim, an industry first developed by Garden State Tanning, is featured on the front and rear seat inserts and the steering wheel.
“The bright, iridescent colors reminded me of chromed exhaust headers blued by intense heat,” said Alan Eggly, Ford’s color and trim director for North America. Hence, he dubbed the new color “MystiChrome.” Both the exterior and interior treatments utilized ChromaFlair light interference pigments, produced by Flex Products, Inc. The microscopic layers of pigment act like a tiny prism: As the viewing angle changes, so does the visible color. As a finishing touch, aluminum flakes were added to provide a bright, metallic sparkle.
Because ChromaFlair pigments are stirred into a water or solvent base like any paint additive, the paint does not require special handling. As such, MystiChrome is applied using the same process as other factory colors. In addition, MystiChrome passes the same rigorous durability tests of any factory paint. What’s more, the same goes for the interior: MystiChrome leather has the same supple feel and grain as the surrounding midnight black leather surfaces, and it passes the same wear and color-retention tests of other Ford-sourced leather.
For the 2004 model year, only 1,000 SVT Mustang Cobra models, in either coupe or convertible body styles (depending on order mix), will be offered with the MystiChrome Appearance Package, which also includes chrome wheels as standard equipment. The package carries an MSRP of $3,650. Every full-line SVT dealer will be allocated at least one MystiChrome Cobra. Job One is scheduled for November of 2003.
— Official SVT press release
April 16, 2003
Points of Difference:
— Since SVT’s press release preceded the official Ford Motor Company press release by one day, it is interesting to note that the very first, official, printed spelling of Mystichrome was stylized with a capital ‘C’ and thus written as “MystiChrome.” However, the official Ford press release and all future marketing, including the 2004 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra sales brochure, omitted the capital ‘C’ and spelled it as “Mystichrome.”
— What SVT calls “topaz green” is more of a vivid, emerald green. “Cobalt blue” and “royal purple” are accurate in describing their respective colors, but what they call “onyx black” is difficult to assess. In certain low-light environments, it looks more like a dark, metallic charcoal; in bright sunlight, it takes on an eerie hue like a glowing, mossy green with hints of dark, metallic slate. Without a doubt, the most recognizable shades at a glance are the vibrant greens, blues, and purples in the Mystichrome paint.
— This early press release stated that the Mystichrome Cobra leather interior would be Midnight Black with Mystichrome inserts. It is unknown if this was an erroneous statement or not. However, it is imaginable from a business standpoint that, in order to keep production costs down after spending some serious money developing the Mystichrome leather, Ford and/or SVT decided to implement economies of scale by sourcing the same Dark Charcoal leather and interior appointments as found in all other Terminator Cobras and similarly appointed Mustang V6 and GT models. The last time that a black interior was offered in a Mustang of any kind was in 1998.
— This press release also stated that only 1,000 Mystichrome Cobras would be produced. However, the finalized total build was 1,010 Mystichrome Cobras — 515 coupes and 495 convertibles.
— Job One for 2004 SVT Mustang Cobra production started on November 3, 2003. However, Job One for the Mystichrome Cobra was pushed back to mid-December 2003 and lasted through mid-January 2004. Production of the 2004 SVT Cobra ended on March 31, 2004.
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“The bright, iridescent colors reminded me
of chromed exhaust headers
blued by intense heat,” said Alan Eggly,
Ford’s color and trim director
for North America. Hence, he dubbed
the new color “MystiChrome.”
Continue to the Ford Motor Company Press Release >