The vehicles that the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving used to teach people car control and race techniques had to be up to the challenge, all day, every day. They had to be fast, they had to handle, and they had to have room. Those were some of the qualities that Bondurant were looking for when the time came to retire a fleet of Taurus SHOs that were getting worn down. Originally, the next logical move for a four-door, manual transmission car from Ford would have been the Contour SVT, but it just wasn’t going to handle the abuse. The other option was the built-like-an-anvil Crown Victoria, but there were problems: the Vicky wasn’t fast and a row-yer-own box was not on the menu. Or was it? Through some meetings and some agreements, eighteen police-spec Crown Victorias were modified into what are now dubbed “Cobra Vics”. The stock running gear hit the bin and the four-valve 4.6L from the Mustang Cobra and a T-45 five-speed manual transmission were installed. The catalytic converters were deleted, a Contour handbrake was fitted, the radiator from a V-10 powered Ford Truck was called in for heat-management duties (remember, the school is based in Arizona), and a whole slew of suspension and safety goodies were thrown in for good measure. The result: a 350-horsepower four-door stomper that we would sell a leg for. 
The eighteen Cobra Vics survived their tour with Bondurant and were sold off when the school switched allegiance to GM. Fitting Mustang Cobra cats and some kissing up to the local DMV could get you plates. And you could have your own four-valve monster, complete with the gauges from a Mustang Cobra, a racing seat, a rollbar and a rowdy personality for yourself…if you were lucky enough to be one of the eighteen to get a car from Bondurant. Or, you could move your hind end and pick up one of the actual cars, which has gone up for sale on Hemmings. Whether you’re a performance junkie or a value speculator, either way we say move. Now.
I think the guy’s name was Kenny Bell, up in Indy, who was cranking out badass Marauder’s back in the ’90’s. They were amazingly well engineered cars, and I was always surprised I never saw any press on them!
Kenny Brown
There you go! Thanks, Richard!
Besides my cobra Vic being in hemmings it was also featured in July 2013 Car Craft Magazine.I long hauled the Hot Rod Power Tour and did the Optima challenge and car craft summer nationals real street eliminator and drove it twice to the Bonneville Salt Flats 142mph and ran Ohio mile 131mph. I used that car the way Roush intended. Great neat car.
Good ol’ Cleetus McFarland put together an, as fast if not faster version “Project Neighbor” and it isn’t so precious that he he isn’t afraid to crank on it hard! He pulled motor/trans out of a Shelby convertible and is having more fun and doing it cheaper then the stiff shirts @ Hemmings could conceive……check Cleetus’ you-tube videos
Oh yeah – Cleetus’ car has an regular, obtainable title & tags too
I guarantee “Cleetus” has a ton of money wrapped up in his
Sure he has some bucks in it. After breaking & replacing everything from one end of the car to the other trying to find parts that won’t break. The original Shelby blower wasn’t big enough do it got replaced, custom 9″ rear to rear to place weak original unit, etc, etc. He’s making over 1,000 hp bigger heads & cams & isn’t afraid to get it dirty
Seems a little pricey for something that was beat on by a bunch of non drivers learning how to drive hard.
Only the instructors drove the Vic’s. Students drove the mustangs. I always said my cobra Vic was competition proven since it had 18000 miles driven on their track.