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Inside the Cobra, SAM instructor Patrick Topolinski goes to work.
The seats are Kirkey aluminum light weight racing units. The gauges are from Auto Meter. The B&M Pro Stick shifter works a
Powerglide with a JW Ultra–bell and Ultra–case. The 7–inch Coan converter stalls to 7,500 rpm. |
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Purchased from FFW Street Bandit racer Mat Jones, the SAM ’95 Cobra is one trick little
race car. The exterior features a white with PPG blue paint scheme, Skinny Kid Racecar’s aluminum wing, a fiberglass hood
from Unlimited Products, and Bogart R/T rims. The funny–car style rollcage was bent by Pro–Comp Engineering (Austin,
Texas), and the 9–inch Ford rear holds 4.86:1 gears, 35–spline Moser axles, and a Strange aluminum differential. The brakes
are Aerospace in the front and Wilwood in the rear. The front suspension consists of Santhuff struts and springs,
Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates, and a PA Racing K–member and A–arms. The 9–inch is suspended by a Comp Engineering
ladder bar setup, Hypercoil springs, and double–adjustable Strange shocks. The 28x10.5–inch Mickey Thompson slicks combine
for a best short time of 1.26 seconds. |
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As for the engine, Patrick had this to say about the process: "The engine program for the car had been in development for quite
some time as it is a class project done as part of the curriculum with the students and instructors deciding on which direction
to go with parts selection and machining tolerances. Both the short–block and induction package of the engine were conceived
and constructed in–house by faculty and students in their respective classes during school. Parts selection, machining,
assembly, and ultimately testing on the school’s Superflow 902 Dyno resulted in a combination that everyone felt would be
competitive in the class."
With the NMRA season bearing down on them, students stayed late and on the weekends to finish getting the car together only
one week before Bradenton, its first race. More than 20 students made the 19–hour trip [there’s a move in here somewhere]
from Houston to Bradenton without one speeding ticket. Surprisingly, after the Friday-night qualifying session, the SAM car
was the number–one qualifier with a 9.068 at 148.80 mph effort— ahead of a field of the country’s best racers including last
year’s undefeated champion, Charlie Booze, Jr. They went on to the semifinals of that race before losing to Mad Max Gross.
At Reynolds, Patrick red–lit by 0.001 second against Charlie and crossed the finish line two car lengths ahead of him.
While the SAM’s car had lost the race, the Hot Street world took notice that the student–built car was no joke.
A last–minute decision to attend the WFC may have been their best move yet. Jud and Linda joined the team in St. Louis and
watched as Patrick upset the number–one qualifier, Adrian Duron, to win the World Championship at WFC8. In the process,
Patrick recorded the best numbers to date on the SAM car, a super–fast 8.91 e.t. at 150.97 mph.
You may be wondering who pays for all of the parts, travel expenses, entry fees, and all the other costs associated with
running a competitive Hot Street car. We were surprised to find out the school’s project does not have any sponsorship or
state subsidies. Instead, the car is funded strictly from the SAM budget. That budget may continue to grow if this team
continues its success in one tough heads–up class. We give them an "A–plus" for one awesome Hot Street Mustang. 5.0
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