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Chapter One: Desert Storm
Meet John Coletti, Ford's Special Vehicle Team - and the ill-fated 2002 Mustang Cobra, a vehicle that Coletti angrily barred from going into production.
Chapter Two: Clearing the Path
John Coletti's decision to cancel the 2002 Mustang Cobra left SVT's dealers upset, with no new product to sell for a full year. Those dealers had no way of knowing Coletti had an amazing solution in mind, but first he and SVT marketing head Tom Scarpello had to gain approval for a program that came to be known as the Terminator.
Chapter Three: Appearances Count
Looking at the 2001 Mustang Cobra, Camilo Pardo thought he could dramatically improve the appearance of SVT's flagship vehicle. And he had the opportunity to do just that in his new post as SVT's design manager, working on the Terminator and the Ford GT supercar side by side.
Chapter Four: Handling with Care
John Coletti's decision to supercharge the Terminator threw SVT's vehicle dynamics team into chaos. The 2002 Mustang Cobra's handling package had been fully tweaked and tuned - now it was back to square one...
Chapter Five: Heart and Soul
Mustang enthusiasts had long demanded a factory-supercharged model of the famed car. Now, John Coletti was ready to give it to them. There was just one problem - the early development engines had a troublesome habit of violently self-destructing.
Chapter Six: To the Limits
The chassis team had begun their Terminator efforts at a major disadvantage – there were no production-spec supercharged engines to use in testing. But with the engines finally available, it was time for some serious on-track action.
Chapter Seven: Detail Oriented
Automotive industry suppliers prefer to sell components to the manufacturers by the millions - not in the boutique-level quantity SVT demanded for the Terminator. But one supplier was thrilled to be involved in John Coletti's program, and that contribution was one that helped make the new engine "bullet proof."
Chapter Eight: Power Plant
The goal of auto industry engine building is to mass-produce engines as quickly as possible - except along Ford's Romeo Engine Niche Line. Here, assembly speed takes a back seat to hand-built quality and consistent excellence.
Chapter Nine: Under Cover
The Terminator had received its code name for an obvious reason: it was a fully clandestine development program. But word was beginning to emerge that SVT was up to something big. And not even the camouflage that tried to hide the potency of the new Mustang Cobra prototypes could thwart the exponentially-increasing speculation about John Coletti's next vehicle.
Chapter Ten: Muscle Down the Line
The Terminator had charged toward production status, with development that could have taken years accomplished in mere months. But realizing that very production was a concept creating massive headaches at Ford's Dearborn Assembly Plant, the historic home of decades of Mustang construction.
Chapter Eleven: Power to the People
At last, it was time to unleash the Terminator on the world. John Coletti and Tom Scarpello thundered into the Chicago Auto Show, trailing tire smoke and launching the new Mustang Cobra into a period of intense praise offered by the automotive press. And for good reason - this Mustang Cobra easily justified its elevated status, placing it securely alongside Ford legends like the Boss 429.
Chapter Twelve: Aftermath
Despite the success of both the Terminator and the Ford GT supercar, unexpected winds of change blew through Ford's executive ranks and eventually had their way with the Special Vehicle Team. And, at what seemed to be the height of his prowess, John Coletti retired from the team he had led to deserved prominence. One thing that will remain constant, though, is Coletti's legacy of high performance.