Back in the days of the original musclecar wars, we had cues that identified something that was rare, or unique, and those cues often drew more attention to the car than it’s plain Jane counterparts. Mopar had the Hemi cars, the Winged Warriors, and the Six Pack cars to drop a few names. GM had the Z/28, RS, SS, W30, 4-4-2, Trans Am, GTO, Super Duty, and others.

Ford had its own nomenclature that meant something significant, too. Mach 1, Boss, Thunderbolt, Side Oiler, Cammer, and the Cobra Jet/Super Cobra Jet engines. The Super Cobra Jet engines were rumored to only be available if a customer ordered the optional 3.91:1 or 4.30:1 rear end gear ratios. And other than an anomaly that was said to have a Cobra Jet engine and the 4.30:1 traction-lok rearend, the Super Cobra Jet engine was part of the two axle packages mentioned above, and it wouldn’t be ordered without one of those two rearend ratios.

While other rumors have stated that the SCJ rotating assembly had forged pistons and the CJ had cast pistons, the original Muscle Parts catalog indicated that all 428 engines use dished cast aluminum pistons. The Mustang 428 Cobra Jet Registry states that none of the SCJ and CJ rotating assemblies interchange. As special as the engine is, the block, heads, manifolds and other components actually did interchange.

Still, when you mention Super Cobra Jet, it does get the ear of Ford fanatics, and that’s what the seller of this 1969 Mustang Mach 1 SCJ is hoping for. With just over a day left at auction, the $21,500 Buy-It-Now price is still quite a ways from the current bid of just over $11,000.

The car isn’t a numbers-matching car, and the correct transmission has been replaced with a standard C6 transmission. Many of the other parts are correct SCJ parts, but is that incorrect transmission a detriment to the final sale price? The reserve isn’t met, and the body does require a bit of work as suface rust is all over, and the “driver” interior is in need of some work.

What are your thoughts? Is $21k a little bit too much for a car that has potential but requires a lot of personal time invested? Or do you think it’s a bargain and a steal as listed? The seller does claim that you won’t find a nicer, more complete SCJ anywhere – do you believe him? You have just over a day to decide.