A legend among fans of Ford’s now-defunct Special Vehicle Team creations, the 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R is powered by a naturally aspirated, 5.4-liter Modular engine cranking out 385-horsepower. Riding on a taut suspension and benefitting from a big wing and front splitter meant to stabilize the car at its top speed of 170 mph, this R-model’s production run was limited to only 300 units.

Rather than ripping around racetracks, this Cobra R is infamous for sitting in people’s collections and collecting dust. Left to sit and serve as an investment rather than revving to 7,000 rpm on the racetrack, these cars typically carry low mileage to preserve value and reduce the risk of damage.

The risk wasn’t low enough for the 2000 Cobra R on display in the showroom at Tri-City Ford in Eden, North Carolina, as it sustained significant damage as a wayward import crashed through the showroom and hit the mint condition R-model that served as a conversation piece at the dealership. Photos taken after the crash show a bag still over the passenger seat, suggesting that the rare SVT was not dealer-prepped to keep it as original as possible.

After the incident, the dealer staff moved the car out of the showroom for further evaluation. It appears there is damage to the passenger side, door, fender, mirror roof, and even the windshield as a result of the out-of-control vehicle.

Knowing how Blue Oval fans revere these rare R-models, it’s a tragedy to see one damaged like this. The future of this particular Cobra R is unknown, but it is most certainly worth repairing to preserve a piece of history. Once it’s repaired, it would make the perfect R-model to actually race on the track, as the value would already have taken a major hit.

Would you put the car back on display or take it to the track?