Since it first hit the big stage at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals, Ford’s Cobra Jet Mustang has embodied a history of power, performance, and triumph. Ford Performance today revealed the quickest drag racing Mustang ever, capable of covering a quarter-mile in the mid-eight-second range.
The 50th anniversary Cobra Jet Mustang will be a modern day 150 mph rocket such was the 1968 version back in it’s heyday. The new Cobra Jet will be availble in either Oxford White or Race Red. The car will be powered by a 5.2-liter version of Ford’s Coyote 5.0, adding to the horsepower will be a massive 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger. The engine sends power to the ground through a 9-inch solid rear axle, two-way coil-over shocks with adjustable ride height and a low-drag disc brake system from Strange Engineering as well as a four-link rear suspension with antiroll and panhard bars.
“From the very first Mustang Cobra Jets dominating the 1968 NHRA Winternationals to our modern-day racers, the Ford Performance Parts team continues to build on Cobra Jet’s success at the track over five decades,” said Eric Cin, global director, Ford Performance Parts. “This has inspired generations of Mustang fans to create their own performance machines for the street.”
MSRP for the Cobra Jet will be $130,000 and production will be limited to 68 models to honor the 1968 version.
Mustang Cobra Jet timeline
1968 – Original FE 428-cubic-inch V8-powered Cobra Jet is created:
- Ford produces 50 lightweight Mustangs to hold the 335-horsepower engine; six are shipped to Holman Moody and Bill Stroppe to be prepared for NHRA competition
- Al Joniec pilots one of the six to Cobra Jet’s first victory
2008 – Rebirth of factory Mustang Cobra Jet, M-FR500-CJ, 40 years later:
- Powered by a supercharged 5.4-liter dual-overhead-cam V8, this drag racing renaissance was the first Stock Eliminator car to dip into the eight-second zone at an NHRA National Event
- Unlike the original, the 50 produced this time around do not feature VINs, so they are not street legal
- John Calvert drives a Cobra Jet featuring Joniec tribute paint scheme to victory at NHRA Winternationals on 41st anniversary of its original win
2009-16 – M-FR500-CJ:
- 250 additional cars are produced with dozens of domestic drag racing records, victories and championships achieved across NHRA, IHRA, NMCA and NMRA
- Drivers range from experienced veterans to young drag racing stars in the making
- Through half a century, Mustang Cobra Jet orders are still being placed at local Ford dealerships
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