Ford’s current lineup of Mustangs may represent a spark of hope for the brand, but the fact remains that in Detroit’s escalating horsepower arms race, Ford has lagged behind Dodge’s Challenger and Charger Hellcat specials. Now, Ford leaps ahead with the release of the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet - a 50th anniversary commemorative model that looks to leave even the formidable Challenger Hellcat Demon in the dust.
Following some not-so-subtle teasers earlier this year, the newest iteration of the Cobra Jet should only disappoint fans with the sad fact that it won’t be legal to drive on the street. Instead, this Mustang is prepped for immediate legal entry into the National Hot Rod Association’s drag racing category, as well as races set up by the National Mustang Racers Association and National Muscle Car Association.
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The Cobra Jet’s competition should be shaking in their boots, as this version features a special 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger bolted on to its 5.0-liter Coyote V8 which in this case has been stroked to 5.2-liters of displacement. Ford claims the setup should allow for trap speeds up to 150 miles per hour in the quarter-mile, and clocks in somewhere between in between the eighth and ninth second. For context, the highest spec Challenger Demon packs 840 horsepower and runs the quarter-mile about a second slower due to its larger mass.
Harnessing so much power and routing it to the rear wheels effectively required a delete of the Mustang’s coveted independent rear suspension, which has been replaced by solid nine-inch rear axle and four-link suspension. Additional modifications from a road-going Mustang include a roll cage, FIA-certified seats, adjustable coilovers, larger sway bars, and panhard bars. Custom Weld Racing wheels feature badging commemorating the Cobra Jet’s 50th anniversary.
The 2018 Cobra Jet will be officially unveiled at the Woodward Dream Cruise taking place this weekend, with pricing set at $130,000. Only 68 examples will leave the factory in full Cobra Jet-spec, to commemorate the original car’s model year. Customers will get to choose only between Race Red and Oxford White paint schemes, again in a nod to the original car’s color. Of course, that carbon fiber hood and an enormous cobra painting influence the overall appearance, as do the wheelie bars hanging off the rear end.