(As it turns out, you can see the Mustang Cobra Jet dragster in action on the show Hard Cell on the MotorTrend app. In the meantime, subscribers can check out other episodes of the performance-EV-focused program right here. )
The Mustang Mach-E is a clear indication Ford wants to make quick, powerful electric cars. Now the Blue Oval has prepared an even more potent pony: a Cobra Jet EV dragster with more than 1,500 horsepower.
Like fossil-fuel-powered Cobra Jets, the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype—so named, we suppose, for the 1,400 wheel horsepower it was originally thought to produce—looks a lot like a regular Mustang on steroids, with optimized bodywork and fat rubber signifying its quarter-mile purpose. For better or worse, though, this latest model sounds nothing like your average ‘Stang. In a teaser video released by Ford, the electric prototype seems to perform its dragly duties in all the smoky, hellaciously quick ways we’re used to—except it’s eerily quiet.
Ford Performance expected a quarter-mile run in the low-eight-second range at more than 170 mph, and testing ahead of the U.S. Nationals, it blew through that bogey. Ford claims the electric dragster scorched the quarter-mile in 8.27 seconds at 168 mph; it also threw down 1,502 wheel horsepower, beyond the 1,400 it was anticipated to have. As you might expect, that quarter-mile performance will completely cream the mightiest street Mustang, the Shelby GT500, which we’ve clocked hitting the mark in 11.3 seconds at 131.6 mph when equipped with the Carbon Fiber Track Pack. It’ll also be much quicker than the 1968 Mustang Cobra Jet, which Hot Rod pushed to a 13.56-second quarter-mile. Torque is estimated at more than 1,100 lb-ft in the new monster EV.
Ford will publicly debut the Cobra Jet 1400 at the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Without going into more detail, the automaker said attendees will be able to witness its capabilities on the track. Ahead of the debut, Ford continues to test and perfect the prototype. In the process, it has teamed up with various suppliers, including MLe Racecars, a vehicle builder, integrator, and tuner; Watson Engineering, which specializes in chassis support and development; AEM EV for software and motor calibration; and Cascadia, an inverter and motor supplier. You can check out another video Ford has released ahead of the U.S. Nationals below:
(This post was originally published in April 2020 and has since been updated to reflect new horsepower and quarter-mile performance figures, as well as the Cobra Jet 1400’s debut venue at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. )
