Ford fans who love drag racing know all about the Cobra Jet. With origins dating back to the Cobra Jet-powered Mustangs of the 1960s, modern-day Mustang Cobra Jets are dedicated quarter-mile track cars that drag racers can buy straight from Ford.

Only 68 current-era Cobra Jets are slated for production, and while Ford is coy on saying just how much power the highly modified 5.2-litre supercharged V8 engine produces, the car will run a mid-eight-second pass at 150 mph right out of the box.

Ford isn’t coy about the power produced from this new version, which is just a prototype at this point. In fact, the power level is right there in the name – Cobra Jet 1400. That stands for 1,400 bhp (1,044 kilowatts), but you won’t find a fire-breathing Coyote V8, or a flat-plane-crank V8, or a modified version of the Shelby GT500’s monster mill under the bonnet. You won’t find any fossil fuel engine in there, because this prototype is all-electric. And Ford says it’s faster than the current Cobra Jet.

Gallery: Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400

"This project was a challenge for all of us at Ford Performance, but a challenge we loved jumping into,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director for Ford Performance Motorsports. “We saw the Cobra Jet 1400 project as an opportunity to start developing electric powertrains in a race car package that we already had a lot of experience with, so we had performance benchmarks we wanted to match and beat right now. This has been a fantastic project to work on, and we hope the first of many coming from our team at Ford Performance Motorsports."

Details on the motor, battery, or other technical aspects aren’t offered as this is just a one-off prototype. However, it’s a fully functional Mustang that sends more than 1,100 pound-feet (1,491 Newton-metrers) of instant-on torque to the rear wheels. Ford says that should be enough to send the electric Cobra Jet 1400 through the quarter-mile in the low-eight-second range at over 170 mph.

Right now, this is just a prototype and Ford doesn't suggest it will become anything more than that. Testing on the Cobra Jet 1400 is ongoing, but an official in-person debut for media and drag racing fans at a quarter-mile track will take place later this year.

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Ford Performance Introduces All-Electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, Ford’s First Factory Fully Electric Dragster Prototype

 

DEARBORN, Mich., April 23, 2020 – It won’t hurt your ears and doesn’t use a drop of fuel, but it’s projected to crush the quarter-mile in the low-8-second range at more than 170 mph. For the first time ever, Ford Performance introduces a one-off Mustang Cobra Jet factory drag racer with all-electric propulsion.

 

The battery-powered Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype is purpose-built and projected to deliver over 1,400 horsepower and over 1,100 ft.-lbs. of instant torque to demonstrate the capabilities of an electric powertrain in one of the most demanding race environments.

 

“Ford has always used motorsport to demonstrate innovation,” said Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Icons. “Electric powertrains give us a completely new kind of performance and the all-electric Cobra Jet 1400 is one example of pushing new technology to the absolute limit. We’re excited to showcase what’s possible in an exciting year when we also have the all-electric Mustang Mach-E joining the Mustang family.”

 

Following the debut of the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV – the first-ever, all-electric Mustang, the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype represents another opportunity to advance Mustang heritage and performance while simultaneously incorporating some of the most advanced technology coming to Ford’s future powertrains.

 

Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 also honors the original Cobra Jet that first dominated drag strips in the late 1960s and still is a major force in sportsman drag racing today.

 

"This project was a challenge for all of us at Ford Performance, but a challenge we loved jumping into,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We saw the Cobra Jet 1400 project as an opportunity to start developing electric powertrains in a race car package that we already had a lot of experience with, so we had performance benchmarks we wanted to match and beat right now. This has been a fantastic project to work on, and we hope the first of many coming from our team at Ford Performance Motorsports."

 

Ford Performance continues to test Cobra Jet 1400 ahead of its world debut later this year at a drag racing event where fans, media and competitors alike will get to meet the race car, as well as see exactly what it’s capable of up on the asphalt.

 

Before that, catch a sneak peek starting this Sunday, April 26 by watching MotorTrend On Demand’s “Hard Cell”, a showcase of electric vehicles pushing innovation boundaries.

 

To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the project, Ford Performance has teamed up with several capable and specialized suppliers: 

 

  • MLe Racecars – Vehicle builder, designer, integrator and tuner
  • Watson Engineering – Chassis support and development, roll cage builder
  • AEM EV – Software and motor calibration and controls

Cascadia – Inverter and Motor supplier