Ford targets EV speed record with Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800 Prototype

Ford’s Mustang Cobra Jet is back and ready to party. After its blistering 8.128-second quarter-mile run in Norwalk, Ohio, in 2021, the Cobra Jet 1400 went under the knife, re-emerging as the Super Cobra Jet 1800 — reviving the “Super” moniker first offered in 1969. Now Ford will campaign it with hopes of beating not only the Cobra Jet 1400’s full-bodied EV quarter-mile time, but any others that may stand in its way.

“We’re always looking to push ourselves in every corner of the motorsport world,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Drag racing remains a key proving ground for our products and technology, and we’re excited to not only try to best our own record in the quarter-mile, but to further showcase ongoing development we continue to make across the entire electric vehicle landscape.”

The original Cobra Jet 1400 was named for its electric motors’ target output of 1,400 horsepower. That ended up being a bit off the mark, but Ford says this one makes as much power as advertised: 1,800 horses. It runs the same inverters and motors as before, but they’ve been matched to a new transmission and redesigned, lighter-weight battery pack engineered by Ford Performance and MLe Racecars. Bigger tires and a beefed-up rear end help put it all to the ground. The changes to the battery system contributed to a weight reduction of hundreds of pounds, Rushbrook said. 

On top of going for a new full-bodied electric vehicle record, the Super Cobra Jet 1800 will also attempt to claim records for fastest electric vehicle 0-60 mph and fastest two-wheel drive electric vehicle 0-60 during an NHRA event later this season, Ford says. 

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