What the heck was that?
Oh, you mean that blur that just went streaking by at Oh-My-God miles per hour?
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There's a good chance that might have been the Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800, Ford's (F) mega-aggressive revision to the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400.
Ford says this latest vehicle is aiming to crush the Cobra Jet 1400’s standing world record for full-bodied electric vehicles in the quarter-mile, 8.128 seconds at 171.97 miles per hour.
Ford Performance, the company's high-performance division, brought back the famed Super Cobra Jet name, first offered on 1969 model year Mustangs as an improvement to the standard Cobra Jet package.
“We’re always looking to push ourselves in every corner of the motorsport world,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, said in a statement.
Drag racing, Rushbrook added, "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.”
Dropping Weight, Boosting Horsepower
The Super Cobra Jet 1800 uses the same four PN-250-DZR inverters coupled to two double-stacked DS-250-115 motor pairings as before, the automaker said, but now they're attached to a new transmission from Liberty and powered by an entirely redone, lighter weight battery system designed by Ford Performance and MLe Racecars.
Rushbrook said the various changes made “significant improvements to the car,” including removing hundreds of pounds in weight and boosting horsepower up to the 1800 mark.
In 2021, the National Hotrod Association announced the creation of an all-new electric vehicle racing class that to join the NHRA Summit Racing Series. The group said its EV race car initiative “was launched to bring automakers, racers, the safety industry, and the performance aftermarket together.”
Reaction on social media to the Super Cobra Jet 1800 was generally supportive, even among those apparently in the internal combustion engine camp.
"I’m still gonna miss gas and I’ll tell you that right to your face," one person tweeted. "Big picture is more important though"
"Ok, #Mustang : I'm Not in to owning a EV Car or Truck as of Yesterday 🤔But today, WoW this may have changed my mind a little, Not! Alot!," another person said.
But then another person mused "Guessing what’s faster. The car or its battery drain."
And be advised: the Super Cobra Jet 1800 is looking to claim records for fastest electric vehicle 0-60 mph and fastest two-wheel drive electric vehicle 0-60 during a National Hotrod Racing Association event later this season.
