Since unveiling the S650 Ford Mustang, Ford Performance has been busy building some pretty spectacular race cars based on the new muscle car. Last week, Ford posted a teaser video to social media showing a Mustang-based drag racer slated to be unveiled on April 13. A sticker on the rear reveals that it will be a Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800, and the vehicle’s sound points towards an electric powertrain.
Ford Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800: Details
Ford also included the tag “upgraded” alongside the video in the social media posts, which points to this vehicle being a more potent successor to the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 unveiled in 2020. That car was a prototype used to explore the potential for electric powertrains within the world of drag racing. This electric dragster developed a peak of 1,502 horsepower at the wheels, plenty of power to rocket the car down the quarter-mile stretch in just 8.27 seconds at 168 mph.
Yes, it’s faster than the official quarter mile time of the Dodge Demon 170. But the Demon 170 is still street legal, with street legal tires.
Image Via Ford.
Since then, Ford has launched a redesigned Mustang, and it looks like the new car will have an electric drag racer of its own. Considering that Ford calls this new drag racer the Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800, we can expect the car to have 1,800 horsepower or more. It’ll be fantastic to see this thing launch its way down a drag strip. With more power, possibly even lighter weight, we can expect to see this thing have an absurdly quick time down the straight.
Ford has been working with NHRA organizers to identify ways to introduce electrification to professional drag racing. Given the performance demonstrated by the previous Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, it won’t be long until they’re adopted into the sport. From an environmental standpoint, it’ll be better than the flaming engines in Dragsters today, though, less epic to watch.
Ford isn’t the only automaker exploring electric dragsters. In 2019, the Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro hit nines in its runs, but that program seemed to have fizzled out due to lack of interest. The electric Camaro even went up for auction, but amounted to a no-sale.
