The year 2020 was not only synonymous with Covid-19, confinement and an existential void. At Ford Performance, it was the year of the launch of the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400a 100% electric model which marked the spirits considerably, reminiscent of New Atlas.
It was in September 2020 that a prototype was presented to the public, during a race organized by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), where the car achieved the staggering time of 8.27 seconds. over a quarter of a mile (just over 402.3 meters).
The following year, the Mustang made history by beating the world record for quarter mile for an electric vehicle, with a time of 8.128 seconds and a speed of 276.76 km/h. At the time these lines are written, it is still the reference time in this category.
But Ford was not going to stop there: for the brand with the bluish oval, there was no question of resting on its laurels. This is how the Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800 comes to us, a completely redesigned version of the electric Cobra Jet, with a lot less pounds and hundreds of additional horsepower under the hood.
Back to the future
Nostalgics will be delighted to see the name “Super Cobra Jet” reappear, which brings us back straight back to 1969. But this time, it’s a super all-electric dragster.
“We always try to explore every corner of motorsport”says Mark Rushbrook, general manager of Ford Performance Motorsports. “Drag racing remains a critical testing ground for our products and technologies. We are excited not only to beat our own record, but to further our development of the all-electric landscape.”
With its 1,800 horsepower, the new Cobra Jet sends heavy. She owes her weight loss to in-depth work carried out on the battery of the 1,400 horsepower model. The four DS-250-115 electric motors are the same; PN-250-DZR inverters as well; on the other hand, the transmission has been revised, as well as the configuration of the suspensions and the control software. Objective: to optimize the start of the machine, absolutely key to setting new records.
Ford is not advancing at all masked: the objective is to present itself in due time (but without too much delay) to a new race homologated by the NHRA and to push always higher the famous record of the quarter mile all-electric.
But other reference times are also in the sights of the American manufacturer, in particular that of the passage from 0 to 60 miles per hour (mph). Beating these records would make fun of Tesla, whose Model S currently serve references on the subject.
