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Ford Mustang GT-H: We have one. You want it, because it's about as special as it gets
by Dominik Bärlocher
The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400: drag racing is electric and epic
7.9.2020
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Petrol is a thing of the past. The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 is giving drag racers a run for their money with its electric drive. It hasn’t managed to squash all competition. Not yet. But it has scored some first victories.
The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 looks just like a normal Ford Mustang, be it the Cobra Jet Drag Race Edition, the normal street version or the performance edition known under the name Shelby.
But the Cobra Jet 1400, not to be confused with the Cobra Jet without the 1400, is the future. In fact, it has more in common with the Ford Mustang Mach-E, as this Cobra Jet doesn’t have a combustion engine. The deep, threatening chugging of eight cylinders is no more.
The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 is fully electric.
And wins.
A prototype with potential
«It’s actually a really cool sound,» says driver Bob Tasca III in an interview with the YouTube channel StangMode. «It almost sounds like a jet engine when it starts to come up in RPM.»
That’s not all. Something else that's gone is an effect that's beloved by V8 ethusiasts but actually represents a real hazard in drag races. I’m talking about the classic V8 rumble. It’s the effect you get if you rapidly increase the RPM in a V8 motor from a standing start. The motor then generates more power than the wheels can take, and the engine block shifts to the left. This makes the car jolt. To us mere mortals, this can be quite entertaining. But to racing drivers trying to set a new best time of under 8 seconds, this is a real problem. The sheer power while drag racing threatens to make the car veer off course.
The V8 rumble above is from the motor of a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, not a Mustang. Although the Mustang has a more distinctive throbbing sound, the engine rumble is clearly visible.
The Cobra Jet 1400 no longer has this.
«You don’t have all that rotating mass out front,» says Bob. «It’s really a straight line accelerator.»
For Bob Tasca, racing driver for Ford, one thing is clear: the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 is the future of both drag racing in particular and racing in general, be it just 400 m or more. Of course, only time will tell if he’s right about that or not. In any case, Ford has sent a strong signal with the 1400 and is a true pioneer in the field.
After the interview, Bob takes a seat in his Cobra Jet 1400.
He warms up the tyres. While there’s an entire tent for warming up tyres at a GT3 race, drag racers opt to do this with a burnout. It just wouldn’t be the same without at least some display of brute force. Unlike the rumble and grumble of the normal Cobra Jet’s combustion engine, the Cobra Jet 1400 only leaves behind the squeak of its tyres.
The light turns green. The tyres let out a screech as the Cobra Jet 1400’s full 1502 HP make their presence known on the asphalt. About 8 seconds later, the race is over. The electric dragster wins. This was only one race of many taking place on the same day. As it turns out, the gas guzzler has good chances against the electric car. It wins some rounds and loses others.
If Ford Performance hopes to crush the competition with its electric Mustang, it will have to hit the books again. Over the course of the day, the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 manages to win some of the so-called passes – the term for the individual rounds in drag racing. The 1400’s record is 8.27 seconds and a maximum speed of 270.37 km/h.
Not in mass production. Not yet
The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 isn’t a production vehicle. It was made with the race track in mind and will stay that way for now.
There’s no news of an upcoming street version of the Cobra Jet 1400. Ford has, however, recognised the spirit of the times and is going electric. A complete switch from petrol to electricity isn’t yet conceivable, but the American car manufacturer has used an iconic name in its launch of the Mustang Mach-E to spearhead its debut into the electric car market. This sends out a strong signal.
Apropos the Mach-E: the SUV-type electric car has itself also inspired the engineers at Ford. Because they sometimes bring street versions of racing cars to the market, they decided to switch things up. This time, they’ve built a Mach-E fit for the race track. The Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400 has been streamlined for performance and looks pretty dang impressive.
Well, there you have it. The future is electric and the Mach-E 1400 sure sports a fierce sound.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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