Ford’s Mustang Cobra Jet strikes as quickly as its venomous namesake

By Stephen Edelstein Published August 28, 2018

1 of 8

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If all you care about is going fast in a straight line, Ford has the car for you. The 2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet was built specifically for drag racing. In fact, it’s the quickest drag-racing Mustang ever, according to Ford. Like most things Mustang, the Cobra Jet is also a reference to the car’s past glory.

Recommended Videos

The first Mustang Cobra Jet was launched 50 years ago, in 1968. That was the height of the American muscle car craze, when winning at the drag strip had a significant impact on sales. So Ford built 50 lightweight Mustangs with 335 horsepower and 428-cubic-inch V8 engines, and made sure they found their way into the hands of drag racers. Ford brought back the Cobra Jet in 2008, and continued building small batches of the cars through 2016.

Like its predecessors, the 2018 Cobra Jet is a turnkey race car that people can buy and send directly to the drag strip. It features a 5.2-liter V8, which is the same configuration that will be used in the upcoming Shelby GT500 road car (Ford did not confirm that both cars will use the same engine, however). Ford wouldn’t discuss power output, but said the Cobra Jet will run the quarter mile in the 8-second-plus range at speeds up to 150 mph.

To fortify the Mustang for drag racing, Ford added a roll cage, racing seats, two-way coil-over shock absorbers with adjustable ride height, 9-inch solid rear axle, and a “low-drag” braking system. Buyers can choose between Race Red and Oxford White.

Ford will build just 68 2018 Cobra Jets, in honor of the original Cobra Jet’s 1968 debut. Pricing starts at $130,000, which is a lot money for a Mustang, but not bad for a complete race car that may also become a collector’s item in the future. Note that Chevrolet and Dodge have offered their own turnkey drag racers in the form of the COPO Camaro and Challenger Drag Pak, respectively. We wouldn’t be surprised to see updated versions of those cars arrive soon to challenge Ford.

The Cobra Jet isn’t the only new special-edition Mustang celebrating the 1960s. Ford recently launched a new Mustang Bullitt to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Steve McQueen film of the same name, and brought back the California Special, which debuted in 1968. But the upcoming GT500 may eclipse them all.

Reviving a nameplate that debuted in 1967 and was last used in 2014, the GT500 will be the most powerful production Mustang ever, with at least 700 hp. Unlike the Cobra Jet, it will also be road legal.

Stephen Edelstein

Former Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Topics

Cars

Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Cars

Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon

The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR

Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Cars

A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain

Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.