Ford Performance has announced an upgraded version of its Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, which holds the current NHRA-sanctioned standing start quarter mile record for full-bodied all-electric cars. That record was set in June 2021 at Norwalk, Ohio, where Bob Tasca III drove the Cobra Jet 1400 to 8.128 seconds at 171.97 mph.
Known as the Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800, the upgraded car is described as “an aggressive development”, which again has been undertaken as a collaborative effort between Ford Performance, MLe Racecars, AEM-EV, Cascadia Motion and Watson Engineering.
Ford reports: “The Ford Performance led team went back to the drawing board and poured their effort into revisions and upgrades to the chassis, powertrain and control systems. To match this work, Ford Performance brought back the famed Super Cobra Jet name, first offered on 1969 model year Mustangs as an improvement to the standard Cobra Jet package.”
The Super Cobra Jet 1800 utilises the existing four PN-250-DZR inverters coupled to two double-stacked DS-250-115 motor pairings. These are now attached to a new transmission from Liberty and they are powered by “an entirely redone, lighter weight battery system designed by Ford Performance and MLe Racecars”.
Ford adds: “The power is sent to an MLe Racecars-revised rear end featuring improved suspension geometry from PMR and larger Mickey Thompson drag radials to optimise launches. The entire dance is managed by Ford Performance proprietary control software running on AEM-EV hardware, with a new data acquisition system, dash and power distribution system all designed in-house.”
Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports, added “Our changes have made significant improvements to the car, including removing hundreds of pounds in weight and increasing horsepower to 1800 [hence the name]. Drag racing 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.”