Silent killer | The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400

Ford has introduced a 1400 horsepower Mustang, christened the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, that will absolutely humiliate even the best dragsters out there. Don't let that name deceive you since it's not powered by a jet engine, but an extremely potent pure electric powertrain.

The battery powered Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 is purpose built for drag races, and is projected to deliver over 1400hp and 1491Nm of instant torque. Ford aims to shatter the quarte-mile run in the low-8-second range at over 274kmph with the Cobra Jet 1400. For perspective, the Bugatti Chiron covers the distance in just under 10 seconds while the McLaren 720S does the job in 9.7 seconds. And even by Mustang standards, the Cobra Jet 1400 punches way above its weight. The range-topping ICE powered Mustang Shelby GT500 produces 760hp and 847Nm of torque while the pure electric Mach-E GT churns a comparatively humble 465hp and 830Nm of torque.

The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 aims to pay tribute to the original 1968 Mustang Cobra Jet that ruled drag strips in the late sixties and early seventies. In that era, the pony was way ahead of its time in terms of sheer performance and quarter-mile drag runs. It was powered by a 7-litre V8 that produced 410hp, but Ford tuned it down to 335hp to comply with certain regulations. Torque was rated at 603Nm and this pony-car legend dominated late-sixties dragstrips with a quarter-mile time of 13.20 seconds. It also packed fancy technologies like limited-slip differential and an automatic gearbox.

However, Ford is not alone in the development process of the electric dragster. The brand’s performance division has teamed up with the following specialized suppliers.

1) MLe Racecars - Vehicle builder, designer, integrator, and tuner

2) Watson Engineering - Chassis support and development, roll cage builder

3) AEM EV - Software, motor calibration and controls

4) Cascadia - Inverter and motor supplier

Commenting on the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Icons, said, “We saw the Cobra Jet 1400 project as an opportunity to start developing electric powertrains in a race car package that we already had a lot of experience with, so we had performance benchmarks we wanted to match and beat right now. This has been a fantastic project to work on, and we hope the first of many coming from our team at Ford Performance Motorsports."

The electric muscle car is currently undergoing further testing and its world debut will take place later this year at a drag racing event. The last factory dragster from Ford was the 2018 Cobra Jet that covered a quarter-mile in around 8.5 seconds.