Latest Ford Cobra Jet Mustang Now Available

Ford’s 2018 Cobra Jet is the quickest factory-built Mustang ever thanks to a supercharged 5.2-liter V8.

Back in April, Ford Motor Company teased the return of the Cobra Jet Mustang. Ford Performance announced last week that the ordering process for the track-only muscle car is now officially open. The 2018 model is not only the quickest car to wear the Cobra Jet name, but this new race car marks the 50th anniversary of the factory drag racing program – making these Mustangs particularly collectable.

Modern Cobra Jet

Ford Performance reincarnated the Cobra Jet package back in 2008 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1968 Cobra Jet Mustang. That race car (below in white) was powered by a 5.4-liter V8 topped by a 2.3-liter supercharger and mated to a race-prepped automatic transmission. The car had a race-ready solid rear axle a gutted interior with a roll cage certified to run 9.50s and no creature comforts.

For 2010, it was still a 5.4-liter engine, but a 4.0-liter supercharger option was added in addition to the 2.3-liter blower and in 2012 (below in light blue), it was more or less the same package with little tweaks here and there, including a roll cage certified to 8.50.

For the 2013 model year (above in black), a new engine was introduced with the arrival of the Ford Performance 5.0-liter V8. That engine was available in naturally aspirated form or with a 2.9-liter supercharger and things would remain the same (again with minor tweaks) for the 2014 Cobra Jet Mustang.

When the 2016 Cobra Jet (above in dark blue) was introduced, it still had the 5.0-liter V8, but the naturally aspirated package was gone, equipping all models with the 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger.

Finally, we come to the 2018 Ford Performance Cobra Jet Mustang, which introduces an all-new engine to the brand lineup as well as an all-new look.

New 2018 Cobra Jet

When Ford teased the 2018 Cobra Jet a few months back, we knew that it would feature the exterior redesign of the non-Shelby 2018 Mustang, but all we got was a shadowy teaser. This time, the pictures from Ford Performance show the drag-ready car from the side in each of its two available colors – Oxford White or Race Red. Each new Cobra Jet comes with a black hood with a raised center section sporting gold trim.

That gold trim is echoed through the Mustang logo on the front bumper and throughout the vintage-look graphics on the sides of the car. The exterior of the package also includes the rear spoiler from the Shelby GT350R as well as unique Weld Racing wheels with 50th anniversary badging. Of course, there are skinny drag tires up front and big, sticky drag slicks out back.

What really makes the 2018 Cobra Jet special is the introduction of a new 5.2-liter. This is not the flat-plane engine from the current Shelby GT350 but rather, a new cross-plane engine based on the 5.0-liter Coyote architecture.  That engine will come topped by a supercharger, but we don’t have the exact specifications on the forced induction yet, but we do know that it will pack enough power to put this Ford Mustang into the mid-8-second range, with trap speeds up around 150 miles per hour. As has been the case since 2008, this Cobra Jet will come with a race-spec automatic transmission and a Ford nine-inch solid rear axle built by Strange Engineering.

Other key features of the 2018 Ford Performance Cobra Jet Mustang include an NHRA roll cage good for the 8.50 range, race-approved bucket seats and a race-tuned, adjustable suspensions system.

Ford Performance hasn’t announced the pricing for the 2018 Cobra Jet Mustang, but we do know that only 68 will be made – once again paying homage to the original factory-built drag racing Mustang. The order banks are officially open now, so if you are looking to spend somewhere in the area of $100,000 for a turnkey eight-second Mustang, you will want to talk to your local dealership right away.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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