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Based on a six-cylinder Mustang...
Based on a six-cylinder Mustang platform, the Cobra Jet only has a few unique exterior features. Among the standouts are louvered Sliverhorse Racing quarter-windows, a Cobra Jet hoodscoop, 15x4 front and 15x10 rear Cobra Jet wheels, and not much else. Underneath the body, however, the drag 'Stangs are equipped with Ford Racing's 9-inch rear-axle assembly, a one-piece driveshaft and driveshaft loop, Cobra Jet rear control arms and anti-roll bar, and adjustable shocks with drag-race springs.
The Cobra Jets made their public on-track debut at the World Finals, when Funny Car drivers John Force and Bob Tasca III held a one-round shootout just before final rounds. Both drivers ran side-by-side high-10.80s at 128 mph in cars they had never driven before.
My second run-in with a Cobra Jet was a lot more personal, as I actually had a chance to take over the controls and make a pass in one at the PSCA Street Car Super Nationals IV. Everything about the experience was awesome, from setting the line-lock and doing a tire-roasting burnout to dumping the clutch and taking off down The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, banging the gears of the six-speed tranny like a man possessed. (Unfortunately, Ford's engineers handcuffed guest drivers with a disappointingly low 5,000-rpm rev limit, which I discovered when shifting from Third to Fourth gears.)
When it was over, I picked up my time slip and learned that I had jockeyed the Cobra Jet 'Stang to an 11.01 e.t. at 126 mph. The performance is by no means earth shattering. However, when you consider the Vegas/Pomona altitude differences and my hitting the chip on the 3-to-4 gear change, it's cool to see that the Cobra Jet is a consistent race car, as it ran right on par with the Force/Tasca 10.80 passes at Pomona.
An in-car GoPro Motorsports HERO video camera captured my run in the Cobra Jet. Dial up www.50mustangandsuperfords.com to see and hear the thrill I experienced.
If this bullet seems familiar...
If this bullet seems familiar to you, it's probably because you've seen the same thing under the hood of '07-'09 Shelby GT500 'Stangs. Despite having a twin 62mm throttle body, 80-lb/hr fuel injectors, a 123mm mass air, American Racing Headers long-tubes, and an Innovators West SFI-approved, 10-percent-overdriven crankshaft damper, Ford engineers actually have dialed-back the TVS supercharged, 5.4-liter bullets in Cobra Jets in order to meet NHRA's strict horsepower-per-cubic-inch requirements, making the 'Stangs eligible for Stock and Super Stock, as well as other Lucas Oil Sportsman categories. Every '08 Cobra Jet is built with a serial number, but does not have a VIN, and therefore they are by no means street legal. The race 'Stangs get their start (bodies and sub-assemblies such as dash, assembled corners, and so on) in Flat Rock, Michigan, at the Auto Alliance International assembly plant, and then are sent to a Ford finishing facility in Livonia, Michigan, where additional parts are installed and the cars are final-prepped.
5.0 Tech SpecsEngine and DrivetrainBlockFord 5.4-liter ironBore90.2mmStroke106mmDisplacement5.4 litersCrankshaftForged eight-boltRodsForged I-beamPistonsForgedCompression Ratio8.5:1Camshaft10mm liftHeadsGT500IntakeAluminum w/air-to-liquid intercoolerThrottle BodyFord Racing 62.5mm twinMass AirFord Racing 123mmInjectors80 lbs/hourPowerAdder2.3-liter Eaton Twin Vortices superchargerIntercoolerAir-to-liquidFuel PumpGT500Headers1 7/8-inch long-tubeExhaustTurn-downsTransmissionModified TR-6060 (six-speed) w/SFI scatterproof bellhousingConverterN/A RearendFord 9-inch with factory S197 mounting points. 4.11 gears, spool