Since the 1960’s, Ford Mustangs have dominated drags trips racing worldwide. You will be amazed to know that the Cobra Jet started its winning ways in its maiden year in 1968 when it won the NHRA Winternationals which were held in Pomona, California.
In recent years, the Ford performance Cobra Jet has been a regular podium finisher at the NHRA, NMCA, NMRA and IHRA competitions. The new Cobra Jet is the first model since 2013. It is based on the 2015 Mustang. It will be the only 2016 Mustang model with a solid-axle rear suspension.
During it’s unveiling at the SEMA show in Las Vegas held recently, Ford manager of drag racing parts and competition Jesse Kershaw said that Ford is committed to supporting drag racing and will continue delivering Cobra Jets that are competitive straight from the factory.
2016 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Exterior
The 2016 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet exterior retains most of the design cues of the road-going Mustang. At the front, only the slim tires, hood pins as well as the missing fog lights differentiate it from the road-going sister. At the back, flared fenders, a parachute and Hoosier tires are the new additions.
The rear is also equipped with a wheelie bar on optional basis and will be availed in two colors i.e. Deep Impact Blue and Oxford White. The graphics package is optional at an extra cost.
2016 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Interior
The interior retains most of the road-going Mustang’s features including the center console, dashboard and door panels. However, the cockpit has been fitted with racing features including a NHRA certified 8.50-second roll cage.
It also features Corbeau FIA seats that are fitted with 5-point harnesses, additional dashboard gauges and a race-spec shifter.
Engine Specs and Performance
Ford is still keeping most of the engine details a secret. However, we know that the Cobra Jet has a 5.0 L V8 engine along with a Whipple supercharger that produces enough power to propel the cobra jet to complete a quarter mile run in around 8 seconds which is really fast considering the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat rated at 707 hp needs 11.2 seconds to do the quarter mile.
Though power output details are yet to be released, based on the 2015 Mustang winners of the 2015 U.S. Nationals, we believe the Cobra Jet will touch the 1,000 hp mark or even go beyond. The power will be channeled to the wheels via a GM Turbo based 3-speed automatic transmission system.
Price and release date
The 2016 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet has a starting price of $ 99,990 which adds only $ 2,000 over the outgoing 2014 version. The graphics package is charged an extra $ 1,995 and an extra $1,995 for the wheelie bar which brings the total price to $ 103,980.
If you would like to buy a unit, you better hurry and place an order with any Ford dealer in North America since only limited units will be produced. Actually, only 50 examples will be produced, half of them will be painted Oxford White and other half in Deep Impact Blue. Production is already underway and the first deliveries will be made early 2016.
Competition
Chevrolet and Dodge are also set to release their new models which will hunt down the “Cobra”. These are the 2016 Chevrolet Copo Camaro and the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak.
