Ford's New Mustang Cobra Jet Is the Hottest, Fastest, Most Powerful Drag Racing Mustang Ever

Ford Performance today revealed the quickest drag racing Mustang ever, capable of covering a quarter-mile in the mid-eight-second range.

The 2018 Mustang Cobra Jet is a limited-edition turnkey race car that honors the 50th anniversary of the original that dominated drag strips in 1968. The new Cobra Jet makes its public debut this weekend at the 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise.

The Ford Performance Parts team developed the 50th Anniversary car to be the most powerful and quickest Mustang Cobra Jet from the factory ever – capable of topping 150 mph while turning in a mid-eight-second quarter-mile run. The project epitomizes the close teamwork between traditional and motorsports engineering groups to maximize the design, performance and durability of production Mustangs.

Ford NASCAR Mustang Revealed - Ready for Cup Competition in 2019

Ford today revealed its all-new Mustang NASCAR Cup race car, the first time Mustang – the world’s best-selling sports car – will compete in NASCAR’s top-level Cup racing series.

“Mustang has raced since it was first sold in 1964,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice president, Product Development and Purchasing, who was on hand to help unveil the car.  “After more than a half-century, it feels great to finally let Mustang run in the top echelon of America’s most popular stock car racing series.”

Even before Mustang became a global icon, its first competition was in 1964, when it surprisingly won the Tour de France Automobile, a grueling 4,000 mile, 10-day rally. Soon after, it began a racing legacy in SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, NHRA, Formula Drift and NASCAR Xfinity – NASCAR’s second tier series.

Ford Celebrates Production of 10 Millionth Mustang

Ford is celebrating the production of its 10 millionth Mustang – America’s best-selling sports car of the last 50 years and the world’s best-selling sports car three years straight.  

The 10 millionth Ford Mustang is a high-tech, 460 horsepower 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 six-speed manual convertible equipped with the latest driver assist technology and built at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan. The first serialized Mustang (VIN 001) produced in 1964 was the same color and model with a three-speed automatic transmission and 164 horsepower V8.  

“Mustang is the heart and soul of this company and a favorite around the world,” said Jim Farley, president of global markets, Ford Motor Company. “I get the same thrill seeing a Mustang roll down a street in Detroit, London or Beijing that I felt when I bought my first car – a 1966 Mustang coupe that I drove across the country as a teenager. Mustang is a smile-maker in any language.”

Ford is celebrating the milestone with employee celebrations at its Dearborn headquarters and its Flat Rock Assembly Plant, including flyovers from three WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter planes and Mustangs produced for more than five decades parading from Dearborn to Flat Rock, where the Mustang currently is manufactured. 

During its 54-year production history, Mustang also was built in San Jose, Calif., Metuchen, N.J., and the original Mustang production facility in Dearborn, Mich.

2019 Shelby GT350 Upgrade Details Revealed

To improve the new Ford Mustang Shelby® GT350 driver confidence and lap times, Ford Performance leveraged its Mustang road course racing programs and all-new upcoming Shelby® GT500, infusing GT350 with the very latest in track and street technology.

“Somewhere, Carroll is smiling,” said Hermann Salenbauch, global director for Ford Performance vehicle programs. “The new Shelby GT350 is our ultimate track Mustang. We’ve stuck to Carroll Shelby’s original formula for winning championships and made our Shelby GT350 even better with the latest in race-proven aerodynamics, tire and chassis technology.”

From F-150 Raptor to the Ford GT supercar, Ford Performance is creating authentic performance cars, trucks and utilities that deliver heart-pounding excitement for customers around the world.

2018 Mustang Cobra Jet Announced

Fifty years ago, the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet took to the staging lanes at drag strips everywhere – and along with the resulting wins, a legend was born. Now comes the return of the Mustang Cobra Jet drag strip race car by Ford Performance – targeted to be the most powerful and quickest version from the factory yet, capable of running the quarter-mile in the mid-8-second range while topping 150 mph.  

“From the very first Mustang Cobra Jets dominating the 1968 NHRA Winternationals to our modern-day Cobra Jet racers, the Ford Performance Parts team continues to build the Cobra Jet brand based on its success at the track over five decades,” said Eric Cin, global director, Ford Performance Parts. “That, in turn, has inspired generations of Mustang fans to create their own performance machines for the street.”

Engineered by Ford Performance Parts, the purpose-built drag racer developed on the 2018 Ford Mustang platform is limited to 68 non-VIN production cars. It includes a supercharged 5.2-liter Coyote V8 and unique four-link rear suspension, along with a Ford 9-inch solid rear axle from Strange Engineering. Race add-ons include NHRA-certified roll cage, Racetech FIA seats, and a drag race-specific coil-over suspension with specially designed Weld Racing wheels with 50th anniversary badging.

The result is a turnkey racer that showcases many performance add-ons available from the Ford Performance Parts catalog for Mustang dating back to the original 1968 Cobra Jet. Offered in either Race Red or Oxford White, the 2018 Mustang Cobra Jet features an available commemorative 50th anniversary graphics package and anniversary badging.  

Final 2018 Mustang Cobra Jet ordering and product specifications will be released this summer. The car is designed to be legal for National Hot Rod Association drag racing, along with several National Mustang Racers Association and National Muscle Car Association classes.