EIGHT-SECOND ELECTRIC MUSTANG

It’s called the ‘Mustang Cobra Jet 1400’ — that’s 1400hp, by the way. What sets this Cobra Jet — Ford’s track-only drag racing version of the Mustang — apart from its predecessors is that you will find no monstrous V8 rumble emitted as it stages. An electric whine replaces the traditional note, powered by a fully electric heart that generates that 1400hp and sees the one-off prototype belt out a low eight-second quartermile with trap speeds of more than 170mph. The car’s been built in conjunction with Cascadia Motion, which was charged with incorporating the electric motor and inverter. It’s controlled by an AEM electric vehicle (EV) software control system, while the roll cage and chassis development came from Watson Engineering, veteran of previous Cobra Jet programmes and the Boss Mustang 302S race car. Ford is staying tight-lipped about the finer details, such as battery size, range, and charge time required for the eight-second passes. However, we do know that the Cobra Jet 1400 is quicker than Chevrolet’s 2018 eCOPO concept.

With multiple manufacturers prototyping electric production drag cars, the age of electric drag racing may not be too far off — after all, it is a sport that lends itself to the EV’s instantaneous torque and rapid acceleration.