Ford to launch Mustang Cobra Jet factory drag racer this summer

Ford has a long history of creating factory-built racers based on its regular production cars. Over the past four decades, most of those have have been derived from the Mustang. Since the mid-90s, that has included several runs of Cobra Rs, and today, a couple of variants of the FR500. Later this summer, Ford will revive another Mustang variant from the first generation when the Cobra Jet is reborn. The original Cobra Jet was built as a drag racing special with a high-torque long-stroke 428 cu. in. V8. Forty years later, Ford will be building a new Cobra Jet this summer.

The new Cobra Jet will be powered by a supercharged 5.4L 32-valve V8 based on the GT500 engine. This engine, dubbed the Romeo 605 by Ford Racing officials, will use an upgraded supercharger as compared to the GT500. The car will come from the factory detuned to a mere 400 hp in order to meet NHRA rules. The 605 gives an indication of the true power potential of the engine with only minor tweaks from the competitor. Ford is only planning to build 50 new Cobra Jets at the behest of a handful of dealers, who may end up buying all the cars and then re-selling them. The new drag racing specials are expected to be priced at $69,900.