RE: New Mustang Cobra Jet announced

[foxbody-87]

Nice! There is a list of 32 production cars on Wikipedia that can do an 11 second or less 1/4 mile.

9th in that list (above the Model S, Nissan GTR and Audi R8), is the 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt. Official power output was quoted as 425hp, which I don’t believe for a second. How cool is that! I suspect the new Cobra Jet will be joining the list.

[anonymous-user]

ManyMotors said:

I'm not a Ford fan but this car is interesting. Of course, Chevrolet and Dodge make similar non-registerable vehicles.

Drag racing is a delight as it is simple and satisfying. With handicapping, nearly any vehicle can race another. And though there is racing against others, just trying to run your best is a challenge. And, when running a quicker (read that "more horsepower") vehicle, there is an orgasmic type of satisfaction of feeling it get off the line and down the track. I have found fellow competitors at drag racing somewhat unique: they all seem smart, cautious and full of comradery. And in drag racing, "rubbin' is NOT racing" as crossing into your opponents lane is automatic disqualification. Though purpose built drag vehicles are very quick, a 911 Turbo S can deliver amazing results - so Europe actually has some excellent equipment to enjoy the sport. Or, put "720S" into You Tube search and enjoy wonderful displays of getting down the strip.

The recent revival of the 'old' Detroit firms building specials is quite good fun - it's akin to what started the factory backing of race cars back in the 1960's, when they pushed each other into making more and more lairy muscle cars. It might spur on some to attend race events at tracks (I hope it does - it's an interesting sport that has bucked the trend of pushing for more efficient, downsized, quieter race cars).

[anonymous-user]

Ultrafunkula said:

Wonder what it's Nurburgring lap time will be...

Equally, I wonder how well an Aventador SVJ would get on against a Cobra Jet or Demon at a drag strip. They're built for different disciplines.

[V8 FOU]

Always wanted a car where one can open the bonnet/hood and point and say "that's a Whipple" !!

[JimbobVFR]

unsprung said:

*Bonus points for knowing the pony car produced by the fourth independent OEM, no longer extant

A year ago I wouldn't have the answer to this however last August while on holiday in Canada and America I went to a local car show in Birch Bay, Washington and saw this beauty that was easily my favourite car there. Can't quite put my finger on why as there were plenty of candidates but this is lovely.

[ZX10R NIN]

Love it, I'm a fan of these kind of cars & I'm pretty sure they'll get more use than a Limited Edition Porsche.

[aaron_2000]

I absolutely love the name Cobra Jet.

[LasseV]

foxbody-87 said:

Nice! There is a list of 32 production cars on Wikipedia that can do an 11 second or less 1/4 mile.

9th in that list (above the Model S, Nissan GTR and Audi R8), is the 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt. Official power output was quoted as 425hp, which I don’t believe for a second. How cool is that! I suspect the new Cobra Jet will be joining the list.

Yes, there were some odd reason why they did quote lower power outputs at that time. For example Boss mustang is like 50hp more powerfull than official number is. Seriously cool cars. These are beasts for sure. Can you imagine driving a 50 years old car with 500hp?

[hondansx]

I have raced against a Thunderbolt car in the Masters Historic series and that was fast too!

Anyway, love it when manufacturers do crazy things like this. It's incredible that you can buy so much stuff off the shelf - from the manufacturer - in the States.

[unsprung]

JimbobVFR said:

unsprung said:

*Bonus points for knowing the pony car produced by the fourth independent OEM, no longer extant

A year ago I wouldn't have the answer to this however last August while on holiday in Canada and America I went to a local car show in Birch Bay, Washington and saw this beauty that was easily my favourite car there. Can't quite put my finger on why as there were plenty of candidates but this is lovely.

it's fun to stumble across something a bit less common, perhaps with a story behind it... and to find this appealing

the one you've found is, as you know, the first generation; the doors and numerous other elements were carried over (to limit costs) when developing the second-gen car (photos below)

there was some thundering, rollicking Trans Am racing, too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Javelin

second-gen had a bit of a fuselage + raised haunches on front wings



break out the polyester pants and the wide, orange necktie!




.

[LasseV]

unsprung said:

it's fun to stumble across something a bit less common, perhaps with a story behind it... and to find this appealing

the one you've found is, as you know, the first generation; the doors and numerous other elements were carried over (to limit costs) when developing the second-gen car (photos below)

there was some thundering, rollicking Trans Am racing, too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Javelin

second-gen had a bit of a fuselage + raised haunches on front wings



break out the polyester pants and the wide, orange necktie!




.

Damn that is a beautiful car. As a Supra driver, i also love that interior.

[ducnick]

ducnick said:

If you want one that goes round corners Ford also sell the fp350s mustang which is essentially a Shelby gt350R stripped out with a roll cage and race electronics system, big wings and stock GT engine, built to GT4 regulations. No VIN either sadly

Found a pic of the fp350s

Track ready from the factory and it does corners

[Nerdherder]

I want to hear Stewie say Whipple. And see this 'car' do it's thing on the drag strip.

[unsprung]

Nerdherder said:

I want to hear Stewie say Whipple. And see this 'car' do it's thing on the drag strip.

+1

[motoroller]

AmosMoses said:

Quite a few in the US!

Dodge did the Challenger Drag Pak

https://jalopnik.com/new-dodge-challenger-drag-pak...

Chevy sell the COPO Camaro

https://www.chevrolet.com/performance/copo-camaro

Ford have done the Cobra Jet for a few years

2014 - https://www.motortrend.com/news/2014-ford-mustang-...

2008 - http://www.mustangandfords.com/featured-vehicles/m...

Quite the market for this stuff in Merica.

Not forgetting the Dodge Demon!

[aeropilot]

Pericoloso said:

How bizarre .

Has any manufacturer ever offered a dragster off the shelf before ?

Ford, Mopar and a few others were doing it all the time during the 1960's.

[Curator]

treeroy said:

So Ford has cancelled all its cars in America and yet will build a dragster out of the factory. LOL

Not true. Mustang not cancelled

[Nate N.]

It's a little different looking.

Edited by Nate N. on Thursday 30th August 17:37

[anonymous-user]

Nanook said:

It says 'low drag disc brakes' or something similar in the article.

What's what about? Are the front tyres so skinny that the brakes protrude inboard of them as opposed to being housed within the width of the wheel?

The terminology is a little vague, but you're on the money - front runner tyres are typically between 3.5" - 5.0" wide, so the brake assembly becomes somewhat exposed depending on the strut design adopted. They tend to not need massive braking system (disc / pad wise) as they're reliant on parachutes for knocking off a good chunk of speed. For that reason, the discs and pads are fairly slender, and quite light.