Recently unveiled by Ford, the All-Electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 (see Motor1's report here), is surely one of the most powerful electric car dragster prototypes ever made.

The company projects that it should "crush the quarter-mile in the low-8-second range at more than 170 mph", which is really significant.

We quickly checked the Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro Concept, unveiled at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, which, according to reports from summer 2019, was able to achieve 9.83 s and then 9.51 s, at 140 mph. The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 is clearly a more extreme build.

Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400
Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400
Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro
Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro

Ford Performance equipped the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 with an undisclosed number of electric motors, that combined are able to deliver over 1,400 horsepower (more than 1 MW) and over 1,100 ft.-lbs. (1,491 Nm) of torque. We guess it might be all-wheel-drive actually.

That's about two times as much power as in the case of Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro - 550 kW (750 hp) of power and 813 Nm using two BorgWarner HVH 250-150 for the rear wheels.

The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 might be a great halo car for the upcoming Ford Mustang Mach-E.

The prototype is currently undergoing tests but is promised to debut at a drag racing event later this year. Before that, Ford invites us to see a sneak peek preview this Sunday, April 26: MotorTrend On Demand’s “Hard Cell."

 

Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 specs:

  • projected to crush the quarter-mile in the low-8-second range at more than 170 mph
  • system output of over 1,400 horsepower (more than 1 MW) and over 1,100 ft.-lbs. (1,491 Nm) of torque

Gallery: Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400

Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro Concept specs:

  • 550 kW (750 hp) of power and 813 Nm of torque from two electric motors (2x BorgWarner HVH 250-150 motor assemblies), connected to a conventional racing-prepared “Turbo 400” automatic transmission that channels the motor’s torque to the same solid rear axle used in the production COPO Camaro race cars
  • 32 kWh battery pack (about 318 kg)
  • 800 V system voltage (four modules, 200 V each) for a more efficient power transfer to the electric motor and faster recharging
  • expected quarter-mile time - 9 seconds

Gallery: Watch Chevrolet eCOPO Electric Camaro Do A Smoky Burnout

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Ford Performance Introduces All-Electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, Ford’s First Factory Fully Electric Dragster Prototype

DEARBORN, Mich., April 23, 2020 – It won’t hurt your ears and doesn’t use a drop of fuel, but it’s projected to crush the quarter-mile in the low-8-second range at more than 170 mph. For the first time ever, Ford Performance introduces a one-off Mustang Cobra Jet factory drag racer with all-electric propulsion.

The battery-powered Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype is purpose-built and projected to deliver over 1,400 horsepower and over 1,100 ft.-lbs. of instant torque to demonstrate the capabilities of an electric powertrain in one of the most demanding race environments.

“Ford has always used motorsport to demonstrate innovation,” said Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Icons. “Electric powertrains give us a completely new kind of performance and the all-electric Cobra Jet 1400 is one example of pushing new technology to the absolute limit. We’re excited to showcase what’s possible in an exciting year when we also have the all-electric Mustang Mach-E joining the Mustang family.”

Following the debut of the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV – the first-ever, all-electric Mustang, the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype represents another opportunity to advance Mustang heritage and performance while simultaneously incorporating some of the most advanced technology coming to Ford’s future powertrains.

Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 also honors the original Cobra Jet that first dominated drag strips in the late 1960s and still is a major force in sportsman drag racing today.

"This project was a challenge for all of us at Ford Performance, but a challenge we loved jumping into,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We saw the Cobra Jet 1400 project as an opportunity to start developing electric powertrains in a race car package that we already had a lot of experience with, so we had performance benchmarks we wanted to match and beat right now. This has been a fantastic project to work on, and we hope the first of many coming from our team at Ford Performance Motorsports."

Ford Performance continues to test Cobra Jet 1400 ahead of its world debut later this year at a drag racing event where fans, media and competitors alike will get to meet the race car, as well as see exactly what it’s capable of up on the asphalt.

Before that, catch a sneak peek starting this Sunday, April 26 by watching MotorTrend On Demand’s “Hard Cell”, a showcase of electric vehicles pushing innovation boundaries.

To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the project, Ford Performance has teamed up with several capable and specialized suppliers:

  • MLe Racecars – Vehicle builder, designer, integrator and tuner
  • Watson Engineering – Chassis support and development, roll cage builder
  • AEM EV – Software and motor calibration and controls
  • Cascadia – Inverter and Motor supplier
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