Renowned Drag Racer, Bob Tasca III, drove a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 to a quarter-mile time of 8.12 seconds at 171 mph at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, shattering the previous record of 8.27 seconds established in its debut last October.

Because this new class isn't that hot yet, the Mustang Cobra Jet has been breaking its own quarter-mile record for full-bodied all-electric racing vehicles.

The Record

Tasca mostly spends his life behind the wheel of an 11,000 horsepower, supercharged, nitro-burning internal combustion engine that is unquestionably the noisiest racing machine on the planet. In the recent past, however, he's abandoned his purpose-built earplugs as he has been piloting the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, consistently setting out 8-second run times. 

The previous record for the Cobra Jet was set in September of last year. It completed the quarter-mile in 8.27 seconds at 168 mph, a record set on the very first pass of the day. However, this is not Tasca's first record-breaking run. He has previously set the record for the fastest pass in an alcohol-fueled funny car in 5.451 seconds at a ludicrous 263 mph back in 2007, and he was also the first Ford driver to breach the three-second barrier.

The Record-Breaking Mustang Cobra Jet 1400

When you hear the number 1400, Ford's all-electric Mustang Cobra may be confusing, since the car, in reality, produces 1,500 horsepower to the rear wheels rather than 1,400 that the name might suggest. That accounts for the power of three potent 2021 Mustang GT V-8 engines combined, according to Ford. The Cobra Jet 1400 Mustang has now demonstrated its true abilities with this new record.

The Cobra Jet is powered by inverters that are linked to a pair of dual-stack Cascadia Motion motors that spin at up to 10,000 RPM. These motors, which operate at 800 volts and up to 700 amps, produce up to 350kW per motor. These electric motors produce 1,100 foot-pounds of torque and are mated to a three-speed T400 transmission. The 60 kWh battery along with other drive elements is handled by a unique electronic management system created in collaboration by AEM EV and Ford Performance. All that power is laid to the ground courtesy of 29.5x10.5-inch racing slicks from Mickey Thompson.

Is this the beginning of EVs in Drag Racing?

There is little doubt that when the automotive sector makes the shift to electric propulsion over the coming decade, it will have an influence on motorsport. There will be more EVs, and they'll become even faster, leaving the Cobra Jet as well as other current-day cars in the dust. It has to be seen whether fans will ever line up to give up their cash to witness a field of quiet vehicles battle head-to-head. Unless they make some awesome whizzing EV noises. I'm not sure, it might be cool in ten years.

In Conclusion

Ford is a brand that has its roots in motorsport. It has time and again implied the significance of the impact of its learnings from motorsport on its road-going cars. The automaker plans to produce a limited run of 68 production vehicles based on this prototype, with an estimated starting price of $130,000 before options. Crucially though, the Cobra Jet 1400 reflects Ford's advancement in the use of EV technology and Tasca & Ford Performance are hoping for a sub-seven second pass in the future.