With instant torque and enormous performance in a discipline that requires covering very little distance, EVs are perfectly suited to drag racing. So it should be no surprise to learn that Ford’s mightiest Mustang, the 1,400hp Cobra Jet, is back with even more quarter-mile melting performance. That being the car that set a 1,320-feet record for EVs, clocking an 8.128-second run at 171.97mph. Obviously, it needed to go faster still…

What was a 1,400hp Mustang is now and 1,800hp one (!), thanks to work by Ford Performance’s project partners Watson Engineering, Cascadia Motion, AEM-EV and MLe Racecars. Hence the return of the Super Cobra Jet name, first seen in 1969 – what else do you call a car more powerful than a Mustang Cobra Jet? Though still employing the same four PN-250-DZR inverters and pair of double-stacked DS-250-115 motors, the Super Cobra Jet now gets a totally overhauled, lighter batter system, a new transmission, updated software, and a modified rear end to best get that phenomenal power to the strip. That means revised suspension geometry and even larger Mickey Thompson drag radials. So not only is this Mustang hundreds of horsepower more potent than before, Ford also reckons it’s hundreds of pounds lighter. Yikes. Even Dominic Toretto’s fastest car won’t be able to keep up with the Super Cobra Jet.

The previous MHRA record was set in June 2021, driven by Bob Tasca III in Norwalk, Ohio. This time around, the Mustang will be driven by MLe Racecars’ co-founder and test driver for the program Pat McCue. An exact date hasn’t yet been confirmed, but the run will be at an NHRA event to ensure that whatever time laid down by the Super Cobra Jet is legit. “We’re always looking to push ourselves in every corner of the motorsport world,” said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports global director. “Drag racing remains a key proving ground for our products and technology, and we’re excited to not only try to best our own record in the quarter-mile, but to further showcase ongoing development we continue to make across the entire electric vehicle landscape.”

As well as the overall quarter mile EV record, Ford is also targeting the fastest electric vehicle 0-60mph, as well as the fastest two-wheel drive electric vehicle 0-60. In for a penny, in for a pound, eh? It’d certainly be a brave person to bet against the Super Cobra Jet – expect a confirmation of exactly when it’ll run very soon.