2010 Mustang Cobra Jet Factory Built Ford Drag Racer
By
MIKE SUTTON
2010 Saleen Mustang 435S
At the same time Ford unveils the Baja-ready F-150 SVT FR Raptor XT
race truck, it also will take the wraps off the 2010 Mustang Cobra Jet
factory-built drag racer.
The new car is based on the refreshed 2010 pony car and serves
as a continuation of the 2008 CJ that revived the company’s
participation in NHRA Stock and Stock Eliminator competition. Our
experience with the previous Cobra Jet showed the car to be great fun
and quite exhilarating during a conservative 11.5-second, 130-mph
quarter-mile pass that marked our first and only time behind the wheel.
For the 2010 version, the automaker says it had more time to
refine the package, and thus created a more capable and versatile car.
Like the 2008 model, the 2010 CJ starts as a Mustang V-6 body in white,
to which are added fully adjustable drag-specific shocks and springs,
manual steering and brakes, a trunk-mounted racing fuel cell, an
NHRA-certified roll cage, and a fortified Ford nine-inch axle, among
other go-fast bits. Changes for 2010 include optional intercooler
cooling fans and a switch from Goodyear/Mickey Thompson rubber to
Hoosiers mounted on Weld Racing wheels. Also new is the addition of a
rev-limiting launch-control function for CJs with manual transmissions.
Previously available only through the aftermarket, the feature allows
drivers to select at which engine speed they wish to launch at and then
limits rpm until the clutch is dropped.
A supercharged, 5.4-liter V-8 with a cast-iron block and a
conservative 425-hp rating is the standard engine, with optional
powertrains including a “475-hp,” aluminum-block version with a larger
supercharger, as well as several naturally aspirated V-8s. A six-speed
manual gearbox—complete with a burnout-ready line lock—carries over
from the 2008 model but can be upgraded to a race-prepped five-speed
manual or three- or four-speed automatic, the latter fitted with a
transmission brake.
Only 50 examples of the 2010 CJ will be built at the
automaker’s Flat Rock, MI, assembly plant, with base cars costing about
$75,000 and heavily optioned versions nudging $95K. Production starts
in January. While Ford’s website says the initial allotment is already
spoken for, the company promises to provide additional versions in the
future. And for those who missed out and can’t wait for the next
iteration, Ford’s Performance Parts catalog has all the necessary
components to turn any 2010 Mustang into a Cobra Jet.
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