Ready or not, here they come!
The first of the 2013 edition Ford Mustang Cobra Jet factory-built race cars was picked up from the Automotive Alliance Plant in Flat Rock, Mich. this week and hauled back to Sam Pack Ford in Plano, Texas. Badged as No. 18, this one is a black supercharged model with the optional Cobra Jet graphics package. Per the Ford Racing folks, Nos. 4 and 25 are being picked up today for their delivery to Superior Ford and B.F. Evans Ford, respectively.
The team at the Flat Rock plant is currently putting the final touches on the 2013 release, and all 50 allotted cars are expected to be complete within the next three weeks.
With three seasons of testing, racing, and customer feedback to draw from, the Cobra Jet design team has designated the 2013 CJ as the best ever with exciting new features, more performance, and the best value on the market.
(All images courtesy of Ford Racing)
The 2013 Cobra Jet features a number of improvements over the previous version, the least of which is the addition of a naturally-aspirated or supercharged 5.0L Coyote engine with the former offering CNC ported heads, high lift cams, and a low-drag accessory drive, while the latter sports a Ford Racing/Whipple 10-rib 2.9L blower and CNC port-matched manifold and heads. Other additions include a lightened body assembly, electric power steering, an optimized roll cage design, Recaro FIA racing seats, a removable steering wheel, starting line RPM control, and improved brake feel and suspension geometry. The cars are also available in black, white, and silver colors this time around.
What it all adds up to is the best Cobra Jet offered to date, and with a dominating resume in the NHRA and the new ADRL SuperCar Showdown, that’s bad news for everyone else. With the new 2013’s headed to their respective owners in the coming days and weeks, we should start seeing them on the racetrack in short order, and certainly by the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.