NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

It's shocking how few people know this, but Henry Ford's best friend was Thomas Edison. In fact, before any of Ford's automotive businesses began, guess who Ford worked for? Yup, Thomas Edison.  So lest anyone think Ford's interest in electric vehicles is new, in reality, the company's awareness of the technology goes back all the way to the very beginning. 

“WE WANT TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT AND THE ONLY HISTORY THAT IS WORTH A TINKER'S DAMN IS THE HISTORY WE MADE TODAY.” — HENRY FORD

ELECTRIC COBRA JET

Ford revealed a concept car it calls the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 in 2020. It’s an all-electric drag car based on its Constant Aviation NHRA Factory Stock Showdown Cobra Jet Mustang built by Watson Engineering, and it’s been modified to accept a 1,400-hp electric powertrain that’s intended to propel the car to low-eight-second e.t.’s at more than 170 mph. 

Ford says the Cobra Jet 1400 was built to demonstrate the capabilities of an electric powertrain in one of the most demanding race environments on earth — the dragstrip. It’s also a way to mix two of the automaker’s most dynamic research and development capabilities: combine the problem-solving mindset of motorsports with the future-leaning resources of electrification.

“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.”

THEN AND NOW

As seen in the photos, the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 honors the original Cobra Jet that debuted at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals and was the dominant car in the 2019 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown.

“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 racecar 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.”

WHAT HISTORY WILL BE MADE AT THE SUMMIT RACING MOTORSPORTS PARK IN NORWALK THIS YEAR?  

To catch all the action of the 2021 Summit Racing Equipment  NHRA Nationals in person you can buy your tickets HERE, livestream the race on NHRA.tv, and be sure to watch the full NHRA on FOX broadcast on your local Fox channel.

And if you're in Norwalk this weekend, consider paying Henry Ford's best friend a visit. Edison was born six miles from the dragstrip and his home at 9 Edison Drive, Milan, Ohio, has been a National Historic Landmark since 1965. Coincidentally, the same year the Ford Mustang came out.