Chevrolet’s dedicated, turnkey race car for the dragstrip – the COPO Camaro – has fresh new competition from the Blue Oval, care of the folks over at Ford Performance: the 2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet. As reported on our sister site, Ford Authority, this new model honors the 50th anniversary of the very first Mustang Cobra Jet, released back in 1968, and Ford says it’s the quickest, most powerful iteration of the car ever produced.
Where Chevrolet set out to produce 69 examples of the current 2018 COPO Camaro, Ford Performance’s new turnkey drag racer is more exclusive by one example, with exactly 68 planned for production.
The new fast-Ford is powered by a 5.2L DOHC V8 fed by a 3.0L Whipple blower, and like the COPO Camaro, it has a solid rear axle instead of the usual independent rear suspension found on the typical production Mustang. Ford claims that it will run a mid-8-second quarter-mile at over 150 mph, given the right conditions, which puts it just about dead even with the COPO Camaro when equipped with the optional supercharged 350-ci V8.
Other standard features on the new Cobra Jet include an NHRA-certified roll cage, FIA-certified seats, and a low-drag brake system from Strange Engineering.
Granted, the 2018 COPO Camaro has something the new, 2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet doesn’t: freedom of choice. In addition to the range-topping supercharged 350 V8, the COPO also offers a high-revving 302 and a large-displacement 427, both naturally-aspirated. In theory, this means that there are more classes within the NHRA Stock Eliminator category in which the Camaro can compete.
For a quick refresher on what the 2018 COPO Camaro is all about, click here.
Comments
They should really bring COPO back so I can order a ZL1 without those uncomfortable Recaro seats
Up until this year, Chevy dominated Nascar, Now its Ford and Toyota dominating this year. Hopefully the Camaro will win more Nascar races this year and Chevy will reclaim its dominance. Would it have been better if Chevy raced the Malibu?