MUSTANG COBRA JET: CJ FLASHBACK!

In 1968 a Mustang 428 Cobra Jet won the NHRA Winternationals; a 2008 Mustang CJ took home Winternats gold last year. The beat goes on.

Sarasota Café Racer Joe Curley has been a diehard Ford fanatic since his 1960s-1970s drag racing days. And nothing has really changed for this public relations professional who considers Dearborn, MI to be the center of the performance automotive world. Curley’s garage reflects his passion for the Blue Oval: Ford GT, a pair of Panteras (one twin-turbo), a real ’64 Ford 427 Thunderbolt and a 2008 Mustang Cobra Jet, #27 of 50 built. Curley, above, warms up the slicks prior to a run at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

To better understand Ford’s modern-day Cobra Jet program, which has changed little since its first batch of 2008 Mustangs, all you need to do is re-visit Ford’s “Win On Sunday, Sell On Monday" program of the 1960s. Factory built and/or sponsored drag racing cars were used to win fans and increase showroom traffic. In most cases the “enemy” was Chevy, Dodge and Plymouth. Little has really changed today; the enemy is still Chevy and Dodge!

Powered by a 400 horsepower supercharged 5.4 liter (330-CID) DOHC engine, Ford built 50 (FR500CJ) 2008 Cobra Jets, one CJ winning the 2009 Nationals. Brent Hajek, above, drives the first Ford Racing FR500CJ off the production line in Livonia, MI on December 18, 2008.

In 2010 Ford Racing produced 50 more and followed with 50 more 2012 CJ Mustangs. Based on the success of the 2008 model, they got the OK to continue for two additional model years. They mostly look alike, with exception of the hood. Early cars had hood scoops, whereas later models had raised “tunnel” hoods.

Purpose built for sportsman drag racers the FR500CJ or Cobra Jet Mustang has become one of the most controversial drag cars ever built. These cars have been winning and setting records in A/Stock and AA/Stock, above, since Day One. Some highly massaged CJs have been running sub-nine-second times in Super/Stock!

The CJ’s 330-cubic-inch engine, above, is an injected 5.4-liter, four-valve V-8 topped off with a Roots-type positive displacement supercharger. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the 8.4-to-1-compression engine has a cast-iron block and aluminum heads. Weighing in at 3,300 pounds, off-road-only CJ Mustangs cannot be ordered with AC or other luxury options. Standard are cold air intake, a larger throttle body, SFI crank dampener and long tube stainless headers. CJs are fitted with lightweight one-piece drive shafts with safety hoops, nine-inch rear axles with special control arms and an anti-roll bar. Bogart racing wheels are shod with special Goodyear front tires and rear drag slicks.

Joe Curley’s stock CJ interior is fitted with a factory roll cage, seat belts and shoulder harness, a full complement of Ford Racing gauges and tach, short throw shifter and special seats. All CJs are sold only on a bill of sale and cannot be titled (for street use). Little extras include a build-history binder, performance programmer, and the signing of the inside of the deck lid by Ford Racing and Roush employees involved in the build process.

While Joe Curley’s Cobra Jet Mustang looks like a typical Trailer Queen, as do all his cars including his 427 T-Bolt racer, looks can be deceiving. His trailer makes regular trips to race tracks, not shows. And he lives relatively close to Bradenton Motorsports Park, Bradenton, FL where the lead burnout shot was taken during a Cobra Jet competitive event. Joe Curley’s motto: Have Race Car, Will Travel!