Lucas Bell 
In case you haven’t noticed, Ford is really trying to get us all to buy into the electric vehicle segment. They are so interested in this task in fact that they went ahead and built an EV that wears the Mustang nameplate. And while the Ford Mustang Mach-E may not be everyone’s cup of tea, we can all agree that the one-off Mustang Mach-E 1400 is absolutely badass. Built in collaboration with Vaugh Gittin Jr.’s RTR, this seven-motor-packing drift machine is about as cool as it gets. Now though, the Blue Oval has decided to stick the SUV up against another one of their one-off EV creations: the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400. And what better way to compare to pony cars than with an old-school drag race.
Electric Mustang vs Electric Mustang
NASCAR star Joey Logano was tasked with getting behind the wheel of the Mustang Mach-E 1400, which produces 1,400 horsepower from its 56.8-kilowatt-hour nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack and aforementioned seven motors. Combined with a slew of different front end configurations, GT4-style Brembo brakes, and a massive aero kit, this particular Mustang Mach-E isn’t particularly set up for a drag racing career. That said, all-wheel drive and Bugatti Chiron-rivaling levels of power surely don’t hurt in that endeavor.
The Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 on the other hand was assigned to NHRA Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III. Driver experience aside, Tasca III’s car is genuinely more in line with this sort of racing, with 1,400 horsepower and 1,100 lb-ft of torque on tap. That power may only run through the rear wheels on the Cobra Jet 1400, but the pony car wears massive drag slicks and is known for popping huge wheelies. Furthermore, any car wearing a parachute is one to be fearful of on the strip, which Tasca III is able to highlight in the video.
Before making their first passes, Logano notes that this race was only his second time hitting the drag strip, which does seem somewhat odd for a racing driver. Perhaps this is what causes the racer to jump the start of the first race, but in the end the mistake didn’t matter much. The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 with Tasca III behind the wheel was incredibly fast, clipping off a 8.47 second 1/4 mile at 167.95 MPH. The Mustang Mach-E 1400 on the other hand was only able to muster a 10.48 second pass at 136.22 mph. Not slow by any means, but in a different league from the purpose-built dragster.
Things were a little different in the second race, when the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 struggled to get off the line. All of that instant EV torque is great when you’re able to put it to the ground, but it just melts the rears in this case. After Tasca III pedals the car out of the box, he’s able to start to lay into the power a bit more. Despite the tremendous advantage of AWD at launch combined with Tasca III’s issues, the Mach-E 1400 stood no chance. Once the coupe hooked up, the SUV had nothing it could do to stop the destruction. The Cobra Jet quickly walks the Mach-E back, before passing it up by the finish. Logano ran 10.78 seconds at 134.5 MPH, while his competitor ran 10.71 seconds at 158.84 MPH.
So then unsurprisingly, the purpose-built drag car driven by a professional drag racer pulled out the victory on that day. Regardless of the outcome, both of these electric vehicles are impressive feats of engineering. If Ford Performance is able to draw more inspiration from the Mach-E 1400 and Cobra Jet 1400 models moving forwards, we might have something special coming our way.
