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Cobra Jet Revivial: Ford and Drag Racing

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While most of us were glued to our favorite news channels on November 4th, waiting for election results, the folks at Ford Racing were offering news of their own: forty years after the original Cobra Jet Mustang was released (in 1968), they were offering a new version of the classic car to NHRA sportsmen class racers during the 2009 season. Technically referred to as the Mustang FR500CJ, the 2008 Cobra Jet had its official debut as part of the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Since the original version was introduced decades ago, the Mustang has been ever-present on the racing scene, earning a spot in history as an iconic pony car. The current version will easily follow in its predecessor’s tracks, as the vehicle is factory-built and NHRA-legal. In fact, it’s the first strip-ready, purpose-designed car Ford has offered since the 1968 Cobra Jet first saw the light of day.

In a statement to the press on November 4th, Brian Wolfe, director of Ford Racing Technology, said, “The Cobra Jet is one of the transformational vehicles for Ford Racing. The 2008 CJ will get us more involved with the sportsmen racers in drag racing. At this point there are a lot of little guys who are running Fords from the 60s, 70s and even a few from the 80s, but those cars aren’t necessarily relevant to what we are producing today.”

He continued, stating, “Those Ford racers are among the most loyal Ford supporters and customers we have. The CJ makes a statement for our company that even in times as tough as these we can introduce something as special as the Cobra Jet. As a guy who has tracked Ford history from the beginning and understands the significance of the CJ, this is by far the best factory drag car that we have produced.”

And Brian Wolfe should know. He is one of the pioneers in Mustang Drag Racing, a staple of the Pro 5.0 class that I currently compete in back in its original conception days. Living a dream with his appointment as Director of Ford Racing Technologies, Brian is doing a great job of reaching out to the most loyal of all the Ford following: its racers. *tangent* (I’ve owned and raced nothing but Blue Oval for the past 10 years myself! In fact, my 6.69 @ 207mph was done with a factory Ford engine block and Super Cobra Jet heads, a world record I believe!) */tangent*

Joining Ford Racing’s stable of championship-able, consumer oriented cars that already includes the Mustang FR500S, FR500C, and FR500GT, the 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang is race-ready from the moment of purchase, and will be available either from Ford dealers, or through the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog.

Produced from the same platform as the base V6 Mustang, the 2008 Cobra Jet comes with a 5.4-liter, 400-horsepower supercharged engine mated to a standard six-speed transmission, though there is an optional automatic version. It ships with a drag race wheel & tire combination. NHRA-legal to 10-second ETs, the car weights about 3,300 pounds and features an NHRA Stock Eliminator-legal interior. The appearance of the vehicle is unique, but retains the usual Mustang neatness, and is offered with an optional 2008 Cobra Jet graphics kit to give a bit more oomph o its design.

With a price of $69,900 (high enough to make searching for insurance quotes a must for new owners), it should come as no surprise that every one of the initial 50 2008 models have already been promised to eager customers, but no worries: Ford Racing has promised that future versions of the Cobra Jet will roll off the assembly line in the future.

It seems clear that Ford is as eager for the 2008 Cobra Jet to be on the track as their customers are. As Wolfe said, “We’ve built a Mustang for drag racing that we’ve very proud of. We’re confident that this, like all Mustang race cars, will be competitive, and a value for those looking to enter a variety of sportsmen classes. We can’t wait to see the car in the hands of customers.”
Delivery of the first fifty 2008 Cobra Jet Mustangs is slated for the early part of 2009, and the car is expected to see its first competition at the 2009 WinterNationals in February, in Pomona, California.

Now, I’m just waiting for Ford to launch a FORCE edition Mustang.

A Car Update! Shiny new Heads!

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We’re getting closer…..

And I’m getting really excited!

My A460 Trick Flow cylinder heads are done now, thanks to Chuck Ford and the guys over at CFH. They took the bare castings, worked their magic, and assembled them for me, so they’re all ready to head over to Mr. Moody to put on the new Horsepower & Heels bullet… a stronger, more powerful engine program than the last outing.

The car is currently over at Johnston Bikes and Body Works getting prepped and painted by David Johnston. He’s an incredibly talented painter, and had the tough chore of sorting out all the body work that had to be done to the car around the turbos, etc. Not an easy task for sure!

Once its done there, its final assembly time and then down to the PRI show to represent for Brisk USA! I’m so happy things are FINALLY coming together! I think 2009 will be an exciting year for Horsepower & Heels! New engine program, new look…. back with some attitude this time! Its been a long time coming, and hopefully it will prove worth the wait to all that have followed in the past 2 years wondering if I’d EVER race again.

Halloween NHRA style

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Racers have a good sense of humor.

Check out this shot taken by Mark Rebilas at the NHRA Las Vegas race during Halloween weekend.


This is Justin Humphrey’s Pro Stock crew member dressed as a matador with Justin’s car being the bucking bull….

A perfect costume if you ask me!

Also, I understand that Jack Beckman was running around the staging lanes dressed as Ricky Bobby, but I haven’t found photographic evidence of it yet. Anyone catch a pic??

Happy Halloweenie!

Holiday Love Program: Email Our Military

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Is it really already that time of year?!?

Last year, you might remember our campaign to help Email Our Military’s Holiday Love program. Its really a great way to honor our service men and women that are away from home during the holiday season. eMoM sends over care packages filled with all kinds of goodies with cards and notes of support and encouragement so that all of our Military have something special while they are serving our country this holiday.

This year, we’ve made some special Horsepower & Heels Holiday cards to send over with the Holiday Love program. We’ll throw in some Horsepower & Heels goodies too, and hope that some of our men and women away from their families with enjoy. Its easy, free, and just the thought of brightening someone’s day is worth the time.

To send your support, just drop your goodies to:

eMail Our Military
“Holiday Love”
8004 NW 154 Street, Suite 344
Miami Lakes, FL 33016

2009 Ford F-150 Adventure: Part Two

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Part Two of Horsepower & Heels’ Ford F-150 Adventure Series

The Proving Grounds.
You might as well have brought me into the Holy Land, because this is about as sacred to us Ford Fans. This is the facility where they conduct all the R&D and testing before vehicles even make it to the production line. The facility consists of acres upon acres of different driving conditions: High Speed test tracks, Off Road, Fire Testing, Accelerated Durability, Handling, Towing, etc.; you name the condition, and they have an area devoted to its testing and development.

The F-150 has been put through its paces from concept through production, along with an impressive several million mile road testing across the country in all of the elements.

As part of my special media launch, we were invited to test the new F-150 against the competition: Toyota’s Tundra, Chevrolet’s Silverado, Dodge’s Ram. Ford set up 4 of their testing sites for us to drive not only the new F-150, but also each of the competition’s vehicles.

Accelerated Durability.
The first course we tested on was called Silver Creek 2, the accelerated durability course. The test event consists of a strip of what looked like river rocks that you hit doing 30 mph, and a washboard section to test the truck’s handling and its durability over the harsh conditions.

We first watched a demo of the grueling Silver Creek 1 by one of the professional drivers. The course is so punishing that drivers can only attempt the course 4 times in a work day because of the physical beatings taken. Videos played before the demo showed the F-150 along side of each of the competitors. Its amazing what the films showed in slow motion: the amount of frame and body flex in the beds, the movement laterally by the axles bouncing, the handling and control (or lack thereof) in each truck.

My first test vehicle on this event was the Toyota Tundra. The amount of flex in the C-style frame versus Ford’s Boxed Frame is very noticeable in the course. The whole truck was difficult to control, and performed the worst of this test. My 2nd vehicle was the Silverado. Though it did not handle as smooth as the F-150, it was at least in control and not as severe in frame vibration and flexing. Driving the F-150, you can tell the amount of refinement that went into the truck helps immensely in driver comfort through such a test, as well as its very controlled, straight on track handling of the conditions. Leaving off with the Dodge, who challenges the tried and true leaf-spring suspension with coil springs, it is surprising the lack of control in the situation. Ford 150 takes the win here, with Dodge Ram getting the low grade.

Handling.

Round two of testing brought us to the autocrossing segment, where we took the trucks, each carrying an 800lb. payload, through a specific course that testing cornering, maneuvering, and overall handling under load. In this round, the steering telemetry and handling response were the key items under scrutiny. Ford’s F-150 has great road response and steering feel, and with the addition of traction control found standard on most autos today, it keeps you out of trouble. The solid frame and the hearty suspension make the F-150 a strong player, though the versatility in packages does have some effects between the different models in terms of overall handling. Coming in a distant last was the Silverado, whose steering just was not comfortable at all and took corners very sloppily. The Ram was respectable, and the Tundra, though nothing impressive, didn’t sit so out of place here either.

 

Towing.
For the towing event, each truck was hooked up to a 20 ft. enclosed trailer weighing in at 8,000 lbs (the limit of the Ram’s towing capacity). The F-150 boasts 11,300lb. towing capacity, so this was light work for the trucks. The F-150 shines in the towing arena. It is the only model in the group that features integrated trailer braking, with a smart system that senses required brake pressure for the speeds. Gone are the trailer ball/hitching effect, the F-150 tows with such finesse, that its easy to forget you have a trailer behind you. Power bands delivered via the 6 speed transmission are right on target, with excellent ratios to not only pull the load with confidence, but maintain in uphill grades. Engine braking is very intuitive, with downshifting occurring on call from a light touch of the brake pedal. The integrated system also utilizes a unique algorithm to factor in on board anti-sway of the trailer, and also includes a rear view camera with motion sensor tracking and trailer hitch locator. Excellent addition to aid the weekend towers. The camera is viewed via the on board computer for those equipped, and will appear in a special rear view mirror for those who opted not to have the on-board computer.
The Dodge Ram, though its larger Hemi was strong initially, the gear ratios in the transmission make the Hemi struggle upon shifting into 2nd gear on the incline. Shift points are sloppy, with hunting and searching as it downshifts at inopportune times. The Tundra did not seem to have a sweet spot in the braking pedal at all for engine braking. The worst of the bunch came courtesy of the Silverado, whose finicky steering was again problematic especially in the handling while towing.
Off-Road.
They definitely saved the best for last, as we were able to take the Ford F-150 FX4 models out onto the offroad event (apparently, they couldn’t torture the competition, so for this event, the FX4 was the only vehicle tested.) Being that offroading has become one of my favorite pass times, I was excited. My ride along engineer, quickly picked up on my desire to really experience the truck, so we pushed the envelope on the routes selected through the mud. Its impressive ability to handle everything we threw at it really made this more than just a factory trim package. The new F-150 is a functional off road vehicle. The only complaint was that going through some of the really dense mud, while you are powering through, if the rev-limiter is touched from wheel speed, it automatically arms the traction control, instantly killing power and thereby getting us stuck. Other than that, the truck is a dream.

All bias aside, it is clear why Ford is leader in the class on the light duty pickup with F-150. It outshines its competitors not only in utility and safety, but also in refinement and durability. The 2009 has been nicknamed the “Toughest Truck” as a progression from the previous models of “tough” and “tougher”. Its easy to see why Ford enthusiasts are loyal to their trucks. Driving the competition against the truck, you could really see its strengths, I only wish they offered these testing events nearby dealerships, so you could really make an informed decision before you buy.

Visit my Event Photogallery for more pictures, and look for more on a future episode of Horsepower & Heels TV!

2009 Ford F-150 Adventure: Part One

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I just got back from Detroit, Michigan as a guest of Ford at their newly renovated Michigan Proving Ground Facility. The event: a week-long media launch for the new 2009 F-150.

I’ve never been to a media launch before, so this was definitely a new and fun experience for me.
The event started off for me with a 50 mile road test drive of the current F-150 to a dealership, where Ford had many of the new 2009 F-150’s waiting in all types of available combinations. With 7 trim packages, 3 engine options, 3 box options, and 3 bed options, there are more combinations to choose from than I could possibly begin to discuss. So I started off with a basic XLT extended cab, and headed out with a Ford engineer to experience the truck first hand.
REFINEMENT.
The first thing you notice in the new F-150 is how quiet and smooth it rides. At idle, it doesn’t feel or sound like its on, which for me, means I’m very glad it has a safety switch on the starter to keep you from trying to start an already running car. Its THAT quiet! Refinement was high on the list for the new F-150, and they succeeded with great results. The truck doesn’t drive like a truck anymore. The steering is smooth and responsive and the plush new interior makes the ride feel more luxury than utility. Gone are the vibrations felt through the steering and the harsh road ride. Its mild mannered ride makes you think more softy than built tough.
POWER.
With the 5.4L V8 boasting a healthy 320 horsepower and 390 ft. lbs of torque, it is a noted improvement over the prior model. The new 6 speed transmission makes power transfer smoother and keeps the healthy engine in its power band longer. There is also a new SFE model that boasts increased fuel mileage via a 4.6L 3V motor. Though I only tested the 5.4L models, the buzz from those that did try out the 4.6L were that there was little noted power differences… no more of the sluggish smaller V8.
DURABILITY.
Ford leads the market already, so how do you improve upon the best? The Ford Tough moto is something that its customers look for in their truck. With so much improvement made to the refinement to the truck, would the ultility suffer as a result? The answer is a firm NO. Ford was able to achieve a perfect trifecta, and still managed to make the truck lighter, and stronger than years prior.
FORD WORK SOLUTIONS.
Tool Link. Crew Chief. Cable Lock.
After completing our road test, we headed back to the hotel for a reception and presentation of a new fleet option system in Ford Work Solutions. This is a wonderful example of embracing the aftermaket and working to provide customers with affordable, factory supported real solutions to real world problems.
The packages are built with an on-board computer/blutooth keyboard/printer combo with high speed connectivity built in that allows a mobile office workstation and even remote access your office desktop. A great tool for contractors to streamline billing and other tracking measures directly from the jobsite. The computer also has built in Garmin Navigation and real-time traffic, weather, and gas pricing for fleet efficiency.
The new Tool Link system option takes efficiency to a new level, with the aid of RF Transmitters and RF tool tags. The RF transmitters located in the bed of the truck allow for tool tracking by communicating with the on-board computer. After a one-time set up, each tagged tool emits its own RF code, recognized by the computer to ensure that all of your tools leave with you after each job. With job-level grouping, it also ensures that your workers are geared up for the jobs they will be assigned for the day. The Cable Lock system allows an in-bed cabling system to secure all tools.
The beauty of the system lies in Crew Chief interface. Crew Chief acts as a mobile dispatch center, tracking location, vehicle speeds, idle time, fuel consumption and more on each of the fleet vehicles. The management system pairs with navigation to allow you to look up a job address and dispatch the closest truck (and if also equipped with Tool Link, the closest properly equipped truck) to your new jobsite.
The F-150 has made an excellent solution to the pressing needs of contractors looking to save in fuel economy and fleet management. With many business owners looking to downsize their fleet vehicles in size and efficiency, this is a vital new tool for small and medium sized fleets.
Up next, I get the chance to take the new F-150 onto the Michigan Proving Grounds for testing against the Silverado, Tundra, and Ram.
Look for a complete sneek preview in a future episode of Horsepower & Heels TV!

Representing: Philadelphia, PA

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Here’s Gloria Bell from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wearing a Horsepower & Heels Signature t-shirt in pink. I met Gloria online via Twitter, and helped out her niece Emmy with a school project by taking Flat Emmy to the races with me and reporting back on our adventures.

Thanks for supporting Horsepower & Heels, Gloria!

Wanna get in on the action?

 

Have a cool bar or other location you want to support?Help us get the Horsepower & Heels word out! Just pick up a Horsepower & Heels decal, or some other Horsepower & Heels merchandise from the E-Store and when you find a cool home for it, send us a picture to press[at]horsepowerandheels[dot]com.

Palomita Education Fund Online Auction

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Erica Ortiz for Palomita
Erica Ortiz

Starting on October 15, 2008, the Palomita Education Fund will be auctioning off a number of fun and unique items to bid on to raise money for the cause.

Horsepower & Heels driver, Erica Ortiz, is one of the featured artists on the shirts. The shirts were part of the “Piensa Mas Alla” or Think Beyond fundraiser, an annual fashion show dedicated to raising awareness and support for the Palomita Education Fund. The auction will feature the limited edition designs, autographed by their celebrity creators. …

Representing: ORSCA style

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Vintage Horsepower & Heels!

This one comes from Candy Cook in Georgia. Candy is sporting the original first edition Horsepower & Heels “Who Says” T-Shirt at an ORSCA race at Brainerd Optimist Dragstrip in Ringgold, GA. Candy has been a regular at Horsepower & Heels since the beginning, and we think she’s great!

Thanks for supporting Horsepower & Heels, Candy!

 

Wanna get in on the action?

Have a cool bar or other location you want to support?Help us get the Horsepower & Heels word out! Just pick up a Horsepower & Heels decal, or some other Horsepower & Heels merchandise from the E-Store and when you find a cool home for it, send us a picture to press[at]horsepowerandheels[dot]com.