Ford Shows Twin-Turbo V8 Cobra Jet Concept at SEMA

FordFordUnited States of America, 1903 > present92 models
2522 photos
11 videos
has been building cars specifically for drag racing customers since the 60s. The original 1968 Cobra Jet MustangFord Mustang 428 Cobra JetUnited States of America, 1968 > present1 photo
used a 7.0-liter V8, and the most recent cars use Ford's new 5.0-liter V8 either with or without a supercharger. At SEMA, Ford is showing their concept for the next generation Cobra Jet that uses the modern 5.0-liter V8 with two turbos from the latest Focus STFord Focus ST EcoBoostUnited Kingdom, 2012 > present9 photos
bolted on. 

While a supercharged drag racing engine has its advantages like immediate power delivery, it also scavenges power from the engine. Ford says that its 2.1-liter supercharger on the 5.0-liter V8 steals 100hp. The new turbocharged engine does not have this problem. 

“To overcome the biggest perceived drawback of turbocharging – the lag – we’ve selected the smallest possible turbos that will give us the airflow we need,” he added. “We’ve also got some other enhancements to help improve the responsiveness; we have very low inertia and very low internal friction," said Ford turbocharger engineer Dave Born. 

Ford worked with Borg-Warner to modify the turbo used on the new Focus ST to work for the Mustang's V8. Each turbo feeds one bank of cylinders. That also means that the engine meets NHRA drag racing rules that stipulate parts like turbochargers have to be production based.

Ford is not talking about power for the new engine, but the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 produces 444hp.