Ford says the electric Mustang Cobra Jet 2200 ran 6.76 seconds at 222 mph at zMAX Dragway in 2026, the quickest electric car over the quarter-mile.
Ford marked 125 years of racing with an electric Mustang, the Cobra Jet 2200, which posted a 6.76-second quarter-mile pass at 222 mph in 2026. Ford says output is roughly 2,200 horsepower, and the car weighs over 1,000 pounds less than the 1800. Ford traces its racing history to a win on October 10, 1901.
Ford said the electric Mustang Cobra Jet 2200 posted 6.76 seconds at 222 mph at zMAX Dragway in 2026, a run it describes as the quickest for an electric car over the quarter-mile. Ford's engineers used a pair of electric motors, a five-speed clutchless gearbox and a patented centrifugal clutch. Ford puts the output at roughly 2,200 horsepower at the rear wheels, and the car is over 1,000 pounds lighter than the Super Cobra Jet 1800.
The clutch controls the motors' torque at launch, allowing controlled slip before it locks as speed builds, and four batteries help with weight distribution. Nick Kuhajda, the program supervisor for the Cobra Jet 2200, said the timeslip shows only part of the story and that what the team learns from each run tells the rest.
Cobra Jet lineage
Ford brought back the Cobra Jet name in 2008 for a turnkey drag car aimed at sportsman racers, and later used it on electric demonstrators as well. In 2021 the Cobra Jet 1400 managed 8.128 seconds, reaching 171.97 mph. In 2024 the Super Cobra Jet 1800 set a full-bodied electric quarter-mile mark of 7.623 seconds at 182.16 mph.
From Dearborn to the dragstrip
Ford's racing story began on October 10, 1901, when Sweepstakes, driven by Henry Ford, scored an upset over Alexander Winton across 10 laps of a horse track. Ford says the win drew financial backing that helped set the company in motion. In 1962 the company formed its Ford Drag Team, with racers including Dick Brannan and Mickey Thompson. In 1968 it responded with the Cobra Jet Mustang, prompted by a Rhode Island dealer who combined Ford parts into a 428 engine package that Dearborn was urged to build.
At the 1968 Winternationals, Al Joniec beat Hubert Platt in a Super Stock final in which every car was a Cobra Jet, running 11.49 seconds at more than 120 mph.
Champions and the 2026 season
Bob Glidden, a former Ford dealership mechanic, finished his career with 85 victories and 10 championships. John Force won 10 of his 16 championships in Ford Mustangs. In 2026 Jonathan Allegrucci won the Factory Stock Showdown title in a Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, becoming the first 2026 champion in any class and the first winner of NHRA's diamond 75th anniversary title. He won three races this season, in Charlotte, Chicago and Bristol, after an early second-round exit at Gainesville.
