When it comes to classic muscle cars, I’m crazy about unrestored survivors that soldiered on for more than a half-century with all-original features. However, I’m just as fond of unassuming sleepers that look totally stock on the outside but hide race-prepped mills under their hoods. Like this 1968 Ford Mustang in Acapulco Blue.
And here’s the even more interesting thing about this pony. It’s not a run-of-the-mill ‘Stang but a rare Cobra Jet version. First introduced halfway through the 1968 model year, the Cobra Jet arrived in showrooms with Ford’s then-new 428-cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8 and was available with a few options that turned it into a road-legal dragster.
The Cobra Jet became a big hit and Ford moved a little over 18,000 units over three model years, but the 1968 version is quite scarce at 1,299 units. The Acapulco Blue example you see here is a Sportsroof version, which further reduces production figures to 1,044 units. So why would anyone modify a Cobra Jet that is rare and valuable in 2023? Well, the thing is this ‘Stang was prepped for drag racing duty long before it became a collector’s item.
Specifically, the owner has had it since 1971 and he’s been racing it ever since he got it. And despite spending decades at the drag strip, the Cobra Jet soldiered on into 2023 still wearing its factory Acapulco Blue paint and two-tone blue interior. Of course, the latter includes some extra gauges and the exterior shows a few battle scars, but the owner kept the pony safe from radical modifications.
But what about the engine? Is this Cobra Jet still using its factory-original 428 V8? No, it doesn’t, but the numbers-matching mill still exists. The owner got it out of the shortly after he started racing and used a 427-cubic-inch powerplant instead. The Cobra Jet found its way into the car a few years later but it was swapped out again for a hand-built race-spec V8 with an all-aluminum block and aluminum cylinder heads.
Not surprisingly, the replacement mill is much more powerful than the original Cobra Jet, which was rated at 335 horsepower from the factory. According to the owner, his Mustang now spins the rear wheels to the tune of 714 horsepower and 655 pound-feet (888 Nm) of torque, which is downright amazing for a car that’s 55 years old as of 2023. And needless to say, the front wheels go up in the air as soon as the gas pedal hits the floor.
So how quick is this muscle car down the quarter-mile? Well, the owner runs in the 11-second bracket right now but he claims the Cobra Jet could easily cover the distance in the 10s. He’s also confident that a few upgrades would take it into the 9s, which is only a second slower than the ridiculous 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 140.
And the fact that it’s a Canada-spec car and shows only 44,000 miles (70,811 km) on the odometer makes it even cooler. Sure, I’m hoping it will be reverted to factory spec in the future, but it sure is exciting to watch a 1968 Cobra Jet run much quicker than expected at the drag strip. And kudos to the owner who seems to be a really fun guy who enjoys every second he gets to spend in his beloved Mustang.