Pony Express. 50 Years of Cobra Jet October 2018

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1 October 2018 CRMC P.O. Box Charlotte, NC Years of Cobra Jet DEARBORN Ford Performance recently revealed the quickest drag racing Mustang ever, capable of covering a quarter -mile in the mid-eight-second range. The 2018 Mustang Cobra Jet is a limited-edition turnkey race car that honors the 50th anniversary of the original that dominated drag strips in The new Cobra Jet makes its public debut this weekend at the 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise. The Ford Performance Parts team developed the 50th Anniversary car to be the most powerful and quickest Mustang Cobra Jet from the factory ever capable of topping 150 mph while turning in a mid-eight-second quarter-mile run. The project epitomizes the close teamwork between traditional and motorsports engineering groups to maximize the design, performance and durability of production Mustangs. From the very first Mustang Cobra Jets dominating the 1968 NHRA Winternationals to our modern-day racers, the Ford Performance Parts team continues to build on Cobra Jet s success at the track over five decades, said Eric Cin, Continued on page 2

2 global director, Ford Performance Parts. This has inspired generations of Mustang fans to create their own performance machines for the street. The car is powered by a special 5.2-liter version of Ford s famed 5.0-liter Coyote V8, strengthened and outfitted with a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger. The engine sends power to the ground through a 9-inch solid rear axle, two-way coilover shocks with adjustable ride height and a low-drag disc brake system from Strange Engineering as well as a fourlink rear suspension with antiroll and panhard bars. Additional factory-provided racing performance upgrades include an NHRA-certified safety roll cage, FIA-certified seats and anniversary-badged racing wheels. The new Mustang Cobra Jet is available in either Race Red or Oxford White and can be outfitted with exclusive 50th Anniversary graphics and badging. Customers can order now at an MSRP of $130,000. Production is limited to 68 cars, in honor of Cobra Jet s 1968 debut. Making history again The car s long history of winning and setting records dates to its debut race weekend, where it commanded NHRA Super Stock at the 1968 Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. Since then, its winning engine formula has served to power Ford Mustang, Mercury Cougar, Ford Fairlane, Ford Torino and other vehicles. Credit for this formula goes to legendary East Coast Ford dealer Bob Tasca, grandfather of current Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang NHRA Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III and the man who coined the phrase Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. After its display at Mustang Alley as part of the Woodward Dream Cruise, the 50th Anniversary Mustang Cobra Jet will travel the following weekend to Norwalk, Ohio, for the 50th Anniversary Ford Performance Cobra Jet Reunion at Summit Motorsports Park the largest gathering of Cobra Jets in history. More than 150 vehicles dating back to 1968 are expected to attend. Mustang Cobra Jet timeline 1968 Original FE 428-cubic-inch V8-powered Cobra Jet is created: Ford produces 50 lightweight Mustangs to hold the 335-horsepower engine; six are shipped to Holman Moody and Bill Stroppe to be prepared for NHRA competition Al Joniec pilots one of the six to Cobra Jet s first victory 2008 Rebirth of factory Mustang Cobra Jet, M-FR500-CJ, 40 years later: Powered by a supercharged 5.4-liter dual-overhead-cam V8, this drag racing renaissance was the first Stock Eliminator car to dip into the eight-second zone at an NHRA National Event Unlike the original, the 50 produced this time around do not feature VINs, so they are not street legal John Calvert drives a Cobra Jet featuring Joniec tribute paint scheme to victory at NHRA Winternationals on 41st anniversary of its original win M-FR500-CJ: 250 additional cars are produced with dozens of domestic drag racing records, victories and championships achieved across NHRA, IHRA, NMCA and NMRA Drivers range from experienced veterans to young drag racing stars in the making Through half a century, Mustang Cobra Jet orders are still being placed at local Ford dealerships Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 2 October 2018

3 Pony Express 38th Annual CRMC Show Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 3 October 2018

4 Ford NEWS DEARBORN, Mich. The new 2019 Ford Edge with available all -wheel drive is smart enough to detect various driving conditions and automatically shift between two-wheel and all-wheel drive. The feature provides all-wheel-drive traction when it is needed, and helps reduce fuel consumption when it s not. The system is called all-wheel-drive disconnect, a first-for-ford technology that uses a form of artificial intelligence that can calculate quicker than the human brain. Based on information received from dozens of high-tech sensors, the new Edge can determine in a fraction of a second whether all-wheel drive is needed. The concept is pretty simple, it was the execution that was the challenge, said Scott Beiring, Ford driveline applications supervisor. Shifting between two- and all-wheel drive needs to be fast and seamless enough that the customer doesn t know it is happening. The system uses an all-new dedicated electronic brain that receives inputs from dozens of sensors throughout the vehicle. It interacts with the traction control system to detect wheel slip, receiving inputs from the anti-lock brakes to learn if that system is active. It even detects if the windshield wipers are on, whether the Edge is towing a trailer, and the outside temperature. Power control on the fly An algorithm that uses fuzzy logic processes all of the data to determine if all-wheel or front-wheel drive are optimal. Constantly monitoring, the system can detect in 10 milliseconds the need to engage or disengage all-wheel drive. It can quickly distribute up to 100 percent of the available power from the front to the rear wheels, depending on driving conditions detected by the system. Fuzzy logic refers to the algorithm, Beiring said. It s like you or I determining what to wear based on reading a weather forecast, where we re going, the time of year and looking outside. In the case of the new Edge, just because the windshield wipers are on doesn t mean all-wheel drive is going to engage. The algorithm makes the call based on a variety of things that are happening but much faster than a person could process. There are similar systems out there, but none quite like this, he added. The fact that we re able to switch seamlessly and without any input from the driver, that s the real magic. More tech to burn less fuel All-wheel-drive disconnect is only one reason for the 2019 Ford Edge s improved EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings. All-wheel drive equipped vehicles have EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 21 mpg city/28 mpg highway/23 mpg combined. Front-wheel drive vehicles have EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg city/29 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. With standard all-wheel drive and a 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost engine, Edge ST, the first SUV from the Ford Performance team, has EPA -estimated fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway/21 mpg combined. Actual mileage may vary. Those EPA-estimated ratings represent improvements over current Edge models[1] improvements that the addition of several new technologies as well as a handful of aerodynamic enhancements helped achieve. Fuel-saving tech features on the new Edge include the following: New 8-speed automatic transmission introduces two overdrive gears, which decrease engine rpm for improved fuel economy during highway cruising Active transmission warm-up uses reclaimed heat energy to warm up the transmission faster. This, along with a durable, synthetic, ultra-low-viscosity fluid engineered specifically for the new Edge reduces component friction and helps save fuel Standard Auto Start-Stop helps save fuel by shutting off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and automatically restarts when the driver releases the brake pedal Deceleration fuel shut-off stops fuel flow to the engine when the vehicle is reducing speed Exhaust gas recirculation not only reduces harmful emissions, but increases efficiency by allowing a larger throttle position, thereby reducing pumping losses To improve Edge aerodynamics, 2019 models are equipped with active grille shutters, full underbody shields and air curtains that create a high-pressure region of air around the outer surface of the wheels and tires for reduced drag. Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 4 October 2018

5 CRMC Officers President Mark Hunter Vice President Michael Shorkey Secretary Tami Brown Treasurer Steve Hartung Regional Director Mike Williams Past President Mark Young BOD at Large Dave Barrett Phil Brooks Joe DelCasino Jim Olenik Jim Olejarczyk CRMC is a Regional Club of Mustang Club of America The Power of the Pony by Brett Smith It s hard to believe our 38 th Annual CRMC show is already behind us. We had a great time. The turnout was outstanding. To say that the heat and humidity were extreme would not be an exaggeration. Thanks to all the club members and volunteers who helped make it all possible. Congratulations to Johnnie and Rachel Garner for their Best of Show award for their 1968 T5 convertible. I don t know about you, but I am already getting excited about the 55 th anniversary show next April. Hopefully the weather turns out nice for us. It seems the Anniversary shows bring at least one day of pouring rain so hopefully that trend is over. With all the events planned, it s hard to figure out which ones to sign up for. Let s also hope it s not the last Anniversary where there is still a new model on the Ford Showroom floors. For the time being, it seems like Ford is committed to keeping it around, though the latest rumors are starting to look like the Coyote V8 might not be around too much longer. The business case for the 5.0 has always been made by the fact that a good percentage of the F150 platforms also used it, making it economically viable to produce. In recent years, the number of trucks shipping with the 5.0 in them has been steadily declining as the power of the Ecoboost offerings continues to increase. It s hard to justify spending the extra money for what the majority of owners will never notice. Current new car buyers would rather have lighted door sills and logothemed puddle lights in their outside mirrors that project some goofy image on the ground when they walk up to the vehicle apparently. I figure that even if they discontinue the 5.0 option most people will just continue to buy them anyway though. Ford likely also believes this to be the case, as historically they still sell regardless of what they put in showrooms or what the cost of it is. Just so long as it has a pony stuck on it. I have to say it would be better to still have a Mustang with a V6 than to not have a Mustang at all. Time will tell. CRMC Charter Date August 24, 1978 Carolina Regional Mustang Club Page 5 October 2018