Despite the Rarity, This 1968 Cobra Jet Mustang Has Been Raced and Street-Driven For More Than 50 Years!
The muscle car market has been a classic game of hot and cold over the six decades since the “muscle car” moniker was first used in the early 1960s.
Certain marque models that today hold six or even seven figure values, could have been purchased for a couple thousand dollars during the gas crunch / EPA crackdown in the 1970s.
One of those lucky people to purchase a factory Cobra Jet during the 1970s was Donald Fotti, who purchased this ‘68 fastback model in March of 1971 for just under twenty-five hundred dollars. But instead of letting the car sit and worry about the increase in value, Fotti decides to exercise the Cobra Jet on race track tracks and streets around the US and Canada!
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The Cobra Jet option was originally pushed into action on 1968 Ford models in late 1967. In an effort to get the car approved for NHRA stock racing classes, a limited 428 Cobra Jet Mustang production of 50 cars (which was the minimum required to qualify for NHRA class racing) was approved.
These non-GT fastback models were painted Wimbledon White and equipped with a black vinyl interior. Behind the 428 Cobra Jet engine was a 4-speed manual transmission and a 3.89-geared 9-inch rear axle.
The 428 Cobra Jet also found its way into regular production Mustang and Shelby models, resulting in a grand total of 2,870 models in 1968 with the CJ option.
Fotti’s model still sports the original Acapulco blue paint, and a set of period-correct Keystone mag wheels.
More of Fotti’s story, including some racing coverage from the NMCA / NMRA series, is in the video below:
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of NMRA.