It is impossible to very the authenticity of this car as a 428 Cobra Jet model without a thorough VIN inspection in multiple places, but we are leaning toward “Homage” versus “Original.”
That is no bad thing when considering the care and exhaustive effort to bring this Mustang up to ‘Winternationals 1968’ spec – where eight Cobra Jet Mustangs joined the drag racing pit area, for a combined 3000-plus Mustang horsepower from each car’s FE engine making 390-horsepower.
This was a real shock to the shock the competing teams, generally equipped with one car (total) plus one backup engine. The NHRA 1968 season would be filled with surprises for all non-Mustangs….
Photo Credit from Pomona 1968 thanks to 428CobraJet.com
The livery in Wimbledon White, the Ford Drag Team stickers, and the Holman Moody CP stickers on this Charlotte-snapped Mustang all give the same wonderful first, second and last impressions – just as the lights flash green and it shot out of sight.
This car is quite attractive with its lower and longer style of the first-gen facelift – but its automatic transmission inside is questionable.
Hagerty Classic Car insurance’s Price Guide Report shows that the average value of a true 1968 Cobra Jet 428 from 1968 is around $48,000, down a bit since its peak in 2007, but all conditions of the 1968 Cobra Jet are still up more than 80-percent over their 2006 Hagerty value averages.
https://www.hagerty.com/valuationtools/HVT/VehicleSearch/Report?vc=21411
HAGERTY – The average value for this vehicle is: $47,138*
History of the 1967-1968 Ford Mustang
Dearborn’s pony car was redesigned for 1967, primarily to make more room up front for an optional big-block V-8. Though the 271-hp 289 “Hi Po” small-block remained available for one last year, it was overshadowed by the 390-cid FE-series big-block, rated at 320 horsepower. Also new for 1967 was the “GTA,” an automatic transmission variation on the continuing GT theme.
The GT/GTA segregation was enacted for one year only; all were simply called GTs again, regardless of transmission choice, in 1968. Making more headlines in April 1968 was Ford’s announcement of a new engine option.
The 335-hp 428 Cobra Jet V-8 was a big-block bully that vaulted the Mustang to the forefront of Detroit’s muscle car race. Hot Rod magazine called the ’68½ CJ Mustang “the fastest regular production sedan ever built.” Available as a coupe, fastback or convertible, the venomous 428 Cobra Jet Mustang was available through 1970.
1968 Ford Drag Team – Mustang 428 Cobra Jet in Wimbledon White
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
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