It’s the stuff of legend today. Ford dealer, Tasca Ford, in East Providence, Rhode Island, transformed dealership owner Bob Tasca Sr.’s ’67 Mustang coupe into a straight-line terror by picking and choosing the right combination of FE engine parts. The basis for the build was a 428 Police Interceptor short block, which Tasca’s team then topped with low-riser 427 heads and stabbed in a 390 GT/A cam. The package was tweaked by the dealership technicians and was soon powering the Mustang to mid-13-second quarter-mile times.
The car attracted the attention of Hot Rod magazine and editor Eric Dahlquist wrote a feature story in which he urged readers to let Ford know that this combination should be a production option.
Dearborn got the message loud and clear and put the spurs to a program to build a badder FE V-8. Thus, the 428 Cobra Jet was born. Initially, it arrived in 50 specially prepared Mustang race cars to qualify it for Stock Class racing where it quickly asserted its dominance. Then, the production cars arrived as late-’68 model year editions or “68½” as they came to be known.
The Cobra Jet package was available on Mustangs and Fairlanes that inaugural year. In the Mustang, the $420.96 428 Cobra Jet engine package included chrome rocker covers, ram-air induction with a functional hood scoop, “Competition Handling” suspension, F70-14 Wide Oval belted traction tires with white letters or whitewalls, the
