The twin-turbo Ford Racing Mustang Cobra Jet Concept was undoubtedly the star of the 2012 SEMA Show, not just for those in the Mustang community but for the automotive industry as a whole. To be honest, though, it’s what was under the hood of the car that got people truly excited. The twin-turbocharged engine is Ford’s first application of EcoBoost technology for an eight cylinder engine and potentially represents what we could be seeing in future Mustang models, both on the track and on the street.
While we were able to get a good look at the twin-turbo engine under the hood of the Cobra Jet Concept, Ford also had an entirely other engine on display right next to the car on the show floor. Free from the constraints of the engine bay, the overall design and layout of the twin-turbochargers could be more plainly seen and many of the finer points were revealed. You can see the engine in more detail below, along with captions for several of the photos.
The overall packaging of the twin-turbo system is similar to dedicated drag racing setups rather than a production car, with the turbochargers mounted below and in front of the engine. The turbochargers can be seen on the car by peeking through the lower grilles.
The intake manifold is similar to the one used on the current 2013 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet with the naturally aspirated engine. It’s made from a lightweight composite material, and the runners are designed to provide optimal power at 7,750 rpm. Like the exterior of the car, the intake manifold features Ford’s new official racing colors.
The throttle body is identical to the one used on the naturally aspirated 2013 Mustang Cobra Jet (FRPP part #M-9926-SCJ). Constructed from billet aluminum, the oval monoblade throttle body has a 1797cfm rating.
Unlike the headers for a supercharged or naturally aspirated motor, the headers for the Cobra Jet Concept take exhaust gases forward to the turbochargers to drive the compressors.
NHRA competition rules for the Cobra Jet’s classes dictate that turbochargers be derived from production components. The Cobra Jet Concept’s turbochargers, based on the units used in the Focus ST, are built by Borg-Warner and are relatively small and efficient to reduce lag.
The turbine wheels are constructed from titanium aluminide that reduces the rotational inertia by fifty percent. The compressors can spin up to 150,000 rpm almost instantly.
