Introduced for the 1969 model year as a performance-oriented package, the Mach 1 was available with just about every V8 engine from the Mustang lineup from 1969 to 1973. But while most of them rolled off the assembly line with 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) Windsor and Cleveland mills, some were fitted with Ford's most powerful production mill at the time.
I'm obviously talking about the 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet mills. Available as the "Ram Air" R-Code and "Non-Ram Air" Q-Code, both delivered 335 horsepower and 440 pound-feet (597 Nm), the highest ratings for a non-Shelby 'Stang at the time.
Both the Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet debuted in the Mach 1 in 1969 and carried over unchanged for the 1970 model year. In 1971, the mills grew slightly larger to 429 cubic inches (7.0 liters) and gained some extra oomph.
The Cobra Jet became known as the C-Code and delivered 370 horsepower, while the Supra Cobra Jet turned into the "Ram Air" J-Code and came with 375 horses on tap thanks to a four-barrel Holley carburetor. Both units were rated at 450 pound-feet (610 Nm) of twist.
The Cobra Jet was discontinued after the 1971 model, some Mach 1 models equipped with the 428 and 429 V8s are quite rare and desirable nowadays. While many of them change hands for more than $100,000, some fetch close to $200,000.
The 1970 Mach 1 you see here may look like one of those desirable Cobra Jet models on the outside, but it hides a nasty surprise under the hood. And don't let the fact that the mill itself looks very similar to the 428 Cobra Jet because it's actually an LS7 crate engine.
Yes, someone dropped a Chevrolet V8 into a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 and camouflaged it to look like a Cobra Jet. Insane? Blasphemous? Should we bring out the tar and the feathers? Well, as sacrilegious as it may seem, I think it's a cool solution in the absence of a date-correct Cobra Jet replacement.
Not to mention that the LS7, originally created for the C6-generation Corvette Z06, is quite potent in stock form at 505 horsepower. Yup, that's more than 150 horses more than what the 428 V8 was capable of in 1970. And it sounds fantastic too.
We already featured this ludicrous creation by Roadster Shop in June 2022, but now we also get to hear it run. Would you enjoy a Ford-Chevy hybrid like this or would you rather source a 1970 Cobra Jet to make things right? Let me know in the comments.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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