As the owner of one of the quickest ’03-’04 Cobra cars in the country, Massachusetts resident Jake Conant spends plenty of time trying to figure out how to go quicker and faster down the quarter-mile.
This past weekend, during his last race of the year at a test session at Cecil County Dragway, Conant figured out exactly how to not run quicker on this incredible pass.
Conant’s machine regularly runs mid-1.20s in the 60-foot and hangs the tires a few feet up at the hit. After a normal launch the car kept going up, and up, and almost onto its side, hitting the apex on the right rear wheel only before crashing back to land with a crunch.
Through a stroke of extreme good luck, the car comes down and somehow stays off the wall. Conant managed to pedal the car just enough to have it land on all four wheels rather than rolling onto its side – a great driving job that can’t be practiced no matter how many times you envision it as a driver.
We get a front row seat in-car helmet-cam shot, thanks to the wonders of modern electronics of just what happens when powerful car meets super-sticky racetrack.
Conant explains, “So far the only visible damage is the bent wheel and some scuffs and small dings. Nothing else is visibly broken which is crazy. I’m sure I will find more.”
The combination consists of an L&M Engines-built 281 cubic inch Four-Valve Modular engine topped off with a VMP 2.3L supercharger pushing 20 pounds of boost pressure. So far the best elapsed time to date is an 8.78 at 152 MPH.
Hold on tight as you watch both videos, and don’t be offended at the colorful language – you know you’d say the same thing. As the license plate proudly proclaims, this car is No Joke.