Hemi-Powered Ford Mustang Fox-Body Is Sweet Blasphemy, Runs 8s

Well, we've all seen Fox-body Mustangs stuffed with turbocharged or supercharged Ford V8 engines under the hood, so here's something a little different. This 1982 Mustang raced by Big 3 Racing draws juice from a turbocharged, Gen 3 Hemi engine. Yup, bring out the tar and the feathers boys because this FoMoCo hits the drag strip with Mopar power.

I know that to some of you this thing has "blasphemy" written all over it, but I think there's nothing wrong about combining a great platform and a solid engine. Because let's face it, the third-generation Hemi is one of the best modern powerplants out there. Also, a reliable choice if you're planning on winning races at the drag strip.

Speaking of which, this Mustang was spotted racing at the 2021 Hot Rod Drag Week. We don't know much about the single-turbo Hemi that spins its rear wheels, but we do know that it's a 392-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) mill.

Chrysler introduced this engine in 2011, almost 10 years after the third-gen Hemi engine debuted. It powered the SRT 392 versions of the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, but also found its way into SRT-tuned variants of the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee. More recently, the 392 Hemi was offered in the Grand Wagoneer and Wrangler Rubicon 392.

The engine is capable of almost 500 horsepower in production trim, but this Mustang is definitely more powerful than that. With race-spec upgrades and a turbo, the Hemi should be capable of at least 1,000 horsepower. But output numbers aside, this Mustang is potent enough to run the quarter-mile in 8.1 seconds, to go with a trap speed of 171 mph (275 kph).

You can see it gunning for 7s in the video below, but these runs seem rather conservative, most likely due to class restrictions. I wouldn't be surprised to see this Fox-body hit the low 7s when running at full blast.