In bone-stock specification, the Mustang GT offers 460 horsepower and 420 pound-feet (570 Nm) of torque. Pretty respectable for $35,880 excluding destination charge, but the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine with a DOHC valvetrain and dual fuel injection can take a lot more than that.
As the headline implies, this pony has switched to forced induction in the pursuit of straight-line performance. The eight-cylinder mill is accompanied by a Whipple supercharger that retails from $6,950 for the Stage 1 Competition package. However, many more go-faster goodies are hiding under the hood.
In no particular order, modifications include a 3.25 pulley, headers, an oversized heat exchanger, unique calibration for the powertrain control module, 1050x fuel injectors developed by Injector Dynamics in partnership with Bosch Motorsport, and a return-style fuel system. Thanks to a separate return line from the regulator to the tank, this type of fuel system mitigates vapor lock, stabilizes fuel pressure, and makes engine tuning easier.
The list of upgrades doesn’t end here, though. Michelin street tires up front are complemented by a pair of beefy drag radials from Hoosier, and finally, the suspension system has been enhanced with Steeda bits and bobs.
Excluding labor, you’re looking at quite a bit more than $10,000 in aftermarket hardware. But nevertheless, it’s a small price to pay for a road-legal pony car that whoops the Shelby GT500 in a quarter-mile brawl.
The Ford Motor Company promises 10.7 seconds for the most powerful Mustang of them all with the factory tires, which isn’t shabby at all for $95,000, including the carbon-fiber track package. For reference, an S197 Cobra Jet with a Godzilla V8 crate engine is capable of 10.9 seconds.
The Whipple-charged Mustang GT with super-sticky rubber shoes, by comparison, ran 9.8 seconds at 145 miles per hour (233 kilometers per hour) on the first try. By the end of the day, the owner dipped into the 9.7-second range at 146 mph (235 kph), which is hugely impressive by all accounts.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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