Back in 2006, when this particular S197 was manufactured, the Mustang was pretty much alone because the Chevrolet Camaro was on hiatus, and Dodge was putting the finishing touches on the Challenger's revival.
Sports cars also used to sell better back then, with the Mustang posting 166,530 deliveries in the U.S. as opposed to 72,489 last year.When it rolled off the assembly line in Flat Rock, the S197 for the 2006 model year used to feature a SOHC Modular V8 capable of 13.8 seconds in the quarter-mile.
This pony, however, packs a DOHC Coyote V8 with 0.4 more liters of displacement and a boosty snail from Forced Inductions. Listed at $9,500 on the Ford Performance website, the all-aluminum crate engine flexes 460 horsepower and 420 pound-feet (570 Nm) of torque right out of the box.
The 5.0-liter lump further features a bolt-on upgrade in the guise of a Boss 302 intake manifold, lots of piping, and extra cooling for good measure. Of course, a set of drag radials replaces the stock rubber.
Instead of a 10R automatic or a good ol’ T-56 stick shift, the owner of this Mustang decided on a Powerglide thanks to its legendary strength and relative simplicity. Introduced in 1950, the two-speed Powerglide also happens to be easily interchangeable with the three-speed THM 350 because they share the same output shaft, mounts, and length.
On the car’s third outing, the ‘Stang started the day with an 8.7-second pass at 154 mph (248 kph). The owner then dipped into the 8.6-second range without breaking a sweat, topping 8.696 seconds at 155 mph (250 kph).
Not bad at all, especially when compared to off-the-shelf drag racers like the Shelby GT500 and Challenger Super Stock. The most powerful street-going Ford ever made is capable of 10.6 seconds on the quarter-mile, but Dodge has the upper hand by a tenth of a second. The reason the Mopar machine with Demon know-how is quicker doesn’t boil down exclusively to on-paper figures, but also the 315/40 Nitto NT05R drag radials that come standard.
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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