Johannesburg - “I want a street-legal car that can get into the nine-second bracket over a quarter-mile, and if necessary be driven home afterwards.”
That’s what the owner of a Ford Mustang GT wanted and that’s the challenge that Joburg-based tuner RG Motorsport happily rose to.
The result: a heavily modified 5.4-litre supercharged V8 engine that pushes out 945kW and 1100Nm, and that’s with a 7500rpm limit imposed until the motor is fully run in. Once loosened up, the engine will happily scream to 8200rpm.
As you would expect, some serious tinkering took place beneath this Mustang’s hood.
For starters, there’s a 2.9-litre Whipple supercharger with Stage 3 Competition Kit and integrated intercooler. Max boost is currently set at 1.25 Bar, while the compression ratio is set at 9.8:1.
RG also installed a stroker crankshaft with an ATI damper pulley, a Boundary Racing oil pump, Eagle con rods, Cometic head gaskets, PAC valve springs, Ferrea valves and Comp Cams camshafts.
Pumping the petrol is three-stage Fore fuel system with triple pumps and Injector Dynamics 1700cc injectors.
Of course, a top-notch engine management system is also in order here and that comes in the form of two specially-formulated Lund Racing maps, one for normal pump fuel and another designed for a 95 percent ethanol mix on the dragstrip. For those max-horsepower moments there’s also water-methanol and nitrous injection systems.
The final garnish is a 76mm Techniflow dual-tone outlet system with ceramic-coated manifolds.
But how does it put all that power to the road?
While the basic six-speed automatic gearbox remains, it benefits from the substitution of various key items. A Circle D 245mm torque convertor takes the place of the standard one and an uprated input shaft has been added.
Further back you’ll find a carbon fibre prop shaft (rated to 1490kW) as well as a new differential with a Torsen limited slip mechanism and a shorter – 3.7:1 versus 3.5:1 – Ford Performance crownwheel and pinion. The final piece of the power delivery puzzle is a set of Driveshaft Shop half-shafts, also rated just shy of 1500kW!
Handling is beefed up by Stop The Hop hardware on the rear axle, a roll centre/bumpsteer correction kit on the front and adjustable anti-roll bars at both ends. Dampers have been uprated with a KW Variant 3 coilover kit.
Stopping force is looked after by 10-piston Vari calipers and matched discs upfront, but the back brakes are unchanged due to the necessity of running 17-inch rear wheels on the drag strip, where a parachute will no doubt be required.
When living life by the quarter mile, the Mustang will be fitted with 17-inch slicks as well as a six-point rollcage.
But when it’s time to hit the road, those aforementioned rims will be swopped out for 22-inch alloys shod with 285/25 and 245/30 front and rear tyres.
