These changes markedly stiffened the chassis and minimized the annoying cowl shake, but with lots more power in the plan, Mike also upgraded the suspension with Mustang Racing Tech's lowering springs, gas shocks, and an extra-thick 1 3/4-inch swaybar. Billet-aluminum caster/camber plates helped dial in the alignment to optimum settings so the car would run straighter and corner tighter. It also minimized the understeer that caused the convertible to plow in the turns.
Now the drop-top was ready for a massive infusion of power, courtesy of a Kenne Bell blower. Set at 9 pounds of boost with a 2 3/4-inch cog, the twin-screw supercharger raised the engine output to 460 horses at the rear wheels. "This car pulls like you would not believe," Mike says. To transmit the increased power flow, he added an aluminum driveshaft from Year One. For freer-breathing exhaust, MagnaFlow supplied an after-cat system with a crossover pipe.
With all that extra go, Mike needed more slow. Pulling out all the stops, he raided his company's parts bin, installing a Stainless Steel Brakes Tri Power system up front with three-piston calipers clamping down on 13-inch rotors. At the rear are 12.2-inch rotors with single-piston calipers. These upgrades brought the MRT 17-inch wheels to a clenching halt, 113 feet from 60 mph, Mike says.
In addition to upgrading the car's performance, Mike integrated elements from a couple of different body styles. The Mustang Racing Tech chin spoiler is the same unit found on the Bullitt Mustang. Installing a Cobra hood presented a minor challenge, though, because it's shorter than the GT unit, so Mike added some material at the fascia using urethane body filler, which filled in the gap for a more sculptured look. He also did away with the stock honey-comb grille for better airflow and a cleaner look by using an eliminator kit from Classic Design.
Before showing up at the next Power Tour, the car's greatly improved performance required some proof on the track. At Road Atlanta, Mike attended the Year One Challenge, where he reeled in a hot-rodded Camaro and Panoz in short order. "It was snowing, and they pulled over to let me pass," Mike says. "The Camaro couldn't keep up, and the Panoz was braking 300 feet before the turns, while the Mustang did it at 200 feet." Afterwards, the course instructor who had been driving the Panoz asked Mike, "Have you been doing this awhile?"