The one that started it all-Brian Wolfe's '86 Mustang GT, which he used to push the boundaries of our beloved 5.0L. This car is one of the original Mustang Shootout entries that laid the groundwork for the modern era of Mustang performance.
The car's best time to date has been an 8.35 at 165 mph with a 331ci engine on nitrous. These days the car runs 9.19 in naturally aspirated trim with a 374ci mill. Wolfe plans on running in the 8s with some more tweaking.
Visually, the 302-based engine is the same as it was when Wolfe was slaying the competition in Pro 5.0 in the early '90s. The intake was custom built by Watson Engineering and features twin 90mm throttle bodies. The engine is 374 ci and has a healthy Crane camshaft (0.749/0.749 inch lift), Yates heads, and 14:1 compression. A Compucar two-stage nitrous system is on the car but is no longer in use.
In the early '90s, the evolution of Pro 5.0 forced Wolfe to add a Super Stock-style rear suspension setup. Noted Super Stock chassis builder Mike Pustelny was tapped for the modifications. A four-link, 9-inch rear and 31x13-inch meats sit under a set of big tubs and narrowed framerails.
This dual throttle-body setup was a radical departure from anything people had seen in the early '90s. That type of ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking was how Wolfe approached going fast. It didn't matter if he was a 12-second player or an 8-second superstar, trying something new has always been his forte.
This is old school. While today's Pro 5.0 entries are stuffed with rollbar tubing, carbon-fiber interior panels, and aftercoolers, the cars of yesteryear had a 12-point rollbar, a stock dashboard, carpet, and lightweight seats.