Building a serious street machine can require an incredibly large investment. The financial venture, the time to build the vehicle, coupled with the space tied up to keep everything, adds up to a serious undertaking.
Nicholas Dickson is a private investor who knows all about investmentsùand his 830 rwhp '10 GT was a solid return.
"In 1982, I had a new Mustang GT," said Nick, who is based in Davie, Florida. "I bought it with 6,500 miles and replaced the carb, intake, cam, and headers. It was just never fast enough." So in typical hot-rodder fashion, Nick had to do something, and his plan was to sell it and start with something better. When he finally sold the '82 GT, he said next time he would buy a finished car that he wouldn't have to make faster.
"I didn't want a stock production car beating me." He adds, "I was talking with Saleen but was directed to Maroone Ford in Miami. The guys at Maroone Ford put a package together that had all of the specs I wanted in a new Mustang." Maroone Ford contracted Blow-By Racing (BBR) in Boca Raton, Florida, to handle the build, and supplied the company with a base '10 GT as the foundation.
The crew at BBR disassembled the car and began replacing the stock components with parts designed to handle Nick's goal of 850 rwhp. The heart of the build is a BBR-built 302ci Three-Valve stoker. Manley rods and CP pistons are set into motion by a Kellogg crankshaft, which produces a boost-friendly 9.3:1 compression under the BBR Stage 2 CNC-ported Three-Valve heads. BBR Stage 2 camshafts actuate the stainless steel valves, allowing the air/fuel mixture in and spent exhaust gasses out. The engine is fed extra air by the 2.8H Kenne Bell Mammoth Twin-Screw supercharger, with water/methanol injection ensuring the IATs stay cool in the South Florida heat.
After the combustion process, the exhaust exits via American Racing Headers 1-7/8-inch long-tube headers and X-style mid-pipe, and finally though a Magnaflow axle-back exhaust. Tuning was done by Chris Jones with SCT software, and the supercharged Three-Valve produced 830 rwhp and 677 lb-ft of torque on E85.
With 830 rwhp on tap, this is one serious street machine. "The car is amazing," says Nick. "It talks to you. You smell it, and feel it, and when you hit the gas, it produces an incredible adrenalin rush. It's a real street car. I never wanted the car to look like a race car. If I wanted a race car, I would have bought a funny car, called John Force, and went to the track."
In addition to his Mustang, Nick also has a horse of a different color. While he was waiting for BBR to finish building his Mustang, Nick ordered a 458 Italia Ferrari. When the dealer told him it could take as long as year to fill the order, he took home an '08 599 GTB.
"It was a childhood dream to own a Ferrari, and it seemed like every time I turned around, things were changing with the Mustang, and it was back at Blow By for a few weeks. Chris wouldn't give it back!" Nick tells us laughing. "So I bought the Ferrari to fulfill that dream, and to have something else that's a blast to drive.
"The two cars are totally different animals and have distinctly different personalities. The acceleration is similar, but they are completely different to drive. The Ferrari is a handling monster! But the Mustang has an amazing level of acceleration. If I want to feel the raw power and adrenalin you get from an American muscle car, I drive the Mustang. In the Ferrari, you're tied into the seat and glued to the road. The experience is like nothing you could ever experience in a minivan!"
Nicholas Dickson's Mustang drives great and has an incredible amount of power on command. After a serious investment, he was rewarded with an amazing street monster, one that was well worth the investment.