Mods Gone Wild

The Plan was simple-take an ordinary '05 Mustang GT and add enough power to push it past 200 mph. It sounds simple enough on the surface, but there is more to the equation than meets the eye. While 200 mph is often discussed and even advertised, the number of Mustangs that have actually cracked 200 are few and far between. Producing the power to propel a Mustang past the magical barrier is not hard, but building one to withstand the load and remain intact is another story. Striving for the double-century mark means having a motor that will stay together long enough to allow the power to be utilized in Fifth or Sixth gear.

While a top speed of 200 mph is impressive, the goal of this par-ticular buildup was to see how close we could get to 200 in the standing mile. While a mile may sound like an eternity for drag racers, the acceleration rate slows dramatically as speeds increase. A typical mid-10-second Mustang might see 125 mph in the quarter-mile, but will only increase the trap speed by another 25-27 mph in the next quarter-mile, just 20 mph in the next quarter-mile, and finally drop off to less than 20 mph in the last quarter-mile. That is, of course, assuming gearing is ideally spaced for this type of event.

When gunning for top speed, aerodynamics come into play as the aero loads work against the available horsepower to slow down the rate of acceleration. We know from experience that the '05-'06 Mustang bodies were built more for aesthetics than aerodynamics. The retro-modern look is high on the cool scale, but it's also high on the drag scale. Given similar power, an '04 Mustang will walk away from the less-aerodynamic S197 model.

This 200-mph madness came about after participating with Vortech in another standing-mile acceleration test for Road & Track magazine. The '05 Mustang was modified by way of a Vortech supercharger, a set of JBA headers, and open exhaust. Tuning with race fuel allowed sufficient boost (15-16 psi) and ignition timing (with ice water in the air-to-water intercooler) to increase the power output of the otherwise stock '05 4.6 Three-Valve motor from roughly 275 rwhp to 540. The considerable jump was amazing considering the power was achieved on a bone-stock motor, which included the significantly more fragile piston design used in the new Three-Valve motors. Apparently, Ford moved the ring lands on the '05 pistons up by 0.100 inch, thus greatly reducing the crown strength. While detonation will snap a forged piston nearly as quickly as a cast one, the added strength at least provides some peace of mind. Running roughly 540 rwhp, the Vortech supercharged Three-Valve motor pushed the '05 Mustang to 179 mph in the standing mile and eventually to a top speed of 192 mph as we were able to reach the 6,600-rpm rev limiter before shutting down (verified by the VBOX data systems used by Road & Track).

Propelling the '05 Mustang to 179 mph in the standing mile (and eventually 192 mph) required a few aero tricks, not to mention changes to the gearing in the transmission. The guys at Vortech put together one heck of a program that required burning literally gallons of midnight oil to make that Mustang a reality. It was the success of that car that prompted them to accept the invitation to a similar event put on by Motor Trend. This time, they were looking to improve their measured mile mark of 179 mph. In fact, they were hoping to reach 200, which meant, among other things, a ton more horsepower.