BLUE THUNDER
> WAYNE LINEKER’S 750RWHP MUSTANG PROVES THE METTLE OF FORD’S COYOTE V8
WHO would’ve thought that one day we’d be writing about a ninesecond, completely useable street car that makes over 750rwhp with an unopened engine?
Well, that’s exactly the case with Wayne Lineker’s 2017 Ford Mustang GT. The car he originally bought to be his daily drive now packs a Procharged punch, but retains all the standard Mustang driveline bits and has run a PB of 9.70@149mph.
“It’s awesome to see what you can do these days with standard stuff, and it shows how capable these cars are for the money,” says Wayne.
The six-speed transmission remains untouched, as does the factory LSD, with the only major driveline modifications being an upgraded Circle D 3200rpm converter, a Spicer one-piece aluminium tailshaft and Driveshaft Shop 2000hp driveshafts.
As for the mighty Coyote donk, the only upgrade is the MMR oil pump. “It probably didn’t even need the oil pump, but it’s easy enough to do so we just decided to do it for some insurance,” Wayne says. Cams, rods, pistons, valve springs – the whole lot remains as Ford intended it.
The key to the Mustang’s spicy power figure is the D-1X Procharger strapped to the side of it, compressing around 16psi of boost. All that was needed to get the Mustang boost-happy was a fuel system upgrade, using a return twin-pump system with upgraded Deatschwerks DW95 injectors.
IT RETAINS ALL THE BITS AND HAS STANDARD MUSTANG RUN A PB OF DRIVELINE 9.70@149MPH
THERE’S SOMETHING PEOPLE ALWAYS KNOW THE WHINE AND GOING ON WHEN THEY HEAR SEE THE INTERCOOLER
The ’Stang still uses its original brains with a tune for either E85 or 98, with all the hard work and tuning done at GT Performance in Melton.
The suspension has been kept super-basic, too. The rear still uses the factory IRS, while Eibach lowered springs and Viking adjustable shocks occupy all four corners. Sitting under the arches are Forgestar F14 wheels, measuring 18x5 up front and 17x10.5 in the rear, wrapped in meaty Mickey Thompson 305/40/17 radials on the back for putting all those ponies to the ground.
Wayne hasn’t done a whole bunch of passes since the car was knocked together, but it does see its fair share of street duties. “I’ll take it out to the odd car show here and there, and people always know there’s something going on when they hear the whine and see the intercooler,” he laughs. “I think it’s mainly the colour that grabs a lot of attention though.”
This year will see Wayne’s first crack at a Drag Challenge marathon, and he’ll be taking his son as his crew member for the week-long trek. “I’ve got some smaller pulleys to try to get some more power out of it, and we’re also going to be putting a proper drag-style wing on it in place of what it has right now,” he says. The parachute mount will be re-engineered to double as a tow bar so Wayne can drag a trailer around for the five days.
“It’s something we ummed and ahhed about for a bit, but we decided now is as good a time as ever to give it a crack,” Wayne says. “It should be a great experience for my son and me. I’ll head out to Heathcote this weekend for some more testing and then work our way towards October.”