A wee Sprinter in the making.

[Jon Fuller]

Dropped in on a friend today and took a look at his latest race car as it nears completion.

He's into drag racing, in the sreet legal class's, or door slammers (I think)

He has been running a 9 second Ford Zephyr for some years, again, street legal.

The new machine is a full spaceframe special, cloaked as a Mustang (composite body on tubular chassis) It's all new, body from the US, chassis custom built in Northampton.

Twin turbo Ford V8, predicted >1800hp, predicted ET <7 second, hopefully 6.5-ish at I'm guessing close to 200mph. Budget...LARGE.

really lovely work. Should debut at the Easter meet at Santa Pod, I'll be there to watch.

200mph in under 7 seconds sounds like fun.

[Jon Fuller]

more.

It has some fancy launch kit. a single button hydraulically locks the 2 speed racing transmission in 1st & reverse, locking the box, and also selects a pre-set rev limiter, at say 4500rpm. You put it in gear, press the button, and hold the throttle wide open, when the light goes green, you let go of the button.

The 4500rpm limiter and locked transmission, combined with WOT bring the boost up to max. let go of the buttom...Kaboom, off down the 1/4, quite quickly.

[hunton69]

I take it you don't need a manual licence to drive it

[Johnny Rocket]

Is he planning on running it at the Brighton speed trials this year? Should turn some heads!

[jw.]

Err, what prevents the front wheels flopping about?

[TheOrs]

Originally Posted by jw.

Err, what prevents the front wheels flopping about?

I don't think it's finished yet.

[Jon Fuller]

Brian ran the Stang for the first time at a Santa Pod RWYB a few weeks back.

Reckons he's got some learning to do, as the launch was 'tricky'. spun the wheels a little easier than he's used to, so it got away from him a bit each time he tried. I think he did 6 or 7 runs, but hasn't yet mastered the off the line part. Still, after spinning up the wheels off the line, backing off to regain control, then going again, he still managed a best of 10.3 seconds / 167mph

The hope is to get in the early 7's / late 6's at around 200. sounds like he'll probably make that. His old car's best was a late 9s at 126mph. That's a big difference in top end speed and shows how bad his launches must have been in the new car and how much potential it has.

I have some video that i'm encoding and will post, here's a pic.

[Mike Bontoft]

Very nice! The windshield wipers made me laugh. I don't think he'll be driving it in the rain. Street legal/ full out drag car. Pity the foo that pulls up beside him at the traffic lights.

[JamieP]

Very nice.

[Jon Fuller]

Originally Posted by Mike Bontoft

Pity the fool that pulls up beside him at the traffic lights.

Mike, indeed. though at least this looks like a bit of a tool. His old car, a 50's steel bodied Ford Zephyr, complete with bench front seat etc, and again, fully street legal ran as I say, late 9's QM, as quick, if not quicker than most suerbikes, and it really does just look like a std old Zephyr with some revvin Kevin wheels on it. That must have shocked a few folk at the lights.

Here's a short vid of the Mustangs first 2 runs.

The second run, with a poor launch, where vid ends before the finish is the 10.3s/167mph run. As you can see in the vid, it's a far from perfect run, so there's lots to come from this car.

http://boatmad.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=26149

And a Slo-Mo vid of the launch.

http://boatmad.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=26154

[cfun]

very nice, haven't been to the pod since the 80's but it was always great fun I assume the car is un-sponsored, how many passes does the engine and transmission last
7 sec's is mega going compared to a road car, even the veyron only runs 9.9 sec passes with it's 4 wd and 1050hp although it is lugging around a lot of weight compared to stripped out racers

[Paul E]

What class will he be running in? I'm assuming Street Eliminator? I'm a MASSIVE drag racing fan, try and make it to Santa Pod at least twice a year for the big European rounds. Search YouTube for Andy frost's Vauxhall 'Red Victor 1'. Over 2200hp, fully street legal on treaded tyres, MOT, tax and regular pump fuel. He's the quickest pump gas car in the world at 7.6ish at around 190, it's incredible! I'd say your mate's car should run in the 7s, but 6s is a whole different world that nobody's reached yet in a proper street car.

If I'm ever mega rich my dream is a blown methanol pro-mod doorslammer, 5s at 240, mindblowing!

[Jon Fuller]

Originally Posted by Paul E

I'd say your mate's car should run in the 7s, but 6s is a whole different world that nobody's reached yet in a proper street car.

I think to describe this as a 'proper street car' is poetic licence on steroids, in all but a very grey area of legality. It really is a drag racer with plates.

We'll have to watch this space for the illusive 6's, I certainly wish him all the very best with the challenge.

[Paul E]

I wish him all the best too, it's a great looking piece of kit! Anything that runs under 10 seconds is insanely fast! Check out the Victor and the rest of the Street Eliminator guys, they have to run a 27 mile round trip to a petrol station, put a certain amount of fuel in, do a hot start with no outside assistance and then drive back to the track otherwise they're qualifying runs are void and they're disqualified. They really do get driven on the road! I've read that most of them are idling with a foot resting on the brake just to stay below 30mph


I'd recommend anyone that's remotely into any form of motorsport makes a trip to Santa in either May or September when the European Championship rounds are held. Nothing can prepare you for 16,000 horsepower at full throttle leaving the start line around 20ft away The pits are completely open too. You can watch a car come in after a run, get a full engine rebuild, and be back on the start line in about an hour. I love it!

[Jon Fuller]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwK9Lbfx5Q&feature=fvw

[glen76]

is it door slammers or slam doors??? COOL car

[Germansaleen]

verry nice stang !!

i love drag racing to.....
here is my last baby not as fast as the stang but streetlegal 10,2 liter naturally aspirated 980 hp, did make 9.90 on the nitro olympics at hockenheim ring on street tires .took me 3 years two build and one divorce

[JamieP]

Originally Posted by Germansaleen

verry nice stang !!

i love drag racing to.....
here is my last baby not as fast as the stang but streetlegal 10,2 liter naturally aspirated 980 hp, did make 9.90 on the nitro olympics at hockenheim ring on street tires .took me 3 years two build and one divorce

That is tasty, ive been to the pod twice, best i did was a 10.9 in my supra, pictures and spec in my sig.

[Germansaleen]

superb fast supra !! verry nice !!
love the bov sound between shifts on the vids

i am on a turbo 2,2 liter project right now ,engine is in a dodge daytona shelby from the eighty's , but first the phantom had to get ready .

[JamieP]

Thanks, its in the shop at the moment, going for a new turbo and fueling setup for some more power, having a tidy up of a few bits, get it back next week and cant wait.