SN95 Mustang Not-so Secretly Packing 1,500 Horsepower LSX Engine

Twin turbocharged Mustang relies on LSX power to cover the quarter mile in the mid-7s.

The latest episode of Build Biology from TheHoonigans YouTube channel features the Ford Mustang owned, built and driven by Brandon Weber. From the outside, this looks like a pretty serious machine, but we learn during the elaborate walk-around that this is a fully built race car with everything needed to safely and smoothly cover the quarter mile in the 7-second range.

The Exterior

The video begins with Weber and Hoonigan team member Jon Chase talking about the exterior of this wicked Ford Mustang. The owner laughs about the fact that he wanted to maintain a somewhat-stock, street car look, but shy of the custom hood, the exhaust poking through the front fenders, the wheels, the parachute and the huge rear wing, this looks like your average 16-second SN95 painted BMW’s Laguna Seca Blue.

The custom hood allows the intake manifold to extend up into open air, the big wing keeps the rear end down at speeds over 150 miles per hour, the 28-inch by 10.5-inch tires on Weld wheels makes it legal for a 275 class and the chute makes sure that it gets stopped at the end of the track.

It even has license plates, appropriately reading “H8TRMKR”.

The Cockpit

On the inside, Weber’s 7-second Mustang has the stock dashboard, but that might be the only factory-installed component. It also has a sunroof and a functioning stereo system, but the rest of the items inside are all-business.

This car has an SFI 25.3 certification roll cage and chassis reinforcements, meaning that it has a safety cage inside that is good down to a 6.5-second quarter mile. It has a quick-release steering wheel, an array of custom gauges and all sorts of switches for things like the line lock, the two-step ignition system and the parachute.

The most important feature on the inside of this Ford Mustang is the ProEFI engine management system, which controls pretty much every aspect the vehicle’s drivetrain. Using a spread of sensors under the hood and under the car, the ProEFI system handles all of the engine management while protecting the engine from any harmful conditions. There is also an integrated traction control system that helps keep the car as straight as possible.

The Engine

Under the hood of this SN95 Ford Mustang is a 427-cubic inch LSX built on the GM Performance Parts 1,500 horsepower short block, but the internals have been upgraded to handle 2,500 horsepower. When Weber built this engine, he used LS1 TrickFlow cylinder heads and many people insisted that it was a bad choice, but 7-second quarter mile times speak for themselves.

Helping make the monster power is a pair of Precision 76 millimeter turbochargers that can help deliver up to 2,400 horsepower, but running on 22-25 pounds of boost, this engine delivers roughly 1,500 horsepower running on E98. This system makes use of a water-to-air intercooler system with an ice tank mounted in the trunk. When coupled with the big twin Mishimoto cooling fans and a huge radiator, this LSX runs nice and cool, with intake air temperatures getting into the 60s on average days while hotter days have intake temperatures in the 80s.

Under the Car

After a look at the engine bay, the Mustang goes up on the Hoonigan shop lift, where Weber walks us through the suspension features of this crazy-quick drag car. While it has a stock differential housing, the unit has been heavily reinforced and braced to the unibody, with a spool and 35-spline axles toughening up the insides.

While it is technically “stock-style” suspension, this car features an adjustable coil-over system, allowing Weber to tune the rear end to yield the best possible launch grip without ripping the front end off of the ground. In fact, around the 15:30 mark of the video, we get to watch a short track clip where the Mustang leaves with the wheels way up, coming down hard and veering into the wall.

Also while under the car, we get to check out the Powerglide transmission with a reinforced case, a bolt-together torque convertor, the low-resistance front brakes and the adjustable front dampers – all of which work together to make this Mustang a monster on the drag strip.

To be exact, this Ford Mustang has run a best eighth mile of 5.01 with drag radials while the best quarter mile time is a 7.70. We don’t get to see any track action, but the video ends with a startup video, during which time we get to watch the Mustang blow fire through the exhaust ports in the fenders.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com