What is the goal of the finished cars? Are they intended to be cars that could compete in autocross? drag racing? or are they show cars/trailer queens?
There is obviously a lot of work and knowledge going into the builds; I'm just wondering if the end result will be cars that can perform as well as or close to higher dollar cars like the Ford GT, or Ferraris in the way they will handle, acceleratre, brake, corner, etc...
Or is this kind of a more Show intended? 550hp/735tq sounds cool but the car will certainly be traction limited with 18x9.5 wheels. Do you plan to test the cars after they are built??? sort of like Car & Driver would do?
Hi Mike,
Our Goal... Hummm....
Our goal is to produce a car (well, actually two) that are competitive with the best high performance production cars manufactured today. We want to accelerate, brake and handle as good as the best of them. But, we also desire the same street manners. We want a firm yet comfortable ride, a quality sound system and all the necessary creature comforts you would expect in a late model, high performance vehicle.
That is why we are taking a long hard look at the basic chassis structure and what we can do to improve it. It makes no sense to me to install all the best, “state-of-the-art” electrical and mechanical systems available into a stock mid 60's chassis. And to us, installing a set of sub-frame-connectors, is just not enough. None of these systems will function to their fullest potential unless the chassis is also updated to withstand the output of the high performance drivetrain and
suspension.
As far as the coupe goes (and actually the fastback as well), we will be drag racing the cars a bit (The coupe will be in the low 10 second range and the fastback should be in the same ballpark) as well as competing in some autocross, open track events. We are thinking about competing in drag week, if our schedule allows. It will be interesting to see how the I6 does against the V8. The V8 should have the upper hand in HP, but the I6 will have a pretty good weight advantage.
And yes, these will be show cars, in that we will be showing them at a number of national events.
But trailer queens...
TRAILER QUEENS!!!!
Never. Never built one, never will. The only cars I consider to be trailer queens are the truly rare, collectable cars. Low mileage, all original Boss 427's. That is a car that should be trailered to every event.
Since finishing the SN65 last march, we have put about 6K on the odometer. We drive it everywhere we can. We may trailer the SN65 to far off events like SEMA, but ONLY because (when you consider the time and money involved) it costs just as much to trailer the car as it would to drive the car from Chicago to Vegas, show it for a week and drive it back.
As far as testing the cars, we are very interested in getting as much feedback as possible. We welcome the chance to put these cars through their paces at every opportunity. We want to know how we compare to the Z06’s, Vipers, Ferraris, etc… But more than that, we are interested in how the overall driving experience compares. All things being equal, which car would you rather own. We are hoping that the obvious choice would be one of our Mustangs.
The engine specifications published are preliminary. We are still working out a number of details that will impact the final numbers. We will be close, but we really won’t know how much we put to the pavement until we actually test the cars. That being said, we currently make 550 RWHP with the SN65 and that car is running on 18 x 9.5 rear rims and 18 x 8.5 rims up front. We have no “hook up” issues with the SN65 whatsoever. I am not saying that we cannot light-um-up whenever we desire, but the reserve of HP comes in handy when, for example, a twin turbo 911 (top speed in excess of 180 MPH) pulls up along side of you on a clear stretch of interstate, starts messing with you and demands that you show him what your “cute little pony car” is made of. Just downshift, drop the accelerator to the floor, up-shift once, shift again and within the wink of an eye, you are passing 150 and the 911, just off your right rear bumper, cannot seem to figure out WHY he isn't passing you or (for that matter) can't gain any ground. Pulling into the next available rest area is always fun because the Porsche just HAS to follow you in and ask “What the hell do you have in that thing”?