What’s faster than a McLaren Senna? This Ford Mu...

Why a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500?

Photograph by J.A. Ackley

Steve didn’t intend to make the GT500 his time assault automotive. He beforehand campaigned a GT350R that he had stripped and ready for competitors. Steve purchased the GT500 loaded with choices, together with the Carbon Fiber Monitor Pack, to easily function his observe day automotive.

“It turned out that GT500 was a lot quicker than the automotive I already had put all this work into,” Steve explains. The GT500’s higher-cost consumables, although, steered him towards saving it for competitors occasions: “The GT500 additionally eats a full tank of fuel in a 20-minute session–15 gallons of gasoline. It’d chew by means of a set of tires in two observe days. The operating value of this automotive didn’t make sense. So, we put the GT350R again to a avenue automotive, and we constructed the GT500 into what it’s right now.”

So why not simply purchase a wrecked S550 and construct his personal GT500? “Do the maths,” Steve advises. “A wrecked S550 is $10,000. I would like a $40,000 engine package deal, together with increase, and a $30,000 drivetrain. That’s $80,000. And what do I’ve? Someone’s outdated, rusted S550–and I’ve to do all this work.

Photograph by Tradd Slayton/Racing for ALS

“Should you’re going to construct one of many quickest time assault automobiles within the nation, what’s it going to want?” continues Steve. “You’re going to want to make a variety of energy. You’re going to want one hell of a transmission that may shift lightning quick. The GT500 was $100,000. I offered the [carbon-fiber] wheels and seats for $30,000. So for $70,000 I used to be racing it instantly–with slicks, some child aero, took the seats out of it, and I used to be already successful occasions.”

The File-Breaking Construct

Photograph by J.A. Ackley

Steve introduced the GT500, nonetheless operating its inventory drivetrain, to final 12 months’s Final Monitor Automotive Problem. He completed second general to Ghais Khaleghi’s Stohr 01D sports activities racer by lower than 2 seconds.

“It could be one of many quickest automobiles that also has a inventory engine, inventory transmission, inventory rear finish and inventory axles,” Steve acknowledges.

Photograph by J.A. Ackley

The GT500 comes with a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission from Tremec. Off the showroom ground, its 5.2-liter V8 is rated for 760 horses and 625 lb.-ft. of torque. Steve has had it tuned for optimum efficiency on observe, although, with two 62mm Hellion turbos added on, serving to the engine push 1000 horsepower.

Definitely energy’s not an issue. Weight is, although. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 comes from the manufacturing facility tipping the scales at 4171 kilos.

Photograph by J.A. Ackley

“To make the automotive aggressive, you bought to make it lighter,” Steve explains. “Ours got here with the Carbon Fiber Monitor Pack, so it was a little bit bit lighter. We now have a full carbon-fiber physique, apart from the quarter panels. Once we put within the 180-pound cage, we truly misplaced weight as a result of we needed to lower out a lot steel in preparation for that cage. It weighed 3400 at NCM.”

Photograph by J.A. Ackley

Steve added an enormous, Mustang GTD-inspired rear wing and an equally big splitter. He additionally upgraded the suspension with MCS coil-overs, SPL management arms, strong bushings and strong motor mounts.

“We may go far with the inventory suspension–it’s constructed for the observe,” Steve says. “It comes with a MagneRide digital suspension, in order that they’re fairly subtle. The issue is while you add an entire bunch of downforce to the automotive, it begins freaking issues out. The automotive’s reducing itself the quicker it goes, and the journey peak sensors are going, ‘What’s going on? Did we lose a spring or one thing?’ Then there’s the sheer downside of getting it stiff sufficient so the automotive doesn’t hit the bottom.”

The File-Breaking Weekend

Steve had only one focus throughout final 12 months’s UTCC: “We went to NCM to interrupt the file. That was our solely objective.”

Early on within the weekend, although, Steve broke his entrance splitter, which set him behind on his goal.

Photograph by J.A. Ackley

“We had an enormous subject with aero the entire weekend,” Steve continues. “Aero is a balancing act. When that entrance splitter failed, we now had an enormous quantity of downforce on the rear and nothing on the entrance. The automotive wouldn’t steer at something over 90 mph. I needed to hit the brakes simply to get the automotive to chunk in and switch.”

Steve had extra issues. He additionally discovered steel in his oil–and carbon fiber, too.

“We had the titanium skids on the underside of the splitter,” Steve explains. “Once we broke the splitter, it threw titanium up into the turbos, as a result of the turbos are beneath the automotive. As soon as it bought by means of the titanium, it began shredding carbon.”

Regardless of the setbacks, Steve ignored what he noticed within the oil and his crew grabbed his outdated, smaller splitter from his close by Serpent Stangs store.

“We had to remove as a lot downforce as attainable from that rear wing,” Steve says. “It nonetheless had critical understeer at something over 100 mph. Once we set the file, it was very a lot a compromised setup.”

Photograph by Chris Tropea

Nonetheless, his setup was adequate to eclipse Andy Pilgrim within the McLaren Senna to turn into the file holder of the quickest lap ever for a manufacturing automotive at NCM Motorsports Park.

“It’s particular {that a} Mustang holds the lap file on the Corvette observe,” Steve says. “That observe is our dwelling observe, and that’s the place we wish to maintain the file.”

However the file for Steve Luca means way over beating a rival marque.

“You don’t see all of the stuff that goes into it,” Steve says. “Crying within the storage for 20 minutes. Falling asleep on the raise. We’re as much as 5 o’clock within the morning screaming at one another within the store. No person sees that stuff. They’re identical to, ‘Cool automotive.’

“It’s a life dedication,” Steve continues. “You attempt your hardest. It’s a variety of heartache. It’s a variety of, ‘Why am I doing this?’ When it comes collectively, it’s a particular feeling.”