The fox-bodied Mustangs (1979–1993) exploded in popularity over the years. There was a time when they could be bought cheaply, but this ship sailed over the horizon. However, they are a great lightweight platform to get great performance from, so people are willing to pay more. Of course, the cure for an expensive driveway is a good example of how to find it at home. So it was with this 1990 Ford Mustang coupe owned by Lewis Roberts. We spotted this sweet ride in the back of a Fox at the Holley LS Fest (take it easy – don’t worry about the Ford purists).
As Roberts told us, “My Mustang belonged to my aunt, who bought a new car in 1990. She drove it 80,000 miles, drove it to church and to the grocery store. When she was too old to drive, my grandfather bought this car and messed around. Years later, he told me to come and do something with her. I took this car when I was visiting family in Nashville for Thanksgiving 2020 and started building. One Sunday, my wife Molly and I drove the car into the shop and completely dismantled the Mustang so that after Christmas it could go to the chassis workshop” – be sure to check out the first few photos in the gallery.
Roberts continued, “When I knew I was going to buy this car, I bought the engine and transmission of a 2019 Mustang GT Coyote with 5,000 miles on it. When the car got a roll cage in the chassis shop, a mini tub, an up and down torque-controlled gearbox, and an 8.8-inch narrow and heavy-duty rear end, my wife and I revved the Coyote’s 5.0-liter engine. to have a twin turbo for the car. After we got the car from the chassis shop, we installed the engine and installed a 10R80 gearbox and a twin turbo kit so we could start working on it. Clean everything. Once all the models were ready, I assembled the cold side of the turbo kit and finished the downpipes to come out of the front fenders. When I was satisfied that there was nothing else to cut or modify, we dismantled everything and began to make the body and install panels under the Scott Rod hood. to act as a sleek firewall. All the bodywork and painting was done in my shop with the help of my friends Mike Vetor and Michael Tiney.”
As we said, we spotted a Coyote-replaced Fox-bodied Mustang at the 2021 Holley LS Fest where the Roberts duo did a run-in. The Mustang was made prior to the event, so it wasn’t running at the time and was still being taken apart. On the dyno, the standard 5.0-liter twin-turbo engine puts out 1,090 hp. on the tires at 15 psi, which is good enough for a good time, but it turns out that putting that power in is a real problem. At 12 psi, the Mustang traveled 5.57 miles at 128 mph at 8 mph, and on the quarter mile it did 9.24 limited-traction miles at 159 mph! His top speed so far is 8,923 mph, an impressive time considering Roberts started from 1,000 feet. Once the season resumes, he will continue building the Coyote-replaced Stang, hoping to hit 8 mph in 4.90 seconds.
Post time: Nov-06-2022