The good news is, a few days after we left, Jim was able to get the Boss 351 to Ford's Dearborn proving grounds and make an 11.93-second pass at 117 mph, with a best 60-foot time of 1.83 seconds. He asserts--and we agree--that there's much more potential in the car. A decent pair of slicks would have this thing running mid 11s all day long--or at least until the clutch or some other drivetrain component gave out.
Where does the V-10 project go from here? Predictably, no one's talking, but it was "an extremely bored and stroked" version of this engine combination that showed up in last year's "427" concept car. Ford's a big company, and who knows which--if any--of its divisions might be looking favorably toward the idea of short-deck, 10-cylinder production applications.
Whatever happens, we can all sleep better at night knowing there are guys with this kind of passion and determination toiling away at the heart of Ford Motor Company. We can only hope that the corporate brass see merit in what they've accomplished on such a shoestring budget. Of course, none of this is to suggest we might expect to see a V-10 in a production Mustang anytime soon. Or is it?
The Boss 351 decals appear...
The Boss 351 decals appear oddly at home on this V-10 '99GT.