First it was Mad Cow-now this. It seems that 5.0 fever can no longer be corralled within the North American continent, and it is currently infecting our British allies. Brief exposure results in what is becoming known in the London tabloids as "Torque Syndrome," an insidious disorder under which sufferers become restless and discontented with the insipid output of small-displacement four-bangers. To our newly stricken comrades overseas, we hereby offer our support, for though there is no known cure for what now ails you, regular doses of horsepower do help relieve the symptoms.
But seriously, folks... Despite outrageous gas prices, a perpetually tax-happy government, and the wallet-lightening expense of having to ship most parts across the Atlantic, there seems to be a growing cadre of late-model Mustang enthusiasts rumbling throughout the United Kingdom behind pumped-up V-8s.
As evidence, we present this blown, braked, and suspended '91 GT-a recent project car for Street Machine, a British enthusiast magazine with an apparent taste for American iron, both old and new. Creatively dubbed the "How-i Five-O" (anybody remember Jack Lord?), the hatchback serves as a how-to road map and general introduction to the joys of generous displacement in a land where less than two liters of inline four is the daily driving norm. Along the way, the hatchback has also been used to prey on some unsuspecting European/Asian automotive quarry-a jolly good sport where the Fox does the hunting.
The project began with a stock, 40,000-mile, '91 hatchback acquired last year for the reasonable sum of 5,000-about $7,500 (U.S.) at the current rate of exchange. Then the Anglo-American negotiations began, resulting in a sudden influx of Yankee hot-rod parts from such familiar names as Vortech, Steeda, Trick Flow, Cervini's, and Baer. Other parts were homegrown right on the island, including the adjustable front and rear coilovers from Leda (www.ledasuspension.co.uk), a firm unfamiliar to most of us here, but whose products might well be worth further investigation. As usual, you can check out the 5.0 Tech Specs sidebar for details on the exact components.
By the time they reach England's shores, Yankee parts typically retail for one-and-a-half to two times the prices we're used to seeing. So, to ease the financial burden of freighting parts across 3,000 miles of open water, the staff of Street Machine have occasionally taken it upon themselves to retrieve the hardware. For example, on a recent business trip stateside, the suitcases of staffers were much heavier on the return flight, thanks to no less than a complete supercharger kit, a 326ci stroker kit, a clutch, engine and tranny mounts, three Fluidampers, Metco rear control arms, and "loads of little bits" being tucked within. We hope the suitcases had wheels.
Parts aren't the only financial burden. Street Machine editor Richard Nicholls tells us that premium fuel is currently selling for-are you sitting?-about $4.83 (U.S.) per gallon. But as Richard explains, "We pay it because we love driving the cars-it's just part of motoring over here."
The project's overall goal was a well-rounded street monster that would run decent e.t.'s, but more importantly, accelerate, brake, and handle in a manner befitting English road conditions-where curves are far more common than long straight stretches, yet the unofficial speed limit is high enough to welcome big power. So far it sounds as though the mission has been a resounding success. "Since the car's been blown, there's nothing that will touch it," Richard says. "I even beat a Honda Blackbird 1,300cc motorbike on the motorway [running] from 90-130 mph-the torque hit from the Vortech V2 SQ is awe-some at that speed in Fourth gear." Obviously, the benefits of modified Mustang performance are the same no matter on which side of the Atlantic you live, or on which side of the road you drive.