Horse Sense: Anyone who doubts the power prowess of Kenne Bell's Twin Screw blowers should check out our results from strapping one on the already impressive '03 Cobra. We generated nearly 20 pounds of boost and more than 600 hp at the rear wheels through the stock catalytic converters-not to mention the 600-plus lb-ft of torque.
Addiction is something that often comes on suddenly. Some believe they are predisposed to such conditions. Others believe the object of their addiction is simply far more powerful than their willpower is capable of resisting. Now we're not talking crack, crystal meth, or even gambling here-rather a far more addictive culprit. In this case, the irresistible force is supercharged V-8 torque. You know-the kind of g-generating, grin-inducing grunt that spins tires, plants butts in seats, and all but rotates the earth a bit faster.
For Jeff Honeyman, the car addiction had been around since he could comprehend the benefits of a driver's license. However, it didn't begin with a snarling V-8 Mustang. Jeff's early days were spent in European sports cars. From an MGB to a Fiat 124 Spyder to an Alfa Romeo, these drop-top rides had the wind blowing through his hair-usually as he walked to the nearest pay phone to call a tow truck.
Eventually these fun, but under-powered and unreliable, sports cars gave way to a nice, stock '94 GT. For a while-a short while-Jeff was content with stock V-8 grunt and good, old stock Mustang reliability. However, it wasn't long before he began tinkering with the brakes and suspension. After that, his addiction was headed straight for the engine compartment. A ride in a Kenne Bell-blown T-bird at John Germanson's now-defunct Germanson Automotive sealed the deal. Jeff had to have a positive-displacement supercharger.
In keeping with his desired sleeper image, Jeff kept the GT on the DL except for 17x9 Cobra wheels and a Saleen rear wing. Underneath all that yellow is a Maximum Motorsports Grip in a Box system, which helps apply much of this car's considerable grunt to the pavement.
Rather than just adding to his existing car, Jeff decided that if he was to make a full-out project of it, he'd have to begin with another car-one that sported his fave factory Chrome Yellow hue. Not only does this color shed the effects of dirt, but it also turns heads. Unfortunately, by the time Jeff tracked down the '94 GT seen here, John had closed his doors and headed off to a product-development job at Magnuson Products. As such, Jeff had to find another outfit to help build up his ride. He wanted a shop that would not only screw the hard parts together, but also one that would make them work with electronic tuning.
He ended up at Powertrain Dynamics in Huntington Beach, California, where main man Steve Ridout screwed together a Scat 331 stroker topped off with Air Flow Research 165 heads, a port-matched GT-40 lower intake, and a Kenne Bell Blowzilla screw blower. Combined with Steve's prowess inside and an Autologic chip, the combination rips out an impressive 393.1 rear-wheel horsepower and 413.6 lb-ft of torque on a Mustang chassis dyno from a conservative 5.5 pounds of boost.
Jeff says he could run much more boost with better fuel than his everyday 91-octane. Still, he's not so anxious to bench race boost numbers when the results of this package churn out more than 400 lb-ft from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm. "The broad torque band and seamless feel of the 331/screw blower combination is really nice," he says. "I tried to be realistic when it was my turn to dump a bunch of money into a daily driven car. It's really easy to get caught up in boost numbers and peak horsepower measurements, but I'd rather quote the number of miles between head gaskets." Which means, Jeff hasn't blown any.
The interior of Jeff's GT is almost as sleepy as the exterior, but closer examination reveals a Maximum Motorsports four-point rollbar, which works with full-length Maximum subframes to stiffen things up. The cage and the door panel inserts have been painted body color to help break up the black interior. Cerullo seats add better-than-stock support, and NR Automotive white-face gauges make it easy to see the speedo hit 120. And that's a Bullitt shift knob attached to a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter and a T56 six-speed.
He also didn't blow any money on mismatched suspension gear. Coming out of sports cars, handling was obviously a priority for Jeff. To get a matched setup, he went to Maximum Motorsports in San Luis Obisbo, California, where the crew there set him up with their Grip in a Box system and adjustable rear sway bar, which he said dials out just enough oversteer to make the car fun. Jeff plans to calibrate the driver to the new grip and grunt with a driving school at Willow Springs and a few passes at LA County Raceway, but for now he's just enjoying his driver.