Ford Mustang Vortech S197 - Sales Force

Once you remember to turn off Traction Control, the V-Power by Vortech Mustang will smoke the hides all day long. With big tires, it took hitting the clutch at just more than 4,000 rpm to start the party. If only Ford would make the Traction Control default to Off instead of On.

Horse Sense: When we saw that All-American SuperCars was headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, we thought of the Blue Angels-the Navy flight demonstration squadron is based there. Half jokingly, we asked head-honcho Jim Klok if there was a possibility of a Blue Angels car. He said he was in discussions with the Navy. If so, we promise not to loop it as we did the Blue Angels F/A-18.

One truism in the car-enthusiast world is when you're making money, there's no time to fiddle with cars. When there is time, there's no money. Right now, we figure there are plenty of enthusiasts with busy jobs, as dealer specials and limited-edition cars are springing up. To Joe Sixpack-that's us-these cars seem expensive. On the other hand, they're complete, fast, turnkey cars ready for action. That's tempting for a busy person with a need for speed.

All-American SuperCars [(850) 473-0000; www.all-americansupercars.com] is poised to service this do-it-for-me market. Headed by Jim Klok, AASC was organized from the Shinoda organization. Jim says the legendary Boss franchise has done well since it began building cars in 1994, but people didn't relate Larry Shinoda's name with performance cars, hence the All-American handle. Jim took over the company in 1997 when Mr. Shinoda died.

As the name suggests, All-American's game plan is to offer a line of American performance cars in augmented form, all sold through participating dealers as turnkey hot rods. While that calls for many cars from different manufacturers, the company's initial offering is the Mustang seen here, the V-Power by Vortech Mustang GT.

That may be the longest car name on record-partially because petroleum giant Shell has a corner on V-Power itself-but the concept is simple enough. A buyer with the requisite $59,500 places his order with a participating Ford dealer. A new Mustang is then drop-shipped to All-American SuperCars' headquarters in Pensacola, Florida. The car is converted at AASC's 35,000-square-foot facility, shipped to the dealer, and then the buyer. Included is performance, a warranty, and financing on the complete package from day one.

All-American's Mustang receives basic chassis upgrades along with a big-power hit. Ford Racing Performance Parts springs, shocks, and sway bars are fitted, along with BMR lower control arms and an adjustable Panhard rod. Stainless Steel Brakes has the brake concession for 14-inch clampers and the rolling stock is upgraded to Boss Motorsport 336 wheels and Toyo Proxes 4 tires. The handsome Halibrand-style wheels measure 20x8.5 inches in front and 20x10 inches in back, while the tires correspond with 255/45-20 and 295/40-20, respectively.

Restyling is accomplished using a Street Scene blackout grill; 3D Carbon ducktail, rocker plates, and speaker grilles; Classic Design Concepts' gauge pod; Katzkins interior; and Stewart Warner for boost, fuel pressure, and oil pressure instrumentation, as well as two-tone paint.

All the visible upgrades are fine, but it's the 510 hp that draws the crowds. The core engine is stock, and the deep breathing is accomplished by a Vortech [(805) 247-0226; www.vortechsuperchargers.com] supercharging package built around a V-2 SQ running an Si-Trim compressor section. The Si-Trim is the heart of the matter; it's an improvement over the existing S-Trim and may replace the storied trim in regular Vortech production in the near future. A taller impeller profile is the key. Imagine S and Si impellers lying on their backs on a table. The Si is slightly taller in the central section; the area forming the supercharger's inlet and its curve from the inlet to the outer perimeter of the supercharger is different. This new profile improves top-end boost with no loss in low-end efficiency. While standard, moderate-power applications see no benefit from the Si-Trim, as boost climbs and power builds above 500 hp, the Si-Trim is superior. In fact, the Si-Trim is-overall-78 percent more efficient, a remarkable gain of several points compared to the already efficient S-Trim. Naturally, a matching volute is required to mate with the Si-Trim wheel.

Also required is a larger, more efficient water-to-air charge cooler. The Si processes so much air that the existing water-based charge cooler was proving a restriction at higher boosts, so it was enlarged. The new cooler resembles the old one, but has a 48-percent greater surface area. Similar to the high-boost supercharger, the big cooler helps when power reaches the mid-500hp range.

Other horsepower assistants include JBA Shorty headers and an after-cat exhaust, a SPEC flywheel and clutch, a Lightning Force Performance radiator, and a Hurst short-throw shifter. Vortech also added 48-lb/hr injectors to service the increased power. They're shorter than stock, so an adapter plate is used between them and the fuel rails to retain the stock mounting system.

It takes a practiced eye to see the larger charge cooler on the latest Vortech Si-Trim. Spotting the Si-Trim impeller and scroll is only done when comparing superchargers side to side. Besides the boost from the supercharger, All-American is hoping the Vortech name gives them a boost in the marketplace.

There's some explaining around the 510hp figure, which is exceptionally good for a bolt-on supercharger on a Three-Valve V-8. The big number is legit, as long as 93-octane or higher fuel is used. That's easy enough on the East Coast and parts of the Midwest where premium pump gas is 93 or higher octane. West Coast enthusiasts will max out at 485 hp, as the 91-octane (maximum) premium used can only support so much ignition timing and power. In all cases, these power figures result from Vortech's tuning, which must be more conservative than the keep-your-fingers-crossed concoctions custom tuners gen up. Extra reality is required when offering a buy-it and drive-it package.

All-American is looking for a boost with the use of the visible and regarded Vortech name and they should get it. Warranties include those from Ford and Vortech's standard three-year/unlimited mileage offering. Additional warranty protection was being finalized by AASC at press time, as was the tricky point of emission certification. So far, the package is legal in 40-something states, with AASC and Vortech working on a 50-state exemption or certification as necessary.

While most of us slaving away in Mustang enthusiasm may not be able to heft more than 60 large for the All-American SuperCars product, the welcome newcomer points to new hardware those of us with the time to open our toolboxes can use.