The Ford Mustang is the ultimate muscle car survivor. Introduced in 1964, Mustangs have been in production every year since then. The original pony car even outlasted it’s arch rival, the Chevy Camaro.

After ploding through the mid-to-late ‘70s with the Pinto-based Mustang II, the car was once again given a total platform make over. The ‘79 Mustang (why didn’t they call it the “Mustang III”?) had a long 13 year run until 1991. During that time there were all sorts of interesting Mustangs - a turbocharged 4-cylinder modes, a V6 model, but the most popular version was the 5.0 Mustang GT.

Since a 5.0 liter engine is really a 302 cubic-inch, it was shades of the Boss 302 era. The 5.0 Ford engine had tremendous potential. The late Super Stock & Drag Illustrated editor, Steve Collison had a 5.0 Mustang GT project car in the 1989. The goal was to see if he could get a 5.0 Mustang into the 12’s WITHOUT taking the top of the engine apart and using ONLY bolt-on aftermarket parts throughout the car. Interesting challenge.

Steve used all the classic ‘60s hot rodder tricks - headers, slicks, small front tires, ignition overhaul, small K&N air filters, 4.56:1 gears, a fiberglass hood, a Hurst Shifter, and a host of other little tricks.

How did he do? Wheel spin was a real problem, even with the slicks. The 5.0 engine was making plenty of power. After several practice runs to get his launch right, the car finally ran a 12.97 et. (sorry, I don’t recall the speed).

Back in the day, you needed a Hemi-something or a big-block-whatever to run times like that. That’s pretty damn amazing!