Ford Mustang Turbo Kits

OK, so what's it like to drive a 1,000hp car? It's surprisingly easy, but only to a point. One thousand horsepower is the new "gotta have it" war cry. Thanks to dyno shootouts and magazine stories covering big-power cars, engine builders are constantly getting phone calls from customers wanting to make 1,000 hp on the street. The problem is, 95 percent of those people have no idea what a legit 600 hp is, let alone 1,000. The usual result is they get the engine, scare the hell out of themselves, then call the builder back asking how to detune it to a more sane power level. We've heard the story 100 times.

We had a chance to drive both of the cars in this story, and on the street you can't tell a whole lot of difference since they both blow the tires into clouds of smoke as soon as you jump on the throttle. Both cars are shockingly driveable, however. The red car is louder, since it has a full 3-inch Bassani exhaust system, a big Weldon fuel pump that makes some noise, and a pretty stout clutch pedal, but honestly it's no louder than many typical street Mustangs with performance mufflers. You'd never in a million years realize how much power was under the hood . . . until you nail it. At that point, it's "Katie bar the door, this mother is on a roll!" Even with tires at full blaze, it pulls like a Pro Stocker and doesn't quit until you lift, at which point comes the beautiful music from the wastegates. And since it's still a stock suspension car, it drives like a typical Mustang with stiffer springs.

The GT500 is even better. The sensation of speed is similar, but other than the turbochargers and a pair of Bassani mufflers bolted to the stock 2.5-inch exhaust, this car is all stock. You cannot tell that anything has been done to it; it drives exactly like a new GT500 and you could literally hand the keys to your 80-year-old grandmother to drive to the store--it's that nice. Problem is, if Granny hits the gas too hard, it's game over.

And that's the problem with having so much power in a street car. It's exceptionally easy to light the tires at speed and lose control, causing bad things to happen if you don't understand how to drive it. Someone who has never driven a truly fast car honestly has no idea what this is all about and can hurt themselves. You have to sneak up on full-throttle in small increments to get used to the car, but even then you'd better know how to pedal it. But once you do, man, it's a ton of fun.

Neither car has a rollcage and both are riding on street tires, so they'll never see a dragstrip--which is good, since if they ever did, they'd be forcibly removed from the property after the first pass. If you were serious about going fast, a set of sticky tires and some aftermarket rear suspension parts will make them hook. With enough tuning, that would put the GT500 very close to the 9s and the red car in the 8s. But these are not race cars--they're street sleepers. They're meant to scare your friends and annihilate anything that pulls up next to you. Your neighbor have a Ferrari Enzo? He's toast.

The author can remember the days, and not too long ago, either, when a real 500 hp was a big deal on the street. My how far we've come.