Mustang Becomes First Car to Run 1/8-mile in 3.8 Seconds on Slicks

With thousands of horsepower and an ATI transmission, it’s no wonder this Stang set a class record.

The 10.5 Outlaw racing class is the sanctioned home to many of the popular “street racers” from television shows like Street Outlaws, making it one of the most popular classes in the modern world of drag racing. Tim Essick built his 2018 Ford Mustang race car to run 10.5 Outlaw and it was instantly one of the top contenders in the class.

In addition to piling up the class wins, Essick and his supercharged Mustang recently set the record as the quickest 10.5 Outlaw car running a slick tire, becoming the first of its kind to break into the 3.8-range in the eighth-mile. The video above from TheRacingVids YouTube channel shows us that record being set, along with a handful of other strong runs by this monstrous pony car.

Powerplant

As you can see in the video, Essick’s 2018 Ford Mustang has a lightweight body and interior, built only with the items required for racing purposes in the 10.5 Outlaw class. The greenhouse of the car might be an actual Ford part, but it is a safe bet that just about everything else in or on this car came from the aftermarket. However, the most significant aspect of this car is under the hood.

Essick’s Mustang is powered by an Allen Johnson Performance Engineering (AJPE) 481X V8 topped with AJPE Stage 4 cylinder heads and fitted with a ProCharger F-136 centrifugal supercharger. We don’t know the exact power output, but it is safe to bet that this Mustang is packing thousands of horsepower, with an ATI transmission sending that power towards the rear wheels.

Dancing Down the Track

In the video above, we get to watch at Essick makes a handful of runs at the Professional Drag Racers Association World Finals, where he claimed second place in the class.

The video begins with a handful of time trial runs against a handful of other incredible drag cars including two different Corvettes and a first generation Camaro. On those early runs, Essick turns in times of 3.291, 4.002 and 3.932, all of which are impressive enough to beat the competition, but the big run is the fourth of this video.

On this single run, Essick takes his time on the launch and everything comes together perfectly, with the Mustang runs a 3.896 at 195.73 miles per hour. That is the first ever 3.8X run by a 10.5 Outlaw car running slicks, making this Ford the quickest of its kind in the world.

The video ends with a couple more great runs by the beautiful, bronze Mustang, beating a fourth generation Camaro with a 3.95 before losing to a C7 Corvette with a 3.932 to the Chevy’s 3.902.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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