CJ Pony Parts Wants to Convert S197 Drag Car into Autocross Champ

S197 Mustang GT has been a straight-line special for years, but it will soon start a new life as an autocross star.

Every car only lasts a certain number of years, but it can lead multiple lives in whatever time it has before it heads to the junk yard. Some cars start off as the family hauler, then transition into being a teenager’s first vehicle. There are those pickups that serve their domestic/professional duties for a long time before they live out their twilight years as farm trucks. As this video from the CJ Pony Parts YouTube channel shows, this S197 Ford Mustang GT is about to start its second life.

The mean Gotta Have It Green machine used to be a single-purpose vehicle. According to host Bill Tumas, “This car has pretty much been a drag car since Day One.” CJ Pony Parts equipped it with a cold air intake, performance exhaust, short-throw shifter, and roll bar. “Without adding more power, it just really isn’t going to go much faster than the eleven-ohs that it ran.”

Instead of dumping money into boosting engine output, CJ Pony Parts decided to change the focus of their S197. They’re going to turn it into an autocross car. Luckily, one of their employees, Brendan, is an SCCA class-winning autocross driver who can help them spec the build.

Before they get started with that, CJ Pony Parts is going to compete in events with their car mostly as-is (it’ll have some stock 2019 Mustang wheels and tires) to see how much work they have to do. Tumas says, “Our plan’s going to be to get this car out to as many autocross events as we can and we’re going to start by going step-by-step to see if the car gets faster and faster.”

Given the ‘Stang’s 1,320-focused braking and suspension setup, it’ll have a rough start. Tumas is completely aware of that, though. “We know it’s going to be terrible, but that’s going to give us our baseline and then we’ll start on modifications to the suspension, brakes, and everything else to make the car really, really handle.”

If you have any suggestions as to what those mods should be, Tumas and company are open to reading them. Leave them a comment. For starters, we’d recommend lighter wheels to help speed up transitions. And a little extra power never hurts, even if you’re not going in a straight line.

Join The Mustang Source forums now!

Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.