Modified four-banger Stang pulls hard and blasts to the end of the drag strip at 114 miles an hour.
There are several factors in play at a drag strip at any given moment. Things such as wind speed and ambient temperature can affect a car’s time. Then there are the three main components: the car, its engine, and its driver. They all depend on each other. A good driver is nothing without a fast car, which is only as quick as the reactions of the person behind the wheel. In this video, it’s clear that the Ford Mustang EcoBoost and its driver all well matched to each other. We’ve already seen evidence of a V6 pony beating a S550 GT, so this video is next level stuff!
The Competition Orange 2016 Mustang EcoBoost belongs to Zack Allport, the man behind the Youtube channel Watch My Eco. The turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine started life with 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. In the years since the ‘Stang rolled out of the factory, Allport has modified it inside and outside. Its aggressive front splitter, exposed intercooler, and smoked headlights give it a sinister look.
Allport’s been busy under the hood, too. According to the comments section of the video above, his car is getting roughly 370 horsepower at the rear wheels. Assuming a 15-percent parasitic drivetrain loss, that means his EcoBoost Mustang has 435 horsepower at the crank, the same as a 2014-2017 Mustang GT.
So Allport’s car has power. That’s good because he takes on a GT500 at a drag strip. What about Allport himself? Does he have the nerve and reflexes to outdrive the person in the Shelby?
It seems like a no-brainer, of course. How could an EcoBoost ever hold a candle to a Shelby? Well, if you watch the race, you may think Allport jumped the gun and that the GT500 driver fell asleep waiting for the green light. However, a look at Allport’s time slip reveals he reacted in 0.001 seconds. That combined with his car’s substantial output enabled him to run an 11.7-second quarter mile at 114 mph.
The EcoBoost model may be the entry level of the Mustang hierarchy, but Allport makes it clear just how much higher you can go from there.
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.
