Sinister Foxbody Drag Build Flexes Rare Barra Inline-6 Swap
Pumping a casual 1,200 horsepower (before nitrous) thanks to an massive 80mm turbo, this Australian engine sounds amazing and performs even better.
We like to see builds that decide to step away from the norm. Something that will make you say, “well, you don’t see that everyday.”
Since the Fox Body Mustang has existed for more than 40 years now, the chassis has had almost every swap known to man stuffed in its engine bay. Thus, it’s hard to really create something truly outside the box in such a popular platform.
However, our friends at Ford Australia have a seldom-used solution to this problem: the Barra inline-six engine. Today we’ll cover this unique Barra-swapped Fox Body drag build featured by the That Racing Channel on YouTube. This one is definitely a looker.
The owner of this beautiful jet black Foxbody is Charles, a Detroit, Michigan native. However, before he had ever even bought the Foxbody (previously a drag car powered by a carbureted Ford 302), he already had had a Barra engine ready waiting for his dream swap.
Beefy Straight-six Power from Overseas
How exactly did an engine that was only ever sold and produced in Australia make its way into his possession? Well, lucky for Charles, he had a friend in shipping logistics who used to bring these stateside from across the water.
The example seen here is still only one of the few engines in the U.S. He states, “there is a few guys in the states, but there probably under 5 of us.” Even though the Barra has been produced since 2002, it is truly still in its infancy in regards to popularity stateside.
Featuring bigger displacement at 4 liters compared to its more common rivals, the Toyota 2JZ and Nissan RB engines, the Barra is a stout engine in every sense of the word.
Recognized in Australia for its power potential, the Barra found in this Foxbody was destined for boost. You’ll see that there are no corners cut with the work put into this build.
Three-year Project in the Making & Then Some
The entire swap was handled by Andy McPherson at A-Star Fabrication, who had their hands on the engine build, fabrication, tuning, and wiring. It’s safe to say they did an amazing job.
This specific engine they used was originally a non-turbo block with the VVT deleted. All the internals including rods and pistons would be refreshed for this project.
One particular note about the Barra is it a significantly long engine, even more so than its popular Japanese counterparts. Thus, there is some logistics involved when packaging the engine in a foreign chassis.
The firewall needed to be pushed back along with the construction of a bespoke tube-frame front end to fit the rest of the turbo packaging. However, once complete, it would definitely be worth the extra work.
McPherson states that, “pound for pound running other JZ cars, it does seem like this does make more power per pound. Time will tell how long the block and other supporting mods stay together.”
According to their “heartbreaker” dyno, this engine pulled a healthy 1,000 WHP at a “low” boost of 26 psi on the massive Force Performance 4580 80mm turbo. However, that’s just the start.
As if it wasn’t enough, the Fox Body also features a 150 shot of nitrous which is ready to rumble at anytime. No surprise that the drag parachute on the back of the car isn’t there for show. Don’t run this guy on the street unless you like losing.
The fueling system is also run on pure E85 with 2200 cc injectors, providing the flow needed to support these big numbers. Overall, this build took just about 3 years to complete, with the dream “going on in his head for at least three years” before then.
Still an Uphill Battle Compared to Other V8 Alternatives
So why are there still such a lack of Barra builds in the US? Well, there is a host of reasons including general availability, lack of technical knowledge, and their overall current novelty status.
The engine is not perfect, the block is still iron- strong but heavy. However, after seeing both how good the straight-six looks in the engine bay plus the performance it provides, it’s a no-brainer.
Charles states that people are still catching on to the swap, “its been their hidden gem for a while… its going to confuse a lot of people around here when I open up the hood and it says Ford.”
However, he has no doubt in the car’s purpose and intention. “I’m looking for a race car that you can head out, grab some ice cream with the wife, but still put out maybe a low 8 second pass, high 7s turned up.”
That is a serious crazy standard, but that’s exactly why we love this car. We aren’t exactly sure if you’d really want daily this beautiful setup, but if you could, hell, why not? There won’t be another car on the road like it.
One thing is for certain, if somebody wants the smoke, they’ll know what they are getting themselves into very quickly. Maybe the dual side-exit exhausts, steamroller tires, and drag parachute gave it away?
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