For years, Lethal Performance added the latest Shelby GT500 to its stable of project cars and pushed its performance on the dyno and drag strip. This signature effort continued with the 2020 Shelby GT500, as the company picked up a Golden Ticket model equipped with the top-dog Carbon Fiber Track Package, and quickly began modifying it.
The company’s main man was on a quest to break into the 8-second 1/4-mile zone with their Whipple-supercharged, Predator-powered project. After getting right to the precipice with low-9-second rips, Jared Rosen, a.k.a. The Mustang King, finally accomplished his goal earlier this month at Palm Beach International Raceway.
“…The weather was definitely cooler. It wasn’t wicked cool, but it was definitely cooler. The air was crisp, whereas the night that I ran the 9.02, you could see the dew on top of the car,” Jared explained. “It was sunny out and the track was good, so I roll up to the line and did all the same stuff that I normally do. I did my burnout, put it in manual mode, and set the two-step at 3,200 rpm.”
After a false start, he backed up and put it into the beams again. With a clean launch, he banged through the gears, hitting the manual shifts precisely. A 1.36-second 60-foot time was an indicator that the car was on a good pass. Running the nearly same combo as the low-9-second pass, but benefitting from a short, taut blower drive belt to eliminate slip, the Whipple-boosted GT500 clicked off an 8.86 at 163 mph.
“I’m not sure what I’m gonna do now. I mean, honestly, if I get another nice cold day or even if there’s a really good-weather day up there in Bradenton, I may take it there,” Jared said. “…But the plan is just put all the carbon fiber pieces on it from Anderson Composites and Ford Performance, clean it up, get it ceramic coated, install a lift in my garage, and stow it away.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean Jared is out of the project car game. His next focus is bringing his Grabber Blue Terminator back to life. Then he might just add another Shelby GT500 and a Bronco Raptor to the Team Lethal corral.
Source: Ford Muscle
