Gone in Six Seconds

It is impossible to go past the beautiful lines of any Ford Mustang. At the top of the Mustang food chain is the Shelby GT500, which (thanks to Nicholas Cage and a certain Hollywood blockbuster) is known more commonly as Eleanor.

Neil's Mustang is a tribute to the fabled Eleanor, but with it's huge blower poking up out of the bonnet, it looks far tougher than any other replica on the planet.

Underneath that massive top hat sits a billet aluminium engine built by Team Sainty. The high side features a set of billet aluminium heads, each running overhead cams as well as three valves per cylinder to be able to get all the fuel in and exhaust out.

Providing spark is a Pro-Mag ignition system, utilising a 44MSD magneto and eight high powered spark plugs. They ignite over 18US Gallons of fuel every sixty seconds when the Mustang is flying down the quarter. The resulting 2500hp created by these explosions can propel the Mustang to the far end of the track in a measly 6.6@214mph pass, even with Neil stepping off the throttle at the 1000ft mark.

Getting the power to the ground is an almighty task, given to the three speed Lenco transmission mounted behind the engine. Between the rear wheels sits a braced 9in diff with fully floating axles and pro gears. Bolted at each end are a set of 16x16in Magnum Pro wheels with a bead lock running around the edge of the huge Goodyear slicks.

Inside, the Mustang is set out with its one purpose firmly in mind. There are no creature comforts here, it's the bare necessities to get down the track as quickly as possible. With a tacho and shift light mounted right at eye level there is no excuse to be shifting at the wrong moment.

All this performance doesn't come cheap though, with Neil informing us that the figure for the complete engine package is somewhere around $50,000. From there the only way the cost can go is up and as a result the price of the whole package, including a truck and trailer to travel to race meets, has set Neil back over $180,000.

While it may be a costly pursuit to go drag racing, Neil is not the only person to believe it is worthwhile. We tip our hat to Neil, and all the other racers out there who are prepared to fork out the cash to be able to race and build some of these amazing machines. You can't put a price on the thrill of racing!