After getting a taste of the Shelby world with our 2008 GT500, jumping on the 2010 with the new body and the improved powerplant was the only logical move. And like the 2008, we had big plans.
We picked ours up in Ebony Black with Grabber Blue stripes from Weikert Ford in Lake Wales, Florida, and fell for it immediately. Not just the looks, but how smooth the thing was to actually drive.
The Car That Made Us Blue
Here is something most people do not know about us.
Before the 2010 GT500 with the Grabber Blue stripes, our website, our shirts and our logo were all red and black.
Once Grabber Blue reappeared on the 2010 models, we knew it was our colour. We redid the website, the logo and everything else. Jared even painted his 2003 Cobra in Grabber Blue. We have stuck with it ever since.
Baseline: Stock at the Track
With every project car we get baseline numbers while it is still stock, so the new GT500 went to Palm Beach International Raceway to see what it could do untouched. With Derek Perez driving, our friend and former longtime employee, it ran a 12.47 at 116mph with a 2.02 sixty-foot.
Tune and Tire: 11.76
Satisfied with that, it was time for Jeremy Martorella, our good friend and championship driver, to take the wheel. Before he did, we flashed a mild 93 octane tune from Jon Lund at Lund Racing and fitted a set of Hoosier 315/35/17 drag radials.
Tune and tire. The most common starting point for our customers, then and now.
Jeremy took it to an 11.76 at 117 with a 1.76 sixty-foot. You could see exactly what the drag radials did to the short time, and the whole car found over half a second in the quarter. From that point we knew it was going to be a monster once we started actually modifying it.
On the Dyno: 64rwhp for Almost Nothing
We wanted baseline numbers on the dyno too, so the car went over to UPR Products and onto their Mustang Dyno for three runs.
| Run | Setup | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bone stock | 422rwhp | 440rwtq |
| 2 | Aggressive 93 octane Lund Racing tune | 471rwhp | 471rwtq |
| 3 | Tune plus our off-road X-pipe | 486rwhp | 478rwtq |
So what did we learn? 49rwhp from a tune alone, then another 15rwhp from the off-road X-pipe. Sixty-four horsepower for a flash and a mid-pipe.
Going All In
After the initial testing we stopped being sensible.
Our 2008 GT500 had spat a rod out at the track, so we had called our friend Al Pappito at Boss330 Racing and had him build an all-aluminum long block with ported heads from Kris Starnes. Then we decided to set that engine aside and put a stock one in the 2008 before selling it to a customer overseas.
Which meant the Boss330 long block was sitting there, waiting. So into the 2010 it went, to prepare it for all the boost.
Along with the engine came a McLeod RXT twin disc, suspension from BMR, Eibach, QA1 and UPR, a full American Racing Headers exhaust, and a full Lethal Performance triple pump return style fuel system. Topped with Whipple's biggest blower at the time, the 3.4L Crusher.
The 4.0L Super Crusher Phone Call
We were ready to make power when Jared got a call from Dustin Whipple.
Halt the 3.4L install, Dustin said. Something better is on the way: the new 4.0L Super Crusher kit with a matching 140mm cold air intake. The blower had been exclusive to the 2010 Cobra Jet, and we were about to be the first to get the production setup.
Who were we to say no?
The 4.0L went on top and the car went back to the dyno. On just 21.5psi, with a 10% lower and a 4.00" upper, on C16 fuel, it made 779rwhp. Nearly a 300rwhp jump over the previous session.
It was very tempting to see what a smaller pulley would do.
The 9.66
Jeremy was back behind the wheel. He got a little sideways on his best run and still drove it to a 9.66 at 146mph.
With that pass, we were the first GT500 in the 9s. We were beyond happy.
Then 8s became the goal. Dave Dodge at TigVision built us an 8.50 NHRA certified cage, we fitted a smaller pulley to push boost to around 30psi, which is the blower's happy place, and made over 1,000rwhp on the dyno. Final numbers were 1,037.8rwhp and 858.2rwtq on E85.
We never made it to the 8s. Ford dropped the Coyote on us and we got extremely distracted by the 2011 Mustang GT. Like the 2008 before it, this car went to one of our great customers in Kuwait, Khaled.
| Stage | Power | Best ET |
|---|---|---|
| Bone stock | 422rwhp | 12.47 @ 116 (2.02 60ft) |
| Tune only | 471rwhp | 11.76 @ 117 (1.76 60ft) on drag radials |
| Tune plus off-road X-pipe | 486rwhp | n/a |
| Built engine, Whipple 4.0L at 21.5psi | 779rwhp | 9.66 @ 146 |
| Smaller pulley, ~30psi, E85 | 1,037.8rwhp / 858.2rwtq | Never raced |
The Full Mod List
- Engine: Boss330 Racing long block, Ford GT aluminum block, Manley I-beams, custom CP pistons and rings, ARP hardware, custom heads by Kris Starnes, custom Comp cams, bronze valve guides, stainless valves, high lift springs and retainers, Innovators West 10% overdrive crank pulley, Grabber Blue powdercoated valve covers
- Power adder: Whipple 4.0L Super Crusher with Super Crusher throttle body and cold air intake, pullied for 30-31psi
- Exhaust: American Racing Headers 1-7/8" long tubes with 3" off-road X-pipe, Magnaflow 3" cat-back with Magnapack mufflers
- Fuel: Lethal Performance dual pump return style system with DivisionX fuel hat, twin 465lph pumps, Fore Precision rails and Y-block, Aeromotive Pro Series regulator, 166lb high impedance injectors
- Driveline: Face plated TR6060 by RPM Transmissions, McLeod RXT twin disc with steel flywheel, Driveshaft Shop 3.5" aluminum driveshaft, built 8.8 with 33 spline Moser axles, spool and 9" ends, 3.73 gears, Fore Precision billet diff cover
- Suspension: BMR K-member, adjustable A-arms, K-member support brace and driveshaft loop, UPR complete rear drag suspension, Eibach Sportline springs, QA1 front coilovers with UPR springs, QA1 caster camber plates, QA1 adjustable rear shocks
- Cooling: Shelby/C&R Racing dual pass heat exchanger, Reische Performance 170 degree thermostat, Moroso intercooler reservoir and radiator expansion tank
- Other: Steeda Tri-Ax shifter, Project 321 coil covers and engine bay dress up kit, ThumpRRR Racing tensioner, N2MB WOT Box, custom 10 point NHRA certified cage by TigVision Welding with harness and net
Parts From This Build You Can Still Buy
Long tubes and off-road X together
2011-2014 version also available
10% overdrive
Superduty hub version also available
1200 HD version also available
Confirm spline count for your car
Cheap insurance on a boosted car
The exact box from this build
Triple pass, dual fan
Frequently Asked Questions
Was this really the first GT500 in the 9s?
Yes. Jeremy Martorella drove it to a 9.66 at 146mph, and at the time no GT500 had been into the 9s.
How much power did it make in the end?
1,037.8rwhp and 858.2rwtq on E85, with the Whipple 4.0L Super Crusher pullied to roughly 30psi.
What did a tune alone add?
49rwhp, from 422rwhp stock to 471rwhp with an aggressive 93 octane Lund Racing tune. Adding an off-road X-pipe brought another 15rwhp for 486rwhp total.
How much faster did the drag radials make it?
The sixty-foot went from 2.02 to 1.76 and the quarter mile dropped over half a second, from 12.47 to 11.76. That was tune and tire together.
Why is Lethal Performance blue?
Because of this car. Before the 2010 GT500 with its Grabber Blue stripes, our website, shirts and logo were red and black. Grabber Blue returning on the 2010 models changed all of it.
Why did the 8-second attempt never happen?
Ford released the Coyote and we got distracted by the 2011 Mustang GT. The cage was built and the car made over 1,000rwhp, but it never ran the number.
Can I still buy the Whipple 4.0L Super Crusher?
Not as it was. That kit was current in 2010 and Whipple has moved through several generations since. Call us and we will tell you what the equivalent is for your car today.
What happened to the car?
It went to Khaled, one of our customers in Kuwait, same as our 2008 GT500 before it.
More From Our Builds
Building a GT500? Call 877-2-LETHAL or email us. We have been doing this since the 2008.
Keep Reading
Start Where We Started
Sixty-four horsepower came from a tune and a mid-pipe on this car. That is still the best value pair of mods on a supercharged Shelby.
