Building a 1,000 HP Formula Drift Roush Mustang
The most intriguing thing about Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak’s Roush Mustang racer is just how ‘normal’ it is!
Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak is no stranger to Roush Performance, Ford, or Mustangs. Or, obviously, making a living destroying tires. But each new season of racing brings new opportunities, and lots of fresh eyeballs. So like all racers, Pawlak didn’t just want to up his game on the track for 2018. He wanted to up his car’s game as well. Thus, the maniacs over at Hoonigan headed over to Pawlak’s shop to see just what it is that makes this incredible new Roush Mustang racer tick.
For starters, Pawlak needed to upgrade the front end of his Mustang to reflect the refreshed 2018 body style. With, of course, a Roush grille, front lip, and other fresh bits. But make no mistake – this is no ordinary Mustang body underneath. It’s 100 percent carbon fiber with the exception of the roof. You might think that it would be a featherweight as a result, but safety equipment actually helps it tip the scales at around 3,000 pounds.
The Roush Mustang racer looks pretty killer too, thanks to some new, all-white, heavily concaved Forgestar wheels. The coolest thing about Pawlak and his ‘Stang, however, is that he doesn’t just drive this thing. He also does all the fabrication himself as a true in-house operation. His work on the roll cage is particularly impressive, with clever gussets designed to eliminate chassis flex.
Interestingly enough, both the core support and dash are stock bits, albeit modified for this application. In between them also lies a surprisingly standard mill – Ford’s 5.0 Coyote Aluminator. It seems silly to call the massively blown, 1,000 hp beast “standard,” but this is, in actuality, just a crate motor. No voodoo or smoke and mirrors here, just a 2.3-liter Roush huffer on top. Which, by the way, is also an off-the-shelf part.
Pretty fascinating stuff. And proof that it doesn’t always take exotic parts and a big-money crew to achieve racing success!
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