It’s not the mundane, usual or normal things in life that make it interesting. Instead, it’s the unusual, fantastically original and abnormal aspects of life that keep things exciting and this video we recently received from John Stachlewicz of Saginaw, Michigan is definitely right up that alley. You see, Stachlewicz owns a 2011 Ford Flex EcoBoost- a vehicle that not many would consider to be a performance vehicle. But with a good tune and a few upgrades, Stachelwicz has been able to break into the 12s for the quarter mile. Check out the Flex doing it’s thing against an unsuspecting ZL1 in the video above.

“I’m a bit of a V6 enthusiast,” Stachlewicz, who also owned a 2005 V6 Mustang, told us in an email conversation. “I guess I like the underdog status that seems to come with a V6 in a V8 world.” So, the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost in the Flex turned out to be the perfect combination for Stachlewicz who was looking for a daily driver for his wife. But the Flex didn’t stay just a family road vehicle for long.

The first time Stachlewicz took the Flex to the track, it ran a 14.2 at 97mph bone stock with plenty of fascinated onlookers.

This of course prompted a need for more that we all experience at one point in time and Stachlewicz started to look into modifying the vehicle.

With research, Stachlewicz found that the Flex was considerably de-tuned from the factory so he contacted Livernois Motorsports for a more aggressive calibration. This pushed the Flex to a 13.4 quarter-mile time at 101mph at the end of the 2011 season and gained the vehicle plenty of attention at tracks everywhere it went. This even included attention from people who’d walk up to Stachlewicz and admit they laughed at him racing the Flex at first, but were pleasantly surprised with his track times. 

Over the winter, Stachlewicz then took the modifications one step further, having the Flex equipped with an axle-back exhaust system from MRT, and then finally giving into temptation for an Alky Control methanol kit from Livernois. With a dyno tune, this setup set the Flex up with 360 whp and 400 ft-lbs of torque.

It's not all about performance for Stachlewicz's Ford Flex. Over the winter, it also received some aesthetic upgrades like a black roof done by MRT, TSW Nurburgring wheels and a Carriage Work grill to make it stand out from the crowd even more.

When the tracks opened in the spring, the Flex broke into the 12s, running a 12.94 at 107mph. This video is proof of similar ETs. Of course, you can never have enough power and a recent switch to a MyCal tune rocketed the Flex to a 12.89-second quarter mile time at 108mph. Stachlewicz is very proud to say this is the fastest ET for a Flex that he’s found reported.

Not only is Stachlewicz’s Flex an unexpected track vehicle, it’s also his wife’s daily driver and a favorite for his two daughters. Stachlewicz even told us that his daughters love to yell out “Do the EcoBoost Dad, do the EcoBoost.” We can’t think of a better underdog drag racing story than that.