The 2018 Mustang is an impressive steed, having quickly galloped into the record books with various outfits pushing the car into the 10- and 9-second zones. It was only a matter of time before someone pushed the car into the rarified 8-second territory, but who knew that it would be with a stock engine and stock transmission?
It’s buzzed 8,000-plus RPM a few times on the stock oil pump gears and crank sprocket with no hiccups. — Jon Lund Jr.
That’s just what happened as the intrepid crew at Midnight Performance bolted on a custom turbo kit and Lund Racing dialed in a custom calibration to push the dual-fuel Gen 3 Coyote 5.0-liter into a new performance stratosphere. When we last checked on the car, it put down over 900 horsepower to the rear wheels and clicked off a low-9-second e.t.
How quick will a stock-engine, stock-trans 2018 Mustang run the quarter mile with a twin-turbo system and a supporting cast of bolt-ons? Midnight Performance’s ride clicked off a run of 8.99 seconds at 155.33 MPH. (Photo Credit: Midnight Performance)
“This car only has an upgraded DSS driveshaft and upgraded DSS halfshafts for drivetrain upgrades. The engine is unopened (stock oil pump gear and crank sprocket). The transmission is unopened. There isn’t really anything else done to support the power to the ground besides BMR Suspension!” tuner Jon Lund Jr., of Lund Racing, told us after than 9.4 run. “The owner of the car, Jesus Fajardo, said it felt awesome going down the track. With the 10-speed keeping the engine in peak power the whole time, it just has constant pull and doesn’t feel like it’s ever going to fall off.”
It definitely didn’t fall off, as Jesus and Midnight Performance main man, Manuel Gomez, kept pushing the combo. It recently ran a 9.10 at 154 MPH, but with Jon tweaking the transmission calibration and a switch to a push-button two-step, the car responded by breaking into the eights. On May 11 at Evadale Raceway in Evadale, Texas, this stock-engine, stock-trans 2018 ran a blistering 8.99 at 155.33 MPH on just 13 pounds of boost.
“Manuel pulled another 50 pounds out of the car,” Jon told us. “I added a little timing and tweaked the trans calibration a little bit! All we needed was a little over a tenth and a tiny bit of power. Nothing crazy!”
Midnight Performance 2018 Mustang Mods
• Aldo Welds custom twin-turbo kit w/ air-to-water intercooler
• AMS2000 boost controller
• BMR Suspension complete upgrade
• DSS driveshaft
• DSS 1,400-horsepower halfshafts
• E85 fuel
• Fore Innovations dual-regulator return fuel system w/ three Walbro 465-lph pumps
• Injector Dynamics ID1300x2 port injectors w/ factory direct injection
• Lund Racing remote calibration via nGauge
• Mickey Thompson skinnies (front) and 17-inch ET Street SS Drag Radials (rear)
• Precision Turbo 6466 turbos
• Viking Performance shocks and struts
• Watson Racing K-member
• Wilwood brakes
“I think we can push a few pounds of boost. We are going to test it on this car on the dyno soon to see if it likes 15-16 psi,” Jon added. “So far the engine has had probably 250-300 wide-open-throttle pulls on it. It’s buzzed 8,000-plus RPM a few times on the stock oil pump gears and crank sprocket with no hiccups. We’re extremely impressed.”
With a custom twin-turbo kit, a host of supporting upgrades, and a custom Lund Racing calibration, this combo broke the 8-second barrier.