The Mustang, all factory steel with the exception of the hood and front valiance, rests upon a full 25.5/25.1-spec tube chassis. Weighing in just over 2,900-pounds with Matheis in the seat, it features high-end tricks from front to rear, including a full carbon-fiber interior to keep weight to a minimum.
Such a sleek car would’t be complete without power to match; for that, Matheis assembled a circa-1957 354 Chrysler Hemi and mated it with pair of 66mm
Precision turbochargers. Modern internals and cylinder heads were utilized in the original Mopar Hemi block, but it nevertheless pegs the cool-o-meter.
“I have a buddy that does nothing but early-model Hemi’s, and he was out here while we were working on his car and I said one day, ‘one of your Hemi’s would look pretty cool in here.’ The next day he showed up with a short block and said, ‘here, you can have it.’ Once we got it all put together, it was definitely the most expensive free motor I’ve ever had,” Rob says.
The Hemi is bored .040-inches over and outfitted with an aftermarket steel crank, H-beam rods, and 9.5:1 compression
Ross pistons.
HotHeads aluminum heads top the block, and Matheis custom-fabricated the intake manifold and used old Hooker side pipe cover to create a trick upper plenum. A
Holley HP ECU and ignition system provide the spark and fueling commands to 150-lb/hr injectors. Custom side-pipes route the exhaust gases out just fore of the rear wheels for a truly street look.
“With the turbos, it’s very quiet; I have a ’70 Camaro with an LS and single-chamber mufflers on it and it’s quieter than that car,” Matheis notes.