When Pacifica, California’s Tom Patterson picked up his new 2014 Mustang GT, he had every intention of hitting the track with it, but had no idea that in less than a year he’d be banging off 9-second hits in the quarter.
“The Mustang had just 200 miles on it when I hit the strip,” said Patterson “And I went 12.63 at 112 mph in the quarter-mile with the completely stock motor, stock suspension, and factory rear 3.15 rearend. But this was actually just to baseline the car for what I really wanted to do with it.” While Patterson had every intention of going quicker and faster in the high-tech muscle car, he had no idea he’d be running in the nine-second zone less than a year later, and be doing so still using the stock motor as his base! “The Ford Coyote engine platform is amazing!” he exclaimed. “I bought this car brand new just to race it, and street drive of course, but more to see where I could go with the Coyote.”
Since the very first time his uncle bought him a tool set when he was just 12 years old, Patterson has been into working on cars. “I remember changing out thermostats, alternators, etc. with my dad on our old Datsun truck,” he recalled. “I wanted a Mustang pretty bad in high school, but just couldn’t afford it. But a year of course, like every other red-blooded American kid with a Mustang, a nitrous oxide kit soon found its way under the hood. Shortly after that he found boost and went from a ProCharger to a Vortech, eventually going a best of 11.77…. Read more of this article. Just click on the digital feature below this introduction.
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