When Ford introduced the world to the 3rd-generation Mustang, known as the Fox-body, it did so with much fanfare. But what really grabbed headlines was the fact that the then-new Mustang would have as an option a 2.3 liter turbocharged engine, based on the Pinto motor. This baffled muscle car purists, though today these SVO Mustangs are highly collectible.
[1]More than three decades later though, these engines still find plenty of use on the track. This video of a highly-tuned 2.3 turbo engine turning almost 10,000 RPMs shows just how much power these screamers can produce in the right hands.
Of course the 2.3 liter turbo engine never left the Ford factory with a turbo that size. This is one little monster motor, and tuning has been left up to Job Spetter Jr., who climbs into the Ford Probe drag car himself to shift the gears and get this race car rolling. Yup, it’s a Ford Probe with a 2.3 liter turbo engine. Crazy, eh?
While the video doesn’t reveal power numbers, nor does it reveal the tachometer, we can guesstimate that this little engine is making big power up top, and probably comes within a few hundred RPMs of 10,000. With other videos showing the completed Probe in action running high 7’s at the drag strip, it wouldn’t be too much of a jump to assume this old school Ford four-banger is making close to 1,000 horsepower.
EcoBoost, eat your heart out.