It’s been some time since we last saw our S650 project car, which has since been named Project SC650 (more on that later), so let’s catch up. We took delivery early this year of a 2024 Ford Mustang GT Premium Performance Pack, loaded with nearly every option and A10 (10-speed automatic). Then we quickly swapped out the rear tires with a set of Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S 305/35R19 drag radials on the stock wheels. Though we had no data on the car yet, we had plenty of data at southern California drag strips to know that we would not be setting any records for the fastest stock S650 Mustang. Sure enough, we went a 1.99 sixty-foot on the way to 8.17 at 99mph in the 1/8-mile.

Since that crisp evening, we have been working hard behind the scenes with some of the best manufacturers and Mustang tuners in the industry to devise a plan for SC650…a plan I am going to divulge to you, right MEOW. While our track experience didn’t work out quite as we hoped, we are going to continue swinging for the fences. Step 1: sure up the chassis, driveline, and suspension to cut some better sixty-foots. We’ve got a set of the brand-new Solana wheels from Weld Racing that will allow us to drop a little weight and fit some much larger and stickier Mickey Thompson Bracket Radials. If traction continues to be an issue, we will be looking at swapping to a bias-ply slick. We ordered a set of 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels from Weld, which we knew would not fit the rear brakes but also discovered they would not fit the front either. The Performance Pack comes with large Brembo brakes that are a factor in itself to the clearance issue, but also use the S550 GT500-style rear knuckles, which require 18-inch wheels. Thankfully, we were prepared for both and we have a set of TBM brakes on the shelf (one of the only ones on the market designed specifically for the S650).

The driveline and suspension upgrades are not so dissimilar to the S550. We will be adding some upgraded axles from our friends at G-Force Engineering, who also happen to make the Ford Performance axles. At least initially, we feel like the factory driveshaft, converter, and 10R80 will be sufficient. Though as tuning becomes easier, we fully intend to upgrade the converter with a fresh billet unit from Circle D. Say a prayer for our 10R80. BMR has been our go-to on the S650 suspension, who recommended we work with Viking for coilovers. BMR has been an early player in the S650 market – no surprise – with toe rods, vertical links, camber links, camber kits, springs, sway bars, bushings, chassis braces, and even a K-member to drop weight off the nose.

Speaking of weight, we fully intend to document our weight through this entire journey. So we kicked off the build by first getting a baseline on our trusty Intercomp SW500 scale. And wouldn’t you know, the Performance Pack is quite portly at 3,963lbs. And a whopping 55% of that is on the front tires! Good grief! Smaller wheels, the K-member, and race brakes should hopefully get us a closer to 3,800lbs and maybe a few percentage point closer to 50/50. 

Step 2 in our plan is to add boost to help this portly S650 overcome its mass at the drag strip. This is where the project name comes from. We are no stranger to supercharged combinations, and have had great luck going very fast with them – especially in Mustangs. But, which one? We definitely considered several options, but we are going to keep that under out hat for the moment. We will, however, be making that evident when we unveil Project SC650 at the 2024 SEMA Show. And since it will be in the big show, you know we fully intend to make some upgrades to its appearance as well.

After the SEMA Show, we’ll be ripping down the drag strip at the Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas for some quarter-mile times on a prepped surface. Then it’s game on, as we try to whittle our times down and make a serious mark with Project SC650. If this sounds like the kind of ride that excites you, then strap into the passenger seat and LET’S GO!

Updates on Project SC650 can be found on Facebook and Instagram, along with long-form content on FordMuscle.com and YouTube. We’ll be curating content on the SC650 project car page as well for your convenience.