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Scott McLaughlin has his name written on two Ford Mustangs. One of them he drove to his third straight Supercars title this year. And then there’s the really powerful one.The Scott McLaughlin Limited Edition by Herrod Performance, or SM17 for short, might have number plates and leather seats instead of sponsor decals and a roll cage, but it’s the best part of 100kW up on its circuit-dwelling sibling. The gulf in torque is even wider.All in all, 578kW and 810Nm are sent to the rear wheels courtesy of a monster 3.0-litre supercharger nestled in the vee of the otherwise standard 5.0-litre Coyote V8.
But what is an SM17 and how did it come about? The car’s creator, tuning legend Rob Herrod, has the answers.
“And then with the R-Spec [program] going on, I said ‘It’s a bit hard for me to do a McLaughlin car, I’ve only got time to do 30 [Dick Johnson] cars.’“Wayne McLaughlin, who’s Scott’s father, and I hang out at Supercars rounds and he’s been on my back to do a car, so with the lad looking like winning his third championship we decided ‘let’s do it’.”
Left unsaid and unconfirmed is that with McLaughlin expected to head Stateside to Indycar next year, the SM17 was somewhat of a ‘now or never’ proposition.
These wear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres measuring 275/35 and 305/30 respectively, making the SM17s front boots as big as a standard Mustang GT’s rears.
Adjustable anti-roll bars and recalibrated Magneride dampers round out the suspension changes.
Those massive rear boots, that sit snugly in the Mustang’s arches thanks to the bespoke wheel design, do a heroic job of turning nearly 800bhp into forward motion.
Driving the SM17 in the wild
In the dry the SM17 has to be actively encouraged to break traction; its typical full-throttle behaviour is to just surge towards the horizon, gulping through its gears like Pac-Man munching cookies.Unsurprisingly, much greater circumspection is needed in the wet as the rear wheels can and will spin through to fifth gear, but it requires respect, not fear.
The SM17 sits flat and generates remarkable lateral forces in the corners; I haven’t driven a Shelby GT350 but it must surely be in the ballpark, especially if you switched the standard Michelin PS4s for more focused Cup 2s.There’s better communication than in a standard Mustang, the steering telegraphing when the front tyres have had enough and only at the very limit does the car’s weight make itself apparent.
At this point point you’re travelling fast enough to need a racetrack, but that’s not an environment the SM17 should fear; Herrod claims to have completed dozens of consecutive laps at Winton during development.
Think of the supercharger as adding displacement, turning the Coyote into a rev-happy 8.0-litre V8, rather than injecting boost in the traditional sense with a massive slug of torque.It’s loony fast and the digital speedo a blur, especially if you lock the transmission in fourth or fifth and ride the wave. Melbourne’s lockdown rules meant our usual performance testing wasn’t possible, but the bum VBox extrapolates a quarter-mile speed about the 205km/h mark and that feels about right.
There is a bit of exhaust boom in the cabin under certain cruising conditions – tenth gear, 90km/h – and the big tyres create plenty of road noise, but the MagneRide suspension soaks up most bumps for a firm but fair ride.Gearbox choice is a tough one. Herrod’s automatic calibration is very good, the transmission crisper and more decisive in its shifts, a little theatrical nudge in the back accompanying each one at slow speeds.
However, there’s still a slight delay between throttle application and engine response, particularly if there’s a series of inputs in quick succession, and in a car this fast and powerful, accuracy is everything.
The manual might be the pick, as the SM17 certainly has the grunt to pull the long gearing.
“With everything I’ve learnt through the first compliance pack through the R-Spec and all the other cars we’ve built, I knew I had everything in place to build a really, really good car,” Herrod told us.
Having been fortunate enough to drive all of Rob’s Mustang creations, I agree; the SM17 is his best yet.
It has all the aggression you’d expect from a modified car while retaining its factory manners in terms of ride, response and reliability. It’s a fine tribute to a fine racing driver.
Rating: 4.5/5Likes: Eye-watering power; retains its manners; improved dynamics; looks tough Dislikes: Road noise; auto can struggle to keep upSpecificationsEngine: 5038cc V8, DOHC, 32v, supercharger Power: 578kW @ 7500rpm Torque: 810Nm @ 4800rpm Gearbox: 6-speed manual; 10-speed automatic Weight: 1784kg 0-100km/h: 4.4sec (claimed) Price: $125,000 (approx)
