Our most powerful drag race yet: two blown Mustangs, 1800Nm and over 1100kW!

Modified Mustangs are the flavour of this week’s MOTOR drag battle, as this pair of ponies take to the strip packing over 1100kW and 1800Nm combined.

Built by Melbourne-based powerhouse, Mustang Motorsport, both cars sport Roush’s 750hp TVS 2650 supercharger delivering a tyre-frying 559kW/900Nm, each.

The critical difference is that one is an otherwise standard current-gen Mustang GT, and other comes fully loaded with Roush’s Stage 3 package.

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The full Roush treatment gains you extra transmission, diff’ and auxiliary engine coolers, 20-inch wheels, Roush-tuned suspension, a bespoke body kit and leather interior, and unique Roush serialisation. Considering the scope of modifications, most impressively, you also get full turn-key ADR compliancy in all seven states and territories.

Our Stage 3 car also came with a pair of chunky Mickey Thompson radials in the boot, but we’ll have a play with those later…

The full Roush Stage 3 package will set you back upwards of $58,000, and that’s ‘bring your own’ Mustang GT, too.

So how much faster is it than the Roush-charged standard car at the drag strip? You're about to find out, so strap in because today’s drag race is going to be fast.

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Race start: road tyres v road tyres

A standard naturally aspirated V8 Mustang is a difficult car to launch in the best of circumstances, but our ponies are seriously traction-limited as they attempt to deploy a collective 1800Nm through their rear tyres.

Both cars immediately descend into wheelspin, however the silver Stage 3 car is able to claw its way ahead thanks to a larger footprint and possible rubber advantage; shod with bigger wheels and Continental ExtremeContact Sport tyres compared to the standard Mustang’s Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

A second run seemingly saw the less-modified Mustang launch away from the line, leaving the Stage 3 car in hot pursuit. It was a chase down for the ages, with a scarcely believable photo finish comeback victory. That is, before race control radioed in confirming a false start.

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Race start – radials v road tyres

...Back to those radials we found in the boot. We couldn’t resist swapping over the rear tyres of the Roush Stage 3 car for the pair of chunky Mickey Thompson ET Street R radials, to see how they might affect the ultimate timeslips.

Despite the sticky Mickeys, a slightly damp surface and a ridiculous power output still produced eye-widening levels of wheelspin. It easily kept the more standard car at bay, but it was far from the whitewash that many expected.

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Results

With the track-intended radials still mounted, Mustang Motorsport owner Craig Dean strapped in to see just what the fully-kitted Stage 3 car was capable of.

On a fairly slow surface, and sans one-foot rollout, the Stage 3 ‘Stang bested a 4.0-second flat 0-100km/h time, clearing the quarter-mile in 11.7-seconds at a blistering 201km/h.

The other supercharged, but otherwise standard, Mustang trailed about half a second behind across the board; sprinting from 0-100km/h in 4.65-seconds, and clocking the quarter in 12.26-seconds at 197km/h.

Bonus: Roll race

With the Stage 3 car back on the tyres it drove in on, both Mustangs lined up for a 50km/h rolling start race.

Even on a roll, both cars are champing at the limits of adhesion with every whiff of the throttle. The less-fettled Mustang is at a traction disadvantage, and is forced to temper its throttle while the Stage 3 silver bullet (or, should we say, Bullitt?) is able to better apply its prodigious amounts of grunt.

Crossing the line while nudging 220km/h, the Stage 3 car feels at the limit of wheelspin the entire way. With all the extras, it’s undoubtedly the quicker car here.

Want to see us play with more modified cars? Let us know in the comments below!