JOHN Colaidis’s ’65 Mustang is shaming a lot of the turbo and supercharged V8 competition that gather to race for kudos at Heathcote Park Raceway in Victoria.

ITUF65 is powered by a de-stroked INTECH 4.0-litre SOHC six, said to be making in the vicinity of 1400hp. The motor has been the subject of extensive research and development at Tunnel Vision. In its previous form, 4.0-litre LPG-sucking guise, the Mustang ran a best of 8.98@154. The engine is now de-stroked to 3.8-litres – with a new redline of 8500rpm – and runs on United E85 fuel.

External goodies include a Garret GTX45R turbo, air/air intercooler, with manifolds developed by Tunnel Vision. Brain power is supplied by a Haltech Platinum ECU, with boost levels of over 40psi. The power is put down through a Powerglide, a Caltrac-equipped, leaf spring rear and 275 M/T Pro Radials. Weighing in at 3590lb, the Mustang’s current PB of 8.23-seconds at 171mph was done in street trim, including a full exhaust system.

John is now preparing to get the car ANDRA-teched so he can have a lash at Street Machine’s Drag Challenge later in the year. He is quietly confident that the car has a seven-second pass on street trim, which will be a massive achievement for everyone involved.

John would like to thank Tunnel Vision, Preston Automatics, LMS and AutObarn Epping for their support.