SVE Super Stallion (Super Ford Magazine, March '98)

Super Ford magazine
March 1998, Pages 28-31

At the distinct risk of impertinence, SVE is really getting the hang of this concept car business. John Coletti's group, Special Vehicle Engineering, is charged with not only engineering the upmarket production cars sold by Special Vehicle Team, they're also the ones the big Blue Oval calls upon when it's time to flex some show car building muscle. If you've read about the Mach III, the GT-90 and, who hasn't, The Boss, then you've seen SVE in action. While we've hurled some information superhighway paving stones at Ford over a few of these concept cars, you aren't about to see us kicking up loose bricks here; there's no need for that. Immediately after the car's SEMA show debut, John Coletti put us in the Super Stallion driver's seat, and buddy, it's a major ride. Because it's easily seen, polished and sporting a supercharger, the 5.4 liter, four-cam modular V8 gets nearly all the attention when the Super Stallion story is brought up from the driver's seat, however, that torquey thumper is only the exciting beginning to an all-around performance machine. In addition to the T-56 six-speed gearbox and 4.10 rear axle gears, the Super Stallion is suspended by A-arms in front and a bell-crank and coil-over independent rear suspension. There's even an alternate fuel system on board to allow E85 ethanol fuel. So while the (Ford) blue, white (hot performance) and (ecologically) green paint scheme may be decidedly asymmetrical, the machine itself is the most well rounded decathalete we've had the pleasure to drive from SVE. Furthermore, the Super Stallion is not a tease. Ford flatly stated it has no intentions of replicating Super Stallions for the masses, although some of the technology will no doubt show up in future production Fords. That would be great. You might also want to think of the Super Stallion as the standard bearer for the modular engine family. SVE has used modular engines in previous concept vehicles, but the Super Stallion is where the sporty Mustang chassis and realistic modular engine possibilities have come together. Combining the supercharger and 5.4 liter displacement into a 545 hp package, the Super Stallion bullies the modular into the horsepower club in much the same way a built small-block would. Top speed is estimated at 175 mph, and SVE said the car posts 0-60 mph times well under 5-seconds and does the quarter in the high 12s at 112 mph. Our seat of the pants evaluation was very much in agreement with those numbers. Red blooded enthusiasts wouldn't mind the Super Stallion's super voice, either. Seemingly bereft of an exhaust crossover (although it may well have one), the Super Stallion roars out a loud, near raspy exhaust note, through its long-tube headers, cats and mufflers, that says "cylinder pressure." It's a unique note, one we finally decided had a hint of the glass pack to it, with the pipe nearest you definitely being heard the most. The Super Stallion driver will also notice quite a few novel features around the cockpit. Quite obvious are the pillar-mounted vacuum/boost and fuel pressure instruments with the SVE trademark white instrument faces matching those in the instrument cluster. Below the radio is the fuel system digital readout, supercharger on/off switch and supercharger "armed" light. A Vericom performance computer has been worked into the front center of the headliner, while the Lear seats are neatly covered in black leather.
Not obvious at first, the gauge pod atop the center of the dash has been converted into an imaging speaker for the Mach 630 (watt) sound system developed with Visteon Automotive Systems. Other components include a biamped tuner/CD deck, 2.5-inch speakers in the A- pillar, 5.5 x 7.5-inch woofers in the doors plus three subwoofers and two midrange speakers in the package tray. Also not visible at first, but unavoidable once underway are the "dynamic seat bolsters" from Lear. These are side bolsters which remain retracted until cornering force is generated, then the appropriate bolster automatically moves in to provide support on the outboard side of the seat. A distraction in the first couple of turns, the bolsters pumping in and out are quickly accepted and fade into the informational background of the active driver. Quite a novelty, and effective at their main job of improving ingress and egress, the dynamic bolsters are still not something we'd want. They are too slow to respond and too fast to relax, occasionally leaving the driver momentarily unsupported. We would trade the weight, cost and complexity of the system for a fixed sport seat, and live with the tight fit getting in and out. That, or have the bolsters open for entry and exit, then cinch down for the duration once in the seat. Otherwise, the Lear seats are excellent, and featured a high-grade leather that's a big step up from Ford's standard fare. You can bet your last Ned Jarrett baseball cap we'd keep the engine. We tried to pin down just what internals are in the shiny 5.4, but apparently so many specialists worked on the flexible fuel powerplant, no single shop or engineer can really lay claim to the piece, or tell us the secret details of its interior. Officially the V8 was built at the Windsor, Ontario, Ford engine plant, then modified by SVE in Allen Park, Michigan. We'll speculate the bottom end contains a high strength crankshaft, forged rods and pistons for durability. One bit of exotica confirmed on the engine is a set of four- valve Rough Rider cylinder heads. These special castings are from the ongoing off-road racing modular engine program and were run unported in this application. The low, non-stock 8.2:1 compression ratio is optimized for supercharged boost, as is the entire engine. In fact, the four-cam 5.4 seems built around its exotic induction system, much in the same way the Mach III's engine was dominated by its similar intake. Downstream of the twin throttle bodies is the heart of the Super Stallion's intake system, a 2.1 liter Garrett screw- type supercharger, supplied with technical support by Allied Signal for this project. Built by Lysholm in Sweden for the American turbocharger specialists at Gar- rett (an Allied Signal company), the blower is very similar to the Kenne Bell blower found on 5.0s, and capable of 14 lbs. of boost according to the press release. In the Super Stallion the unit is pullied for less; we saw 7 lbs. on the gauge. Definitely unique is a hydraulic clutch on the blower's drive pulley, which allows switching the blower on for performance or off for fuel economy. Only after we had pedaled the Stallion with tire spinning enthusiasm around Ford's Arizona Proving Grounds did we realize we never tried switching the blower off. Guess that shows where our mind is at, although we can report that during part throttle (no boost) operation, the 5.4 is per- fectly tractable and clearly offers good torque. While the Lysholm blower is temperature efficient, the Super Stallion also sports an air-to-water intercooler. The resulting drop in air charge temperature allows running aggressive ignition timing for maximum power. The intercooler is mounted below the supercharger in the modular engine's spacious valley. Fueling is accomplished using 16 injectors and EEC-V engine management. An optical fuel sensor signals the amount of ethanol in the fuel to the computer, which is programmed to work with any combination of gasoline and ethanol, up to 85 percent ethanol. Because ethanol has more octane than gasoline, more aggressive engine management is possible with E85 fuel and 50 more horsepower can be made with it. Furthermore, ethanol produces cleaner emissions. While the fuel system is designed with the optical sensor (a production part on other flex-fuel Fords these days) to allow varying amounts of ethanol, the Super Stallion uses separate gasoline and E85 fuel tanks, and must be manually switched from one tank to the other using valves in the trunk. The system also requires a quick purging when switching fuels, and of course, the car would not start on E85 during our visit and was run entirely on gasoline. This was logically blamed on the preliminary computer programming in the EEC-V, which will be worked out later. Incidentally, while talking fuel systems and computer program- ming with the technicians on hand, they noted the complete software printout of an EEC-V computer was thick, "like three bibles." That's a bunch of code. Furthermore, one programmer will handle cold start, another hot starts, someone else WOT, someone else high altitude, yet another programmer for part throttle cruise, and so on. Thus no one individual is responsible for the entire job. It also can take some doing to coordinate all this code into a smooth-running engine. To do that and pass emissions takes something of a "minor miracle. Powerwise the blown 5.4 delivers a flat torque curve, with the power strong from 2000 rpm on up. The biggest rush is between 3800 and 5800 rpm, where the power drops off strongly enough to signal the party is definitely over, but with enough over rev capability left should it be desirable to leave the engine in a gear. Behind the engine is a pricey but strong Borg-Warner T-56 six speed transmission and a McLeod dual disc clutch. The later was adjusted to engage well to the top of its travel, with moderate pedal pressure, and good street manners. Even farther back is the independent rear suspension and 8.8-inch differential. The IRS looked the same as that used on Saleen race cars and detailed by us on several previous occasions. The two laid down, coilover Koyd double adjustable shock and spring assemblies are visible through a Plexiglas cover in the truck dubbed the "fish tank," and work via bellcranks and push rods on the upper part of the cast upright. In fact, all the rear suspen- sion arms are aluminum castings. It seems doubtful such a sophisticated and space consuming IRS will make production, although if it does you certainly won't hear us complain about it. For all its technical gadgetry, more so than any other component of the Super Stallion the IRS gives this Mustang a huge jump forward. We've driven Mustangs with this much power and torque, we've enjoyed six speeds before, and we've previously reveled in the .92g worth of grip the Super Stallion can generate, but we've never driven a Mustang with the Super Stallion's chassis sophistication and utterly compliant, yet grippy rear suspension. While transiting a portion of the proving grounds, we passed over an old concrete section with numerous expansion joints and tar strips. The A-arm front end politely did its job, communicating the bumps through the steering and a little through the structure, all without harshness and while tracking true, but the rearend glided over the moonscape with diplomatic aplomb we couldn't believe. Breaking out of our convoy, we circled back to run through the rough stuff two more times, each with the uncanny sensation of a rear suspension that easily out-rides a Lincoln. Even the old J. Bittle American Domina- tor with its MN12 Thunderbird-based IRS (Super Ford, June 1991) didn't have this ride sophistication. We guarantee one stint its the Super Stallion without the flopping, thumping live axle of the current Mustang and you won't want to go back. Don't take this easy ride for soft on handling, either. In our memory the Super Stallion is the best handling Mustang yet from Ford. Unlike the production car, the Super Stallion is predictable right up to the limit and beyond. Running through the slalom, the Stallion turns in with precision yet still tucks in its nose when the throttle is lifted. Go over the limit and the rear end jumps back in line like a seared recruit with a quick flick of countersteering. Add power and the rearend stays out under beautiful control. We enjoyed this so much we indulged in probably a few too many powerslides while turning around from our acceleration and fade free braking tests, but it was great! Such handling prowess is exactly what the Mustang needs. Instead of the brake diving, plowing understeer and white knuckle randomness of the current chassis and suspension at the limit, the Super Stallion exhibits safer, much more predictable handling, and with higher limits. The combination of an A-arm front end and the IRS keeps the nose off the ground while hauling down with the binders, the front tires flatter on the pavement while cornering and the rears firmly planted without much squat during acceleration. The sooner Ford could put such a suspension under the Mustang, the better. Undoubtedly a costcutteir's nightmare, the IRS and A-arm front end could perhaps be introduced on the line leading Mustang Cobra. Of course, much of the Super Stallion's handling and overall grip comes from its expensive, sophisticated Goodyear tires. The Eagle F1 Fiorano rubber easily falls into the ultra-high-performance league. Certified to more than 210 mph, the Fl is based off Goodyear's Formula One racing tire. It features asymmetric and directional tread, a rayon carcass, steel belts and nylon overlays. The Goodyears perch on open spoke Speedline 18-inch wheels, the better to cool the big Brembo brakes. Together with the Goodyears and anti dive suspension, the Brembos bring the Super Stallion down from speed with excellent power, control and fade resistance. The Brembos get a bit of help from the Torson differential. Apparently the bulletproof Gleason torque sensing limited slip differential comes with a bit of rolling resistance. The Stallion would stop itself in that last foot or so, then starting out from rest impart a hint of drag had to be overcome, an unusual feeling. Definitely on the plus side, the Torson puts both tires to the pavement when the throttle goes down. We also wonder if the Super Stallion isn't giving us a look at future SVT bodywork. The hood is a unique twin nostril design, while the front fascia was modified for the auxiliary lights and air intake ducts. The rear fascia was neatly out to cowl the huge tailpipes, and both front and rear fascias, along with several other details, were laid out in carbon fiber. Four of those, the quarter panel and quarter window ducts, are functional for rear brake and shock cooling. SVE also noted the rear deck and wing had been modified as well. What's also been modified is our perception of what a Mustang can be. Brutish is not a term normally associated with modular engine power output, but it pretty well fits the Super Stallion. Easy, comfortable handling right up to the limit in a streetable factory Mustang is another push on our mental reset button, one we're ecstatic to have sampled. Together they make the Super Stallion the surprise of the year, and hopefully an accurate indicator of where Ford is taking the Mustang.