Take a Ford Mustang and give it the full Herrod Performance treatment. Meet the 570kW Scott McLaughlin Limited Edition (SM17) Mustang.
Fresh from dominating the Supercars this year, Scott McLaughlin’s initials and racing number now adorn this weaponised Ford Mustang by Herrod Performance. Boasting the first time the all-new Whipple Superchargers-developed Gen 5 W185ax 3.0-litre supercharger has been bolted onto a Mustang engine, thumping out 570kW and 870Nm of torque at 7500rpm.
Herrod said it had calibrated the supercharger to meet all fail safe modes to protect the Mustang’s engine and driveline, it also passes all emissions testing for second-stage manufacturing. Herrod reckons the 3.0L unit outperforms the Roots-type 2.3L and 2.65L. Indeed, it’s 13% bigger than a 2.65L unit and that means lower power draw and lower discharge temps to flow the same amount of air, and that means more power at the rear wheels.
If you like pub facts, it gets better because this system boasts the largest intercooler system (lower air charge temps and means higher boost and timing can be run) on the market with Herrod Performance saying there are no other upgrades needed, “just massive power right out of the box, works with stock 80mm throttle”. The intercooler reservoir is a staggering 7.5L which is double the capacity offered by competitor products.
And one of the great things about the system is that there’s no cutting or grinding of the engine block needed, no internal modifications at all, Herrod Performance said. To get the most of the more-power on the track, the kit includes a unique Herrod Performance engine oil cooler on both manual and auto variants, while automatic variants have a unique Herrod Performance transmission cooler that “keeps the transmission cool on the track so as to not go into fail safe mode”. The automatic transmission has a unique developed calibration for crisp gears changes.
The exhaust has also been fettled with a unique Herrod performance stainless steel cat back exhaust system with Black Chrome tips. The OEM Active‐Exhaust control is still on the steering wheel. Suspension is a unique lowered Ford Performance Herrod magna ride kit with adjustable sway bars along with a calibration change to the control module.
Wheels feature a gloss black SM17 badge and are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (Fronts ‐ 20×9.5 with 275/35/20 tyres; Rear ‐ 20×11 with 305/30 tyres). To keep it all legal, there’s a new tyre placard for the wheels and tyres. The brake callipers are the original Brembos painted Race red.
On the outside, the SM17 Mustang boasts SM17 body decals on the bonnet and sides of the vehicle with MccLaughlin’s signature. There’s a race-inspired spoiler at the back, front bar wind splitters and lower splitter, gloss black mirror scalps and bonnet vents. There’s a bespoke gloss black lower grille with blacked-out pony badge in the upper grille. A unique SM17 badge on the front fender and rear boot lid round out the exterior tweaks.
On the inside the dashboard is left as is, but the heated and cooled front seats are covered in Italian leather, the same as the rear seats. The Ford steering wheel has been swapped for a bespoke flat-bottomed Herrod unit.
What this package offers should transform the Mustang from not-exactly-mild to wild, and we can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one once restrictions in Melbourne ease. So, how much does it all cost? Well, for Herrod Performance to weave its magic on the Mustang adds around $50k to the price of a Mustang. So, you’re looking at 775hp for around $100k plus on-road costs…sure, that’s almost double what a regular Mustang costs, but the SM17 is a whole lot more car and puts this thing head to head with more expensive machinery, like the BMW M3 or C63.
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