Gathering information for Justin Pawlak’s purpose-built Formula D drift car (the 2016 Roush RS3 Mustang you see above) was a relatively straightforward endeavor. So much so, that we wish it always went this way. Not only is Justin a sharp guy, as you have to be to build and drive a machine as radical as this one, we also enjoyed speaking with him on the telephone, too.

As you will read, we heard from the man himself on what it takes to build a car like this. And, after you read the following specifics, you’ll get an idea of what it takes to drive one of these hot rods as well.

To begin with the basics, we’ll start with the specs of this beastly near 1,000-horsepower drifter. The engine is a Ford Performance Aluminator Coyote 5.0 with an 11:1 compression ratio. From there, a number of go-fast components help get things to the near four-figure power-output mark. This includes a Roush Performance TVS2300 supercharger, Roush long tube headers, a JSP Fab four-inch exhaust, and a VMP Performance eight-rib pulley kit.

The fuel system includes Radium Engineering fuel rails and a fuel regulator, Injector Dynamics fuel injectors, and a FCST-equipped (fuel-cell surge tank) Fuel Safe fuel cell. Gulping down a high-octane infused martini made of Ignite RED Racing fuel results in an incredible 987 horsepower and 831 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels.

Putting the power to the pavement is an Andrews Products’ A431 four-speed ‘dog box’ transmission, an Exedy twin-disc clutch, and a Driveshaft Shop 9-inch conversion. It is also equipped with Driveshaft Shop axles and a Roush/Yates 9-inch third member and spool.

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The unibody was treated to a Hot Line Performance complete stitch-weld treatment for the S550 shell and roll cage. Hot Line was also the source for the suspension, which includes front control arms, knuckles, and an angle kit. Hometown Fabricating rear control arms, KW Suspension coilovers, and a set of Cortex Racing wheel studs and suspension bushings were fitted respectively. A Ford Performance subframe solid rear suspension bushing kit is also used.

As for the car’s exterior, an Anderson Composites carbon fiber hood and trunk lid are used, and the doors are also AC carbon-fiber pieces. There is also an AC wide-fender kit that’s 65 mm wider than stock. A Roush front fascia, side winglets, and its rear spoiler complete the look. The package ties together thanks to Sam’s Auto Land matte black paint and Factory 83 livery.

Moving inside the car, the fundamentals include seats, harnesses, and a steering wheel all made by Sparco. Auto Meter gauges and the exclusive Ford Performance control packs for engine management keep everything monitored and functioning properly.

With those technical details in hand, we also really wanted to know what it took to actually build the car. What’s involved with putting it all together to make this special S550 a true drift phenom?

Justin began by telling us, “I started this build about six weeks before the 2015 SEMA Show. I was limited by time, as these things always seem to be, so I focused mainly on getting the chassis fabrication done before the show. I started by completely stripping down the car to its bare shell and sand blasting it so that I’d have a good base to start with to build the roll cage and stitch weld the body shell. I also worked on developing the front suspension and steering angles that I would need for drifting.

“After about two weeks of working on the correct geometry, I finally had some time to get the front spindles jigged and produced by Hometown Fabricating,” Justin continued. “I jigged and built the control arms in-house as time was ticking. Because time was limited before SEMA, we rushed to have the car painted and reassembled with the stock Coyote engine and drivetrain so that we wouldn’t have to push the car into the show.

In regard to the body work on the Mustang, Justin told us that after SEMA that he decided to go with a full fender replacement widebody setup instead of the fender flares that have recently become popular. “I really like the look of a true over-fender, so I contacted the guys over at Anderson Composites to help me with the project. I worked with them to design the 65 mm wide fenders so that it would retain the factory lines, but provide the width we’d need for the front steering angle and wider rear wheels and tires.”

After getting the car back from Anderson, Justin started tackling the drivetrain. He installed the Ford Performance Aluminator Coyote 5.0 crate engine and Roush Supercharger. Custom motor mounts to lower the engine down one-inch and back one-inch, were made to get the center of gravity weight lowered and moved back as far as possible.

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With the Exedy clutch and Andrews’ four-speed bolted up, it was time to make the transmission mount and take measurements for the carbon-fiber driveshaft from the Driveshaft Shop. That would mate the engine and transmission to the DS 9-inch IRS conversion rearend and housing. After the drivetrain was assembled, figuring out the rear brake setup was next.

“In drifting we utilize the rear handbrake for making adjustments during a drift. So installing a second caliper that would be mounted up to the Machine Parts House hydraulic handbrake lever and Wilwood master cylinder was very important,” Justin explained. “After taking a bunch of measurements and going through the many options of hats, rotors, and calipers, we came up with a good solution for the rear handbrake. Machine Parts House also helped in drawing up the file that my good friend Matt Maulucci would laser-cut out for the rear brake brackets. We utilized an S197 front brake kit from Wilwood to round out the brakes for the car, keeping the weight down on each corner as much as possible,” he further elaborated.

Next up was the cooling system. Justin told us that he chose a C&R radiator and heat exchanger that he relocated to the rear of the car to help with weight distribution, and to also add more capacity to the system. He built a custom radiator shroud and mounted a pair of high-flow Spal fans to help keep things cool. “Plumbing from Earl’s and a slick coolant overflow tank that JSP FAB whipped up finished off the cooling system,” Justin said.

To get everything fired up, Justin chose to go with Painless Performance wiring throughout the car, which includes a wire harness and a kill switch. “The name says it all, as it was definitely painless to wire up the car, lights, and engine management to get the car running,” he explained.

Before Justin had installed the engine, Roush Performance had sent down one of its calibration engineers, Blaine Dover, to handle tuning the car. “Thanks to the guys over at Westech Performance Group for the engine dyno time, we generated almost 990 horsepower with the Roush TVS2300 blower equipped with a VMP Tuning eight-rib pulley kit.”

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Once the car was pretty much finished, Justin was able to get to the testing phase rather quickly. “Since the engine was already tuned before we installed it, we fired it up in the car and to it took it the track for its initial shakedown at Irwindale Speedway,” he commented. “Thanks again to Tom Bogner and Doug Stokes for setting up the track time as it went extremely well!”

So there you have it. An S550 Mustang built for the drift wars. And what a car it is! Clearly, the Ford and Mustang brands are well represented at drift events around the country by both Justin’s deft building and driving skills. As Mustang enthusiasts to the core, we are certainly proud to showcase this unique combination for our readers.

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