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Scott McMurry’s Amazing 1970 Mustang is VMP Powered for Maximum Performance
By Evan J. Smith
Scott McMurray built one of the hottest Mustangs at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. It looks like a ’69 model Stang at first glance, but it is actually a ’70 model with a VMP Performance supercharged Coyote at its heart.
SEMA is all about extreme and Scott’s pony fit that bill. He stripped the Mustang and completely rebuilt it with maximum performance in mind. “I’ve wanted a classic Mustang since I was 7 years old,” Scott told us. “Growing up, a family friend had a ’68 Mustang and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
“When I finally graduated from college and started working, I was able to afford a car and I wanted to build a classic Mustang. The same guy who had the ’68 told me about this 1970 that was in Sarasota, Florida. I looked at it and fell in love,” he said.
“It was a 20-footer, but it was running, driving, and was perfect for the project I was dreaming up. It had a 392 cube Ford crate engine based on the 351 Windsor. It made something like 420 horsepower. The transmission was a C4 and it had a 9-inch rear. It ran okay; but it was a budget, garage restoration,” he added.
The 1970 Mustang numbers did not match, so a wild buildup ensued. “I could have taken the money and put it down on a new Mustang, but that would depreciate like crazy,” Scott said. “I wanted to get a classic, modify it, and hopefully I would be able to get a lot of my money back as an investment. Whether or not that will be the case has yet to be determined,” he said, jokingly.
Scott’s original plan called for a Ford 358-cube NASCAR engine to power the Stang. “I bought a rebuilt NASCAR engine and it turned out to be an entire waste of time,” he said. “It had a dry sump and the circle track front engine dress. I wanted air conditioning and power steering and it turned out to be nearly impossible to make that work. That’s when I decided to do a Coyote and a VMP blower. I eventually contacted Power By The Hour and ended up with a turnkey system with just as much power as the NASCAR engine. But now I have modern drivability and reliability.”
“I knew VMP offered a good supercharger so we went with the Gen3 2.65 L TVS. Based on what I’ve seen, it will make a ton of power. And it has good thermal efficiency, so I could run it on the street or the track.”
The engine is a Ford Performance Gen2 Coyote Aluminator. “Power By The Hour installed Stage 3 Comp Cams camshafts, a billet oil pump gear, and an 8-rib setup so I could run high rpm. Now that I have the car together and running, I plan to take it to Justin Starkey at VMP to get it tuned. I’m expecting close to 850 rwhp on E85. I call it an educated guess,” Scott said. The Mustang also benefits from custom long-tube headers, a Centerforce clutch, and the transmission is a Tremec Magnum that’s been beefed up to handle shifting at 8,400 rpm.
Scott’s Mustang grips the road with a short/long arm front suspension from Detroit Speed. The rear utilizes a Street Or Track torque arm with a cambered and full-floating 9-inch with a Watts link. Brakes are Aero 6 and Aero 4 from Wilwood and sit behind stylish 18-inch Forgeline wheels.
“It’s primarily built to be a proper grand touring car,” Scott said proudly. “It’s got air conditioning, a killer stereo, heated and cooled Recaro seats, and the style of a wide body 1970 Mustang. It’s designed to out-corner anything you can buy with all the comfort of a modern car. Violetto Customs in Bradenton, Florida did basically 95-percent of the work and I’m excited to have VMP get the engine dialed in so we I can get on track and have some fun.”
