Rolling into the burnout box, the driver engages the line lock, and the rear tires disappear into a cloud of smoke. Like many before it, this modern Mustang rumbles toward the tree and stages. This is not just any pony car, but a 2024 Mustang Dark Horse modified with a carefully curated package of mods designed to hasten its quarter-mile elapsed times.

We applied the proven knowledge we have from the S550 and thought outside the box to get it where it is today… — Fred Cook, Evolution Performance

The driver stabs the throttle. Engine RPM zings to the moon as the 10R80 10-speed automatic hastily bangs each gear. The distinctive whine emanating from under the hood is a Kong Performance CNC-ported Whipple supercharger belting out an undisclosed but ample serving of boost, which is cooled by an IC Chiller Interchiller System. The supercharger’s output works with a host of complementary mods (see sidebar) to push the Gen 4 Coyote 5.0-liter engine’s output to 1,147 horsepower and 806 lb-ft of torque at the wheels.

Under the hood is a Dark Horse-spec Gen 4 Coyote with robust, factory forged internals. Evolution Performance enhanced this 5.0-liter engine with Boundary billet dual-rotor oil pump gears, a Boundary high-flow, anti-cavitation backing plate, and more (see sidebar). The headlining mod, however, is a Kong Performance CNC-ported Whipple 3.0-liter GEN 6 supercharger supported by the company’s 120mm throttle body, open air boxes, and most importantly, its Stage 2 supercharger calibration for the factory Powertrain Control Module. A GripTec six-rib supercharger pulley ensures slip-free boost, while an IC Chiller Interchiller System tames boost temperatures. (Photos courtesy of Evolution Performance)

In late October, at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, that power connected with the pavement via sticky Hoosier tires, resulting in the shot heard ’round the S650 world. Built by the team at Evolution Performance, this Dark Horse, which weighs 4,100 pounds with the driver strapped in, rolled off the trailer and ran not just one but five consecutive 8-second passes, with the quickest being an 8.90 at 156 mph on the foundation of a 1.32-second 60-foot time.

“We have been doing this for 20 years, have the best team, and know the best combinations when putting these cars together. That is no different with the S650s,” Fred Cook, Director of Operations at Evolution Performance, said. “We applied the proven knowledge we have from the S550 and thought outside the box to get it where it is today.”

On that first record-setting pass, the driver had a feeling that it was running the numbers — and he should know. Not only is he the shop’s in-house hotshoe, but he spun all the wrenches to transform a factory corner carver into a straight-line stallion with its sights on a milestone.

“Our lead technician, Steven Schechterly not only drove our 2024 Mustang Dark Horse to first in the eights, but he also built the entire car with his own hands,” Fred enthused.

Not only did he drive the Evolution Performance 2024 Mustang Dark Horse on its recording-setting 8-second pass, but Steven Schechterly built the car too, and he could tell, as racers often say, that it was on a pass. “Finally! First pass off the train trailer too. It felt good. I knew it felt like an 8.90…” he said right after the run.

Putting years of experience into selecting, installing, and tuning the hardware is crucial to success with any platform. However, the latest Mustang electronics are fortified to thwart the efforts of aftermarket tuners. Thus far, only select partners can offer calibrations, and Whipple Superchargers is one of those outfits.

“Us and a few other cars are testing an update for the Stage 2 calibration that will be released before the end of this year,” Fred explained. “The update was made considering countless data logs Whipple received from customers running their cars at various power levels on and off the track. Evolution Performance’s dyno, street, and track data was an integral part of the Stage 2 calibration update.”

Though the company can’t supply custom tuning, Whipple can make the most of running better fuel thanks to sensors and logic built into the system. In the case of the Evolution Dark Horse, there is 105-octane GoSunoco Race Fuels E-30R in the tank.

“…Any Whipple calibration update has to be compatible with an otherwise stock car on 91-plus pump gas, but an increase in fuel octane enables you to run more boost and make more power on the very same calibration,” Fred said of the Stage 2 calibration. “Couple that with the right supporting hardware modifications, and you get an 8-second S650 without custom tuning.”

To crack the 8-second S650 code, Evolution Performance traveled to Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland. There, the car not only broke the record right off the trailer but ran a string of bracket-consistent passes that included an 8.90 at 156 mph, an 8.92 at 156 mph, an 8.93 at 156 mph, an 8.94 at 156 mph and an 8.95 at 155 mph. Its 60-foot times were strikingly consistent as well, with the quickest being 1.32 seconds, while the slowest was still a 1.36-second short time.

What that means is this level of performance will soon be available to anyone who can put together the right combo and knows how to get a car down the quarter-mile. However, don’t expect Evolution Performance to get complacent. We suspect that high-eights are just the first chapter of this Dark Horse’s historic story.