Though you might closely associate Steeda with sharpening the handling of Mustangs, the company has long improved the straight-line performance of steeds since the Fox era. In recent memory, the company’s 2018 Mustang GT, dubbed the Silver Bullet, engaged in a constant pursuit of lower elapsed times, which eventually yielded a 9.76 at 143 run without a supercharger. Now Steeda continues that tradition with a new S650 Silver Bullet, which is already on the fast track.

It’s exciting and I’m glad the entire team at Steeda has jumped into the S650 Mustang with both feet. —Scott Boda, Steeda

Baselined during Mustang Week with 20-inch Steeda Trident wheels and a Steeda 3-inch cat-back exhaust, it ran a 12.56 at 114 mph. Upon returning the car to its Valdosta, Georgia, campus, the Steeda team pulled out about 250 pounds and filled the tank with 93-octane pump gas. Optioned with a 10R80 10-speed automatic and 3.55 gears, the Silver Bullet 2.0 is a 2024 Mustang GT that staked its claim as the quickest naturally aspirated 2024 Mustang GT on pump gas thus far courtesy of an 11.22 at 125 mph pass at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

“It’s very different. With the previous 2018 the first thing we did was cold air intake, tune, and E85.  We couldn’t do any of those with the new car,” Steeda’s Director of Engineering and Manufacturing, Scott Boda explains. “So, we really had to go into our NA bag of tricks and start immediately with weight reduction and maximum traction. There are only three ways to go faster, horsepower, weight, and traction.”

To get dip into the low 11s, the Steeda team put it on a diet down to around 3,455 pounds with Baer drag brakes, Billet Specialties wheels, a single Corbeau Racing Seat, a QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft, a Steeda rear-seat delete, a Steeda K-member, and more. To enhance the car’s power, they bolted on a set of Kooks 1-7/8-inch long-tube headers that exit into short pipes and turndowns. Tuning is still elusive, so the aforementioned 93-octane fuel allows the factory PCM to deliver its maximum timing.

To plant that power, Steeda upgraded the suspension and chassis with a full complement (see sidebar) of the company’s proven chassis and suspension upgrades.

“The car was on 20-inch wheels and was only able to run a 12.56 at Mustang Week. We then had 72 hours after test-fitting all of our lowering springs on Monday and Tuesday to get this car built for the Friday night test ‘n tune at SGMP,” Boda said.

With Steeda’s own Scott Boda behind the wheel, the Silver Bullet 2.0 staked its claim to the quickest NA 2024 GT on pump gas with an 11.22 at 125 mph at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

Low 11s is a strong start for an untuned 2024 GT with weight reduction and bolt-ons and given the blueprint laid out by the original Silver Bullet, version 2.0 is bound to run even quicker shortly.

“I’ll be honest when I saw the original dyno numbers I was bummed out. It made three less horsepower than our ’18, but the way it’s responded to our mods has blown me away,” Boda adds. “I mean, you’re talking about low 11s without fuel or a tune — that’s insane. The fact we had an honest shot to go 10s last Friday with pump 93 octane, without a tune and naturally aspirated; How many cars have ever done that before? It’s exciting and I’m glad the entire team at Steeda has jumped into the S650 Mustang with both feet.”