Adam LZ’s rebuilt 900hp GT350 is utterly “terrifying” to drive

Following a catastrophic engine fire that resulted in the entire front end being destroyed, Adam LZ and his team have rebuilt his GT350 Mustang to be better than ever. It finally hit the road in his August 28 video and his reaction is insane.

Having burnt down with Adam’s girlfriend Collette behind the wheel on a track day in May 2020; Adam decided to salvage what he could of the Shelby GT350 Mustang and rebuild it better than ever before.

Since the motor was totally destroyed by the fire, the decision was made to swap the stock Shelby V8 motor for a turbocharged Ford Barra engine traditionally seen in high-powered Ford Australia cars.

With the rebuild having taken several months to complete, Adam was finally able to get the almost-finished Barra-swapped GT350 Mustang out on the open road in his August 28 video for a series of test ‘pulls’ to calibrate the gearbox.

“Terrifyingly fast”

This may not be the first time that Adam was able to get the car driving, but it is the first time he’s been able to explore the limits of its performance.

Clearly shocked by the sheer force of the turbocharger kicking in, he described the car as “terrifyingly fast” and  “feeling like a spaceship” when the boost kicks in.

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It seems that the car is perhaps too powerful for its tires, as even when rolling it spins the wheels up under heavy power.

Adam does say he’s concerned about the transmission shifting mid-pull, as that is what causes Mustangs to veer sideways and earn their reputation for crashing.

The Mustang narrowly avoids disaster

Despite the successful first drive, the test run is brought to an abrupt halt thanks to a broken wire. This could’ve been a disaster if Adam had not caught it as quick as he did, as it caused the Mustang to shut down in the middle of the carriageway. Thankfully, he was able to coast it to a safe area where it could be towed from.

With the Mustang making nearly 900whp and 700 lb/ft of torque, Adam still doesn’t seem satisfied, exclaiming “900whp in this car doesn’t feel enough, thank god we can turn it up more… I’m getting bored already … It definitely could be faster!”

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All that is left to do now is some final small transmission tweaks, a new hood and, hopefully, the Mustang will be ready for its daily driver duties with Adam. Given that the car has gone from a burnt wreck to fully-tuned muscle car in less than a year, Adam should be pretty happy with it.