2006 Supercharged Steeda Q 525: Blown American Muscle

By Feann Torr - 3/May/2006

When I first cast my eyes across the muscular Steeda Q 525, I instantly thought "That's a nice looking motor," what with it's yellow-black paint job, five-spoke alloy rims and high rise rear wing.

But I must be honest, sometimes it's nice to just look at muscle cars doing burnouts, and this blown bad boy was born to arc up the rear wheels. Poetry in motion? Quite possibly. We would have published our very own photos featuring deft circle work in our unfinished project car, but our lawyers advised against it, so we settled for this crazy Mustang instead.

For those who may be scratching their heads, wondering what Steeda is, it's a popular aftermarket tuning company based in Florida, USA, which started life in 1988. The company's main focus is tuning Ford vehicles, such as Mustangs and Focus models (or Foci, as the company pluralises them).

Steeda does quite a lot of work with Mustangs, and decided to create the supercharged Q 525 to cater to the growing demand for ultra-quick Mustangs, which are proving quite popular in the States, especially the ones like this fella that can blow away anything from your tuned R33 Skyline to the latest Italian exotic.

Steeda's creation takes the 5.0-litre modular V8 and with the help of a Magna Charger MP112 hybrid roots style supercharger, bumps power up to a whopping 373kW, or 500 horsepower @ 5400rpm. That's a lot of power, and enough to break traction at the rear wheels with supreme ease, as you can see from the delightful photography.

Of course, the Steeda Q 525's impressive tyre frying capabilities are also helped by the intense levels of torque generated @ 3650rpm. How does 718Nm of torque sound? That's almost 200Nm more than the Australia-built FPV GT, another car whose proficiency at spinning the rear wheels has never been in question.

The 373kW tuned Mustang gets a slew of new engine components in order to operate under increased stress, many of them internal, such as a 62mm twin-bore throttle body, new fuel injectors, a forged crankshaft, forged con rods and pistons and Steeda exhaust system.

Other features contained within and around the undeniably powerful 5.0-litre V8 Mustang mill include a Steeda cold air kit and the aforementioned roots type supercharger (featuring an internal bypass valve and an intercooler), which Steeda says "provides instantanious boost from 1200 to 6000rpm" while the "unique valve is responsible in eliminating parasitic drag from the crank shaft to the supercharger".

The supercharger is arguably one of the more integral aspects of the engine, particularly in respect to how the engine develops its high power levels (and at such low revs), and consists of Eaton internal assembly componentry.

Steeda Autosports has indicated that its 2006 Steeda Q 525 model will be built in limited numbers only, and will also feature multiple chassis upgrades to complement the vehicle's significantly upgraded powerplant.

For example, the brakes have been upgraded, as have the wheels, the latter measuring 18-inches in diameter and shod with rather wide Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 275/40 ZR18 performance tyres. The suspension, too, has been overhauled, where the good number of components, such as the camber adjusters, springs, tower brace, and the lower trailing arms, all manufactured by Steeda in its Florida workshops, while Tokico supplies the shocks and struts (D-Spec items).

Packed with a rigid chassis and blown V8 engine, one of Steeda's most powerful creations also looks the part, which is crucial when you're tracking down the road at a slight angle, trailing a dense cloud of traumatised rubber particles. In addition to the wide 275/40 ZR18 rear hoops and suitably understated 18-inch alloy mags, the Steeda Q 525 also features an eye-catching high-rise rear wing, a Steeda front fascia/apron complete with functional brake cooling ducts, a new Steeda bonnet featuring a huge power bulge painted black and even a range of interior upgrades too.

The result? Quite possibly one of the best-looking Pony cars ever built. It's not too showy, not too outrageous, fitted with an tempered amount of eye candy, and of course it's got more herbs than your standard 4.6-litre Mustang to boot, and here at the Motoring Channel, that's viewed as a good thing.